MARIHE Erasmus Erasmus Scholarship Essay Template
Scholarship Overview
The MARIHE (Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education) is a two-year, 120 ECTS Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programme. It trains future leaders in higher education management, policy, and research.
What Reviewers Want
Reviewers for the MARIHE Erasmus Mundus (Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education) scholarship evaluate candidates across academic quality, deep career alignment with higher education management, and communication potential split across a rigorous two-round scoring system.
Essay Prompts
Impact Essay / Community Impact: From your own experience, what would you change at your university?
1. Paragraph 1 (The Disorientation): Arriving at university from a farming community in Kogi State meant spending the first semester navigating logistics that classmates from larger cities had already absorbed through family and social networks. The gap had nothing to do with intelligence.
2. Paragraph 2 (The Accidental Turning Point): A final-year student named Blessing noticed the problem and spent one evening walking through the systems that changed the trajectory of the year. That this happened by accident is exactly the problem.
3. Paragraph 3 (The Gap and the Fix): The institution's orientation was built for students who already knew how universities worked. What was missing was a structured peer mentorship system that caught rural and first-generation students in the first eight weeks, before the damage that leads to dropout happened.
4. Paragraph 4 (Why Aveiro): The University of Aveiro's partnership with Jerónimo Martins to run a structured programme for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities showed a willingness to redesign pathways rather than add offices. That kind of structural thinking is what the applicant wants to learn.
5. Paragraph 5 (The Research Focus): MARIHE is the right place to study how higher education systems can build deliberate pathways for students who arrive without the informal knowledge that urban or wealthier peers take for granted, and how models like Aveiro's can be adapted across West Africa.
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Common Mistakes
Writing a generalized personal statement that does not mention MARIHE by name.Failing to reference specific partner universities, modules, or the unique mobility tracks offered within the program.Reusing an essay from a completely different Erasmus Mundus Application without tailoring it to higher education policy, research, or innovation management.
Claiming leadership roles, research interests, or project experiences in your essay that are completely missing or unsupported by your actual CV.
Detailing a future professional path in higher education or institutional management that contradicts your past academic and work background without explaining the transition.
Personal Guides
Pick the Right Subject: Choose an abstract theme you want to fix (e.g., "university bureaucracy," "stagnant policy," or "higher education systems") and treat it as a character with habits, limitations, or potential.- Keep it Subtle: Do not write a fairy tale. Use strong verbs usually reserved for people (e.g., "Higher education is currently gasping for adaptive frameworks," or "Innovation knocks quietly at traditional ivory towers").
- Link to Your Goals: Show how you interact with this "character"—your goal is to heal, guide, or transform it through research and leadership.
- The Introduction: Introduce your central abstract subject as an active force facing a specific challenge in your home country or region.
- The Conflict: Describe how this "character" struggles under current global shifts, using descriptive, active language.
- The Intervention: Position yourself not just as a student, but as an agent of change who will study the mechanics of this system.
- The Connection: Tie your personal narrative directly to the multi-country mobility tracks offered by MARIHE to show how different nations view this shared challenge
FAQ
- What is MARIHE? A 2-year joint master's program focusing on higher education management, research systems, and innovation policies across Europe and Asia.
- Who is eligible? Anyone holding a university bachelor's degree (minimum 3 years or 180 ECTS) with a strong motivation and academic proficiency in English.
- Is work experience required? No, work experience is not mandatory, but a relevant professional or educational background strengthens your application.
- Do I need an English test? Yes (such as IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 92), unless you qualify for specific exemptions based on your prior education or nationality.
- What does the scholarship pay? It covers all tuition and participation fees, provides €1,400 per month for living/travel costs for the 2-year duration, and includes global insurance.
- Can I apply if self-funded? Yes, self-funded options are available, and non-scholarship students can occasionally apply for partial travel grants up to €6,000.
- Can I get it if I already have a Master's? Yes, but you cannot receive a second Erasmus Mundus scholarship if you have already held one for a previous master's
