3 min readNew DelhiJun 23, 2026 01:44 PM IST
The European Union has awarded 75 Indian students the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) scholarship for the 2026–2028 academic cycle, reinforcing India’s position as the top recipient of this award since 2004 and placing it among the top three countries globally in this year’s intake. India currently has close to one lakh students pursuing higher education across Europe.
Alongside the scholarship announcement, the EU launched the EU-India Student Ambassadors’ Network, bringing together 40 student ambassadors from 20 universities across 14 states and union territories. The network aims to raise awareness of European academic and research opportunities while strengthening people-to-people ties between Indian and European youth.
To mark the occasion, the Delegation of the European Union to India held a pre-departure ceremony in New Delhi, bringing together the selected scholars, EU Member State representatives, alumni, and education stakeholders ahead of their departure.
The 2026 cohort will study at universities across 15 European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, pursuing programmes in fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, smart urban development, renewable energy, vaccinology, and gender studies, alongside humanities and social sciences. The selection also continues a trend of near-equal gender representation among Indian recipients.
EU Ambassador to India Hervé Delphin described the programme as opening doors to advanced European education and cross-continental networks, calling the new student ambassadors agents of change who will help build deeper knowledge ties between the two regions.
The ambassador cohort draws from premier institutions including IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IISc, JNU, Delhi University, and Mumbai University, as well as regional universities such as Panjab University and Gauhati University, reflecting a pan-India footprint.
Since 2004, Erasmus+ has awarded more than 7,500 scholarships and over 2,500 joint master’s degrees to Indian nationals. Beyond student mobility, the programme has supported 16 Capacity Building in Higher Education projects involving Indian universities since 2021, alongside 17 Jean Monnet Action projects recognising Indian academics for excellence in European Studies.
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Launched in 1987, Erasmus+ is the EU’s flagship mobility and exchange programme, currently operating with a €26.2 billion budget (₹2,09,694 crore) for its 2021–2027 phase. As the EU and India mark over 60 years of diplomatic relations, education and youth mobility remain central to their strategic partnership, with both sides expecting deeper collaboration in research, higher education, and technology going forward.