Pakistan has once again emerged as the top recipient of Erasmus Mundus scholarships, maintaining its leading position for the fifth consecutive year. In the 2026 selection cycle, Pakistani students secured 98 fully-funded scholarships, the highest number awarded to any country under this prestigious European Union-funded postgraduate program.
South Asian nations dominated the competitive Erasmus Mundus awards, with Bangladesh placing second with 80 scholarships, followed closely by India with 75 recipients. The United States and Italy rounded out the top five, with 68 and 67 scholarships respectively. In total, 1,872 fully-funded scholarships were granted to students from 135 countries in this latest cycle.
The Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters program is recognized globally as one of the most competitive international scholarship schemes. It offers students the chance to pursue joint master’s degrees across multiple European universities, covering all major expenses including tuition, travel, visa fees, and living costs.
Pakistan’s consistent success in this program builds on strong performances in previous years. In 2025, 114 Pakistani students were awarded scholarships from a global pool of 2,176 candidates representing 137 countries. The year before, in 2024, Pakistan produced 189 Erasmus Mundus scholarship recipients out of 2,603 students selected worldwide from the same number of countries.
Funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ initiative, the program promotes academic mobility and cross-cultural exchange by enabling students to study in multiple European countries during their degree courses. This achievement highlights Pakistan’s growing presence in global academic circles and the increasing competitiveness of its students on the international stage.
