Erasmus Mundus Big Data masters programmes for Students, 2021-2022

pplication procedure

Candidates are required to apply via the BDMA online application form. Important: Students currently studying in their last year of Bachelor can submit their application even if they have not yet received their diploma.Selected students need to submit their diploma and final grades before June 15th,2021. 
Please be informed that the candidate’s personal data will be sent to the Agency and may be used by other bodies involved in the management of Erasmus+ (i.e. European Commission, Erasmus Mundus National Structures, EU Delegations, Erasmus Mundus Student and Alumni Association) for facilitating the student/doctoral candidate access to the joint programme.

Eligibility criteria

To apply to BDMA, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• They have been awarded a Bachelor’s degree (i.e., the equivalent of 180 ECTS) with a major in computer science, from an accredited university. The university has to be listed in the World Higher Education Database (WHED) or be included in the following university rankings:
  • The Times Higher
  • Academic Ranking of World Universities
  • QS World University RankingsPlease refer to the FAQ for questions regarding Bachelor’s degree.
• They must be able to demonstrate proficiency in English by means of an internationally recognised test equivalent to level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The consortium will rely on how certification bodies evaluate their own equivalences against this framework, e.g., Cambridge General English FCE, IELTS (Academic) 5.5, TOEFL (paper based) 570, TOEFL (computer based) 230, TOEFL (internet based) 72, etc. Please refer to the FAQ for questions regarding proof of proficiency in English.

Application periods

Depending on their nationality, those applying as self-funded students must apply between October 1st, 2020 and either April 30th, 2021 or June 30th, 2021.

The deadlines are recalled below:

• Students applying for an Erasmus+ scholarship: N/A
• Students not applying for an Erasmus+ scholarship:
  • Students from NON EU Countries: April 30th, 2021
  • Students from EU Countries: June 30th, 2021

The detailed dates for scholarship applicants for the 2021-2023 period can be found below.

Application opening for scholarship:	N/A
Application deadline for scholarship:	N/A
Notification to proceed to the papers documents phase:	N/A
Deadline for uploading reference letters:	N/A
Deadline for receiving the papers:	N/A

Check below the dates to apply as self-funded student:

Application opening for fee paying students	October 1st, 2021
Application deadlines for fee paying students (NON EU Countries)	April 30th, 2021
Deadline for uploading reference letters for fee paying students (NON EU Countries)	May 05th, 2021
Deadline for uploading proof of Bachelor degree for fee paying students (NON EU Countries)	June 15th, 2021
Preliminary decision for fee paying students (NON EU Countries)	End of May 2021
Deadline for receiving paper documents for fee paying students (NON EU Countries)	No later than 1 month after being notified by e-mail
Application deadlines for fee paying students (EU Countries)	June 30th, 2021
Deadline for uploading reference letters for fee paying students (EU Countries)	July 05th, 2021
Deadline for uploading proof of Bachelor degree for fee paying students (EU Countries)	June 30th, 2021
Preliminary decision for fee paying students (EU Countries)	Mid July 2021
Deadline for receiving paper documents for fee paying students (EU Countries)	No later than 1 month after being notified by e-mail

Selection procedure

Applications will be scored according to the following categories:

• Domain of the bachelor : Points will be assigned proportional to the percentage of Computer Science credits in the curriculum.
• Academic results : This will be calculated as the weighted average of the marks in the different subjects.
• Other studies : A second bachelor or master will score depending on the obtained credits in computer science. Extra-curricular courses taken will be scored based on lecturing hours taking.
• Professional experience : Points will be given by year of work on IT or BI position (regarding the position held and the topic).
• Cover letter : Points will be assigned based on the following categories: organisation, sequencing, content, vocabulary and word choice, critical thinking, originality and creativity, accuracy of facts.
• Reference letters : Points will be assigned based on the approval, comments and reputation of the referees, as testified by the reference letters and the referees’ H-factor.

A final ranked list of candidates, based on all obtained points, will thus be produced. A main list containing the top applications will be submitted to the European Commission for scholarship approval. A reserved list is also produced.

Visa conditions

To apply for a visa as a self-funded student, you will need to have a financial guarantor. The guarantor must be able to prove that he has a monthly income that is sufficiently high for him to be able to pay you 666 EUR/month, while retaining 1254,82 EUR/month for himself and 150 EUR/month for each dependent. If these conditions cannot be met, the Belgian consulate will not issue a student visa.
Note that it is very difficult, and in some cases impossible, for an accompanying spouse or partner of a non-European student, to obtain a visa.

Tuition Fees & Scholarships

The Erasmus+ programme distinguishes students who are nationals or residents of Programme Countries and Partner countries. Programme countries students are:

• Students who are nationals of one of the 28 EU Member States: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, UK, Sweden, Bulgaria, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Croatia.
• Students who are nationals of one of the following countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRoM) and Serbia.
• Students who have resided or carried out their main activities (studies, work, etc.) for more than 12 months over the past five years (counted backward starting
  from the official deadline for scholarship application) in any of the above countries.

Students of Partner Countries are all other students.

Students fulfilling the eligibility criteria for both categories – e.g. students with a double nationality – must select the category of their choice. As a result, they are entitled to apply only to one of the two categories of scholarship at a time.

For both categories, the following eligibility criteria for an Erasmus+ scholarship apply:

• Students applying for a JMD scholarship for a specific academic intake are not allowed to submit a scholarship application to more than three JMD consortia.
• Students who have already obtained a JMD scholarship, an Erasmus Mundus Master Course scholarship, or an Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate scholarship are not eligible to apply for an additional scholarship under the JMD action.
• Students benefiting from a JMD scholarship cannot benefit from another EU grant while pursuing their studies in an Erasmus+ JMD.

Selected students will have to sign a Student Agreement prior to the student’s enrolment in the BDMA programme. The template of the Student Agreement can be found here.

Tuition Fees

• Partner Countries students: €9000 / year;
• Programme Countries students: €4500 / year.

Please note that these fees include national enrolment fees and the insurance cost.

Scholarships

The Erasmus+ programme provides EU-funded scholarships to students who have been selected by the consortia. Two categories of scholarships are available.

The scholarship for students from Programme Countries comprises:

• Participation costs: up to 4,500 euros per year
• Travel costs: 1,000 euros per year
• Contribution to subsistence costs: 1,000 euros per month for the entire duration of the BDMA programme (24 months maximum).

The scholarship for students from Partner Countries comprises:

• Participation costs: up to 9,000 euros per year
• Travel costs: 2.000 or 3,000 euros per year depending on whether the student is resident of a country whose location is, respectively, less than or more than 4.000 km away from Brussels, the coordinating institution of the BDMA programme. The place of residence will be verified on the basis of the provision of documents such as a residence certificate issued in accordance with the candidate’s municipality normal registration rules or a certificate from the candidate’s place of work, study or training issued by the employer or institution in question. Both documents must have been issued within 12 months before the BDMA official deadline for student selection.
• Installation costs: 1,000 euros.
• Contribution to subsistence costs: 1,000 euros per month for the entire duration of the BDMA programme (24 months maximum).

Contribution to subsistence costs will neither be given to scholarship holders for the periods of the BDMA programme (study, research, internship, or thesis preparation) spent in the country of residence of the student, nor to scholarship holders from a Partner Country for the periods of the BDMA programme spent in any Partner Country exceeding three months.

The participation costs covering the tuition fees are directly taken by the consortium. The remainder of the scholarship will be allocated to selected students as follows:

• Two yearly instalments, each one covering half of the travel costs.
• One installment of 1,000 euros covering the installation costs for students from Partner Countries.
• 24 monthly instalments of 1,000 euros for the subsistence costs.

The scholarship will be paid by bank transfer.

All scholarship holders will receive an insurance meeting the minimum insurance requirements of the Erasmus+ programme for JMDs.

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