Pakistan tops Erasmus Mundus scholarship list for fifth straight year
Pakistan has retained its position as the leading recipient of Erasmus Mundus scholarships for a fifth straight year. Pakistani students secured 98 fully funded awards in the 2026 cycle, according to official Erasmus+ data.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has remained the top recipient of Erasmus Mundus scholarships for a fifth consecutive year, with students from the country securing the highest number of selections in the European Union-funded postgraduate programme.
According to the latest Erasmus Mundus selection-cycle data shared through official Erasmus+ channels, Pakistani students won 98 fully funded scholarships in the 2026 cycle. That placed Pakistan ahead of all other participating countries in the latest round.
Other South Asian countries also featured prominently in the rankings. Bangladesh placed second with 80 scholarship recipients, while India was third with 75. The United States and Italy completed the top five with 68 and 67 scholarship winners, respectively.
In total, 1,872 fully funded scholarships were awarded to students from 135 countries in the latest cycle.
Recent performance
Pakistan’s latest result follows strong showings in previous years under the programme. In 2025, 114 Pakistani students secured scholarships under the Erasmus+ Joint Masters programme from a global pool of 2,176 selected candidates representing 137 countries.
In 2024, Pakistan recorded 189 Erasmus Mundus scholarship winners out of 2,603 students selected worldwide from 137 countries.
About the programme
The Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programme is regarded as one of the most competitive international scholarship schemes. It allows students to pursue joint master’s degrees across multiple European universities, with major study-related costs covered.
Funded by the European Union under Erasmus+, the programme supports academic mobility and cross-cultural learning by enabling students to study in more than one European country during their degree. It covers tuition fees, travel expenses, visa costs and living allowances.
The latest selection data shows Pakistan continuing to lead the global list of scholarship recipients under the programme, extending a run that has now reached five years.
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