Funding

Fully Funded · Partial / Stipend · Self Funded

Master's Scholarship•Belgium · Mons

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Smart Cities and Communities (SMACCs)

SMACCs Consortium (coordinated by University of Mons)

Application Deadline

February 1, 2027

Official Page

SMACCs is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) in Smart Cities and Communities, worth 120 ECTS over two years and taught entirely in English. Four universities run it together: the University of Mons in Belgium (coordinator), the International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki, the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, and the University of Vaasa in Finland.

The curriculum covers the pillars of urban sustainability — energy, transport, buildings, urban planning, and ICT as the enabling layer. Semesters 1 and 3 are spent in Bilbao and Vaasa, semester 2 in Mons or Thessaloniki, and semester 4 is the master’s thesis. Moving between countries is compulsory, and your specialisation follows whichever university gives you 60 ECTS.

More than 50 associated partners across Europe and beyond feed the programme with internships, guest lectures and thesis topics. The consortium admits roughly 40 students per intake, drawn from anywhere in the world.

Benefits & funding

  • EMJM scholarship: €1,400 per month for up to 24 months, covering travel, visa, installation and living costs.
  • Tuition is waived for holders of an EMJM, Consortium or Associated Partner scholarship.
  • 95 EMJM scholarships across the four editions starting September 2024 to September 2027 — 60 open to all nationalities, 35 reserved for students from specific third-country regions including the Western Balkans, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
  • Consortium and Associated Partner scholarships give partial tuition coverage to strong applicants who miss an EMJM grant, subject to available funds.
  • Erasmus+ mobility grants cover inter-semester travel for students without an EMJM scholarship.
  • Health insurance is paid by the consortium for every student.
  • Self-funded tuition: €4,000 per year for students from Programme Countries, €8,000 per year for students from third countries not associated to the programme; registration fees and insurance are included.

Eligibility

  • A bachelor degree of at least three years / 180 ECTS in an engineering field (mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, environmental, architectural, computer, energy) or a science field (physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, operations).
  • Degrees without an engineering or science base — arts, social science, psychology, philosophy, business, law — are treated as non-eligible; architecture or economics with an engineering background is judged case by case.
  • Final-year bachelor students may apply if the degree is awarded before 15 September of the enrolment year, with written confirmation of expected graduation.
  • English at B2 level or above: TOEFL iBT 90, TOEFL CBT 230, TOEFL PBT 550, TOEIC 850, IELTS 6.5 with no element below 5.5, or a passed Cambridge FCE, CAE or CPE. A degree taught entirely in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK or the USA is accepted automatically. Test results from the last two years are valid.
  • Open to applicants of any nationality; no age limit is set.
  • Two reference letters, at least one from academia.
  • Anyone who already holds an EMJM scholarship cannot receive a second one; former EMJMD holders may still apply.

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Application process

  1. 1
    Check the admission criteria and pick your mobility path across the four universities.
  2. 2
    Prepare the file: the signed Word application form, CV, a one-page motivation letter, transcripts, English proficiency proof, passport or ID, and up to three publications — supporting documents go in a single ZIP of 20 MB or less.
  3. 3
    Submit online at smaccs-apply.ihu.edu.gr; tick the scholarship box in the form if you want to be considered for funding.
  4. 4
    Give your two referees their details in time — they have 15 calendar days after the deadline to send their letters.
  5. 5
    Shortlisted candidates are interviewed remotely on Teams, usually in April.
  6. 6
    Results are published in May for scholarship and visa-required applicants and in June for the rest.
  7. 7
    Admitted students present the original documents at registration and start the University of the Basque Country recognition procedure for a foreign qualification straight away.

Program timeline

  1. Scholarship application deadline (2027–2029 edition)

    Feb 1, 2027

  2. Remote interviews

    April 2027

  3. Self-funded application deadline for applicants who need a visa

    Apr 30, 2027

  4. Scholarship results announced

    May 9, 2027

  5. Self-funded application deadline for applicants who do not need a visa

    Jun 8, 2027

  6. Results for self-funded applicants without a visa requirement

    Jun 23, 2027

  7. September 2027

    Studies begin — first week of September in Vaasa, mid-September in Bilbao

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