How to apply

In order for a student application to be taken into consideration, the candidate must comply with the minimum requirements with regard to administrative, academic and language prerequisites.
 

To fulfil administrative prerequisites, applicants must follow the following rules:

(a) Compliance with the application calendar and deadlines;

(b) Submission of a complete set of required application documents in English language versions (certified English translation if required).

All required files must be uploaded as digital copies and in English. The mandatory documents include:

(a) Curriculum Vitae (preferred format: Europass);

(b) A cover letter (max. 1000 words) demonstrating the consistency between the Programme’s objectives and the applicant’s motivation, academic/professional background and professional project;

(c) A scan of passport (a scan of the national ID will be accepted if the applicant does not have a passport at the time of application); All applicants must comply with visa requirements in the countries they intend to sojourn in;

(d) A scan of an official 1st cycle degree diploma or other eligible diploma in Life Sciences, recognized by the EU as a 1st or 2nd cycle degree equivalent to at least 180 ECTS. If the applicant has not completed the 1st cycle degree at the time of application, she/he must send available transcripts, proof of current enrolment, and a declaration of the end date; Applications from students in the last year of Bachelor or equivalent study programmes will be accepted conditionally: the completion of the Bachelor of Life and Health Sciences prerequisite must be met at the time of administrative enrolment.

(e) the exact course list of the Bachelor Diploma with a description of the classes and the respective grades (certified translation to English).

(f) Two recommendation letters specifying the contact details of the referees. If preferred, the referees may send these letters directly to the MemBioMed Coordinator Officer;

(g) All students must provide evidence of their proficiency in English through one of the following documents:

• A recent TOEFL Certificate: minimum score of 580 points (paper), 237 (computer, each component >22) or 93 points (internet)
• A recent IELTS Certificate: minimum score of 6.5
• A recently obtained CEFR level of English B2
• A recent Certificate of a University Language Centre testifying that the student masters the necessary knowledge of English to function academically
• A recent Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) or C1 Advanced (CAE) 180, Cambridge component score 176
• Certificate requirement is waived for students who have proof of at least one year of secondary or university level study in an English language school.

Student selection and admission attribution shall be based on joint criteria and procedures identical for the whole consortium. The selection and admission process will consist of three phases: eligibility check, preselection and interview. Scholarships will be assigned after the selection process. The MemBioMed Management Board (MMB) will assign the Selection and Examination Committee (SEC) including at least one representative of each of the three partner institutes.

1. Eligibility check

   Eligibility check will be performed by the application platforms during and immediately after the closure of the Call for applications. At this stage, the fulfilment of the minimum requirements specified above will be verified. If the platform does not allow to deposit all the required documents, students will be requested to send the documents to the MemBioMed Coordinator Officer before the application deadline.

   Candidates whose applications fail to meet any of the above requirements will be considered ineligible and excluded.

2. Preselection
   
   The selection process has been meticulously designed to ensure fairness and inclusivity, taking into account diverse backgrounds and experiences. Each eligible application will undergo a thorough evaluation, scored on a 100-point scale by three Local Academic Coordinators from distinct Full Partner Institutions. To maintain objectivity, any evaluator must disclose potential conflicts of interest before the assessment.
   
   The joint selection criteria are as follows:
   
   (a) Academic achievement and potential (adequacy of the academic background, grades and distinctions, participation in research projects, English language proficiency; 40 points)
   
   (b) Overall quality of the CV and academic and/or other experience (other academic competences, professional and/or volunteering experience in the area of Life Sciences or related, international experience; 30 points)
   
   (c) The quality of the cover letter (motivation, adequacy of the professional project) (20 points)
   
   (d) Recommendation letters (10 points)
   
   The SEC shall review the final grading and comments, compile a ranking based on average scores. Best candidates will be invited by email to the 3rd phase (interview). The remaining candidates will be notified about the panel’s decision and alerted to the appeal procedure via email.
    
3. Interviews
   
   Interviews will be conducted via video conferencing by at least three evaluators and should last for about 20 minutes. During the interviews, candidates will be assessed on common criteria:
   
   (a) Ability to understand questions and provide adequate and concise answers;
   
   (b) Ability to demonstrate the adequacy and consistency between the objectives of the Programme and the applicants’ background and/or professional project;
   
   (c) Knowledge of biomembranes;
   
   (d) Motivation and professional project.After completion of the interviews, a meeting of the SEC will be held to rank-ordered programme and partner country scholarship awardees and waitlist candidates for submission to EACEA.
    
4. Selection decision and scholarship allocation
   
   Once the interview phase is completed, the SEC will agree on the final, absolute ranking of candidates, and the allocation of scholarship will be proposed according to the geographic regulations set for Erasmus Mundus scholarships. Students that are not selected but that are still academically eligible for the programme will be put on a waiting list.The absolute ranking shall specify the candidates who:
   
   - Have been admitted and awarded an EMJM scholarship.
   - Have been included on a reserve list for an EMJM scholarship (specifying that they can participate as self-financed student).
   - Have been admitted and may enrol as self-financed students.
   - Have not been admitted.
   
   Candidates who have been awarded the EMJM grant shall receive the Notice of Award, a document notifying the grantee an award has been made, containing or referencing all terms and conditions of the award, as well as the Scholarship Contract. Additionally, admitted candidates (with or without scholarship) will be informed of the enrolment procedure, and provided with all relevant documents including the Student Agreement. Students then must confirm or deny their application in order to continue to the admission procedure before the announced deadline. Students denying their participation in the program will open up places for the students on the waiting list. Applicants who are not to be admitted to the programme receive a letter of rejection. The letter of rejection is to state the procedure for appeal (in accordance with 3.f). The Programme Coordinator shall communicate the absolute ranking to EACEA.
   
   Once students have confirmed their application, they will be informed with the admission notification to commence the administratif registration procedures and mobility arrangements (invitation letters to obtain visas).
    
5. Self-financed students
   
   Applicants not awarded an EMJM scholarship grant may be admitted to the programme as self-financed students on the condition that they pay the full tuition fee for the entire duration of the programme at enrolment. A budget simulation will be available on the programme website to allow applicants to assess their financial ability to enrol as self-financed students before submitting their applications
    
6. Appeal Procedure

Appeals will only be considered if the applicant believes there has been a failure in the admission procedure or an anlawful discrimination. Where an appeal does not produce the outcome sought by the applicant, reasons should be given for any decision. The SEC is encouraged to acknowledge when an error has been made and to take steps to ensure that similar problems do not arise in future. Due to the requirements for data protection, the SEC and MMB will only correspond on any issue regarding an application with the applicants themselves, unless the applicant has provided written permission to discuss it with another person.

Two application platforms are available :

• Campus France offers the "EtudesenFrance" platform, which is the reference procedure for most non-EU countries. If the student resides in one of these countries, the "Etudes en France " procedure is mandatory to enrol in French Higher education.  It applies for foreign students residing in the 68 countries affiliated at Campus France. Applications are online. If the Campus France antenna issues a favourable opinion on the student’s background and validity of their documents, student applications must go through the Selection and Examination Committee (SEC) of the MemBioMed programme for a final selection following the criteria described in further.

• For European students, the application will go through the “Monmaster” procedure. This platform is the new national French platform since February 2023. It applies for French nationals or nationals of the European Economic Area, Andorra, Switzerland or Monaco or others country not in « EtudeenFrance ».