Decision 1298/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishes the Erasmus Mundus Programme for the promotion of quality in European higher education and intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries on the one hand, and for the development of third countries in the field of higher education on the other.

The programme should be implemented in line with objectives of academic excellence while taking into account a geographical representation of beneficiaries that is as balanced as possible.

The aims of the programme are to promote European higher education, to help improve and enhance the career prospects of students and to promote intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries, in accordance with EU external policy objectives in order to contribute to the sustainable development of third countries in the field of higher education.

The specific objectives of the programme are:
 

• To promote structured cooperation between higher education institutions and to promote an offer of high quality in higher education with a distinct European added value, attractive both within the European Union and beyond its borders, with a view to creating centres of excellence.
• To contribute to the mutual enrichment of societies by developing the qualifications of men and women so that they possess appropriate skills, particularly as regards the labour market, and are open-minded and internationally experienced, through promoting mobility both for the most talented students and academics from third countries to obtain qualifications and/or experience in the European Union and for the most talented European students and academics towards third countries.
• To contribute towards the development of human resources and the international cooperation capacity of higher education institutions in third countries through increased mobility streams between the European Union and third countries.
• To improve accessibility and enhance the profile and visibility of European higher education in the world as well as its attractiveness for third-country and European nationals.

1. Erasmus Mundus joint programmes (masters and doctoral programmes) of outstanding academic quality, including a scholarship scheme.
2. Erasmus Mundus partnerships between European and third-country higher education institutions as a basis for structured cooperation, exchange and mobility at all levels of higher education, including a scholarship scheme.
3. Promotion of European higher education through measures enhancing the attractiveness of Europe as an educational destination and a centre of excellence at world level.

The Community provisional funding available for the programme is:

• 493,69 Million EUR (Orientation of the budget)