How a Computer Science Graduate Secured the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship to Pursue a Master's in Data-Intensive Intelligent Software Systems Across Finland and Spain

Hi! My name is Mira, I am an Erasmus Mundus Master’s student in the “Engineering of Data-intensive Intelligent Software Systems” (EDISS) program that combines Software Engineering and Data Science. I am graduating soon, finishing my program in the second country, Spain.

Educational Background

I have studied Computer Science in my bachelor’s degree and explored several fields by having internships in CyberSecurity and Internet of Things; also, I worked as a GIS developer full-time for a year. During my 3^rd year, I had an exchange semester abroad (although, due to COVID-19, it was online) in Poland, Gliwice. I always planned to get experience in another country, and Poland showed me that I need to work harder and be more specific to reach higher places and achieve my goal of having a degree abroad.

By the application period, my IELTS score was 7.5; my GPA was not high (3.46/4.0), but I believe that my motivation and previous experience were clear and pretty good.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship?

Erasmus Mundus felt very unrealistic due to its popularity and high competition rate, so it was not my priority at first.

Honestly, I started preparing applications for a master’s late, at the end of my 3rd year of bachelor’s. Even though I got offers from University of Padua and University of Bologna (Italy), University of Auckland (New Zealand), and a partially-funded scholarship called Future Global Leaders Project Scholarship (FGLP) from Gyeongsang National University (South Korea), I decided to not accept any and apply again next year (I didn’t accept an offer from Korea, because the university was not highly rated and it was located in a very small town far from the big cities).

I didn’t know about my program until next year, strangely. The second time, I managed to apply only to Saudi Arabia and several other Erasmus Mundus programs when I got the offer from EDISS. They were the first ones to send me any feedback on my application.

I accepted the offer because I liked that there were only 2 countries during the studies, so it would not have been so hard to move from one country to another; also, I really liked the curriculum as it allowed me to learn not one, but several fields (Software Engineering, Data Science, Computer Vision, Mobile Robotics – these are the fields that I have learned about so far) which was my intention from the start.

This program is relatively new; I am in the 3^rd intake, and at that time, the acceptance rate was 7%. However, for intake 5 (2025-2027), the rate decreased to 3%. The program is getting recognized more and more, so let me tell you a bit about the application process.

The most unique thing about the application to this program is that instead of a motivational letter, they require a motivational video. It should be short, not longer than 3 minutes, but the content should include a bit about yourself and your motivation. There are no guidelines on what the video should look like, so you can be as creative as possible and do whatever you want, as long as you show them why you really want to get into this program.

Who are you?

Why do you want to study there?

For what (what is your end goal)?

These are the questions they want answers to.

With these, you also certainly need to upload your CV, recommendation letters, and transcript. They also ask for a very short summary of your application (not more than 150 words), of your motivation. You can write the same thing you included in your video or add something else.

Could You Briefly Discuss the Erasmus Mundus Program You Pursued and the Specific Field of Study It Focused On?

The studies in this program are focused on connecting Software Engineering and Data Science, where we enhance our skills in both fields, including Machine Learning and Deep Learning. The first year of the program is held in Turku, Finland, and the second one consists of several specializations that we can choose from: Industrial Machine Learning (Västerås, Sweden), Computer Vision and Intelligent Systems (Palma de Mallorca, Spain), Model Driven Machine Learning (L’aquila, Italy).

How Did the Cost of Living Vary Across the Countries You Studied In? Which Country Was the Most Affordable or Expensive, and How Did You Manage Financially?

The program covers living, study, and travel expenses, so I didn’t have financial difficulties. Finland is a Nordic country, and generally, Nordic countries are known to be a bit more expensive than central/southern Europe, but Finland has a lot of discounts and support for university students; that’s why we paid only ~350 euros for accommodation monthly, which is insanely cheap. Approximately 300-400 euros were spent on food and entertainment, and the rest was spent on travel or moved to savings.

In Spain, I am living in a tourist city, so accommodation costs considerably more (600 for a room), but groceries are cheap, so the living expenses are relatively the same in general.

Did You Face Any Language Barriers, and if So, How Did You Overcome Them? Did the Language of Instruction Change From One Country to Another?

I have never been abroad before I started my master’s, and even though I had a good knowledge of English, it was very hard to get used to a lot of accents and talking in a foreign language every day. It was taking a lot of energy at the beginning, but then you just get used to it.

Finland is very convenient for those who don’t know Finnish (or Swedish), but in Spain, it was considerably harder at the beginning since English is not freely spoken there. The university program is in English, but some professors have very strong accents or not that good knowledge of the language. Mallorca itself has 3 widely spoken languages: Catalan, Mallorcan (the dialect of Catalan), and Spanish. So, before going there, it will be very helpful to learn a bit of one of these languages, if you are going to live there for some time.

Would You Recommend the Erasmus Mundus Program to Others? What Advice Would You Give to Someone Considering This Scholarship?

Yes. This experience will not only teach you more in your field, but also introduce you to so many different cultures and worlds. It will give you tremendous opportunities in a lot of ways.

I would advise to learn more about your own goals, desires, and vision. You might know that there are a lot of different Erasmus Mundus programs, and I am sure you will find anything you want, but only if you know what you are looking for.

Looking Back, Would You Have Done Anything Differently During Your Time in the Program?

If I had the chance to go back, I would have networked more. Your program has a lot of connections with companies, and it will be to your advantage to network with CEOs, team leads, and other great figures. It might not only help you with employment in any way, but also give you wider exposure to the field.