How a South African Graduate Received the Fully Funded Erasmus Mundus Scholarship to Pursue a Joint Master’s in Applied Ecohydrology Across Europe

My name is Nolitha Khungwayo, I am an Erasmus Mundus scholarship holder from South Africa. My home language is IsiXhosa, and I grew up in a small town called Alice in the Eastern Cape province; a fun fact about my hometown is that it is home to the University of Fort Hare, which is where Nelson Mandela, the first democratic president of South Africa studied.

I did my primary and high school in Alice, and I then moved to Cape Town to study Environmental and Water Science at the University of the Western Cape. I obtained a bachelor's, honors and master’s degree in Environmental and Water Science; I graduated with my bachelor's degree Summa Cum Laude.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Details

I received an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for a master’s degree in applied Ecohydrology. It is a joint master's programme between the University of Algarve (Portugal), the University of Łódź (Poland), the University of Antwerp (Belgium), and the Technical University of Applied Sciences Lübeck (Germany). The Erasmus Mundus scholarship is a full scholarship that includes the programme tuition fees, a monthly allowance of 1000 EUR, and travel costs for the full 2-year programme.

Educational Background

I decided to pursue further education in this field because I am passionate about the environment, especially water management since there has been an increase in water scarcity and pollution worldwide. The master's lasts for two years i.e. 4 semesters, the first semester is split between the University of Algarve and Lodz and focuses on Ecohydrology, the second semester is at TH Lubeck and focuses on Water Engineering, the third semester is at the University of Antwerp and focuses on Integrated Water Management and lastly the fourth semester is for thesis writing and is depended on the student which of the four universities they choose to conduct their thesis. For the thesis topics, each of the four universities presents a set of topics in which the students can choose from, however, if a student does not like any of the proposed topics, they have the right to propose their topic which is what happened in my case.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for Erasmus Mundus Scholarships?

My story of discovering the scholarship is funny, I had just finished an internship at an NGO for environmental management and also received the news that I’d be graduating with my master's at the University of the Western Cape and had to figure out the next step of my life. I had always had a dream of studying and living abroad and I decided to search for ways in which someone with my background could achieve that and I happened to stumble upon the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship website. I spent hours on the website trying to filter out scholarships that were still open for applications and most importantly ones that I qualified for. I ended up having a list of three scholarships, I then categorized them according to the required documents since I had only a few weeks left before they closed, and I ended up with the Master in Applied Ecohydrology and focused all my energy onto that one application. Yes, I admit it was not the smartest thing to do but fortunately, it all worked out for the best.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I would start searching for scholarships early and make sure I had many different options to choose from. Other than that, I am beyond grateful for the one I did get because I have learnt so much more about the field and I have gotten to travel and immerse myself in different cultures.

What Advice Would You Give to Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Make sure to put effort into your motivational letter because it is very crucial, you must sell yourself and convince them why you are the right person to choose for the program. You can do this by sharing your passions, your backgrounds, and most importantly why you want to be in the program; be as authentic as possible and not generic because they get over 400 applications every year and can easily detect unauthentic letters. Also, your reference letters are very important. Make sure to get one from someone at your university and if you have worked before from someone at your work. Grades are also important, but I have come to realize they do not hold that much weight. If you are from a non-native English-speaking country make sure to get your English certificate on time. Lastly, Apply on time and hope for the best.