International Rural Development (IMRD) Scholarships for Students in Developing Countries 2023

The International in Rural Development (IMRD), offers the opportunity to become an international expert on rural development in its diversity of approaches and applications. Scholarships for masters and undergraduate students in developing countries are offered by both the European Commission (as is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree EMJMD course) and the Belgian Government VLIR-UOS.

Application Deadline: 28th February 2023

Eligible Countries: 

For Erasmus Mundus:

• Countries labelled as Partner countries under the EMJMD Consortium agreement.

For VLIR-UOS:

• Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Niger
• Asia: Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Palestinian Territories, Vietnam
• Latin America: Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru

To be taken at (University): Through IMRD you can study at least one semester at the following universities:

within Europe

• Ghent University (Belgium)
• Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany)
• Agrocampus Ouest (France)
• University of Pisa (Italy)
• Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia)

outside Europe

• ESPOL (Ecuador)
• China Agricultural University (China)
• Nanjing Agricultural University (China)
• University of Arkansas (USA)
• University of Pretoria (South Africa)
• University of Agricultural Sciences of Bangalore (India)

Type: Masters

Eligibility:

• Applicants which have the official nationality of an Erasmus+ Partner Country, and who meet the IMRD admission requirements and have been academically admitted by the IMRD Management Board to participate in the IMRD programme. Other eligibility requirements of the program include:
• Applicants must have at least a Bachelor’s degree of min. 3 years from a university or recognized equivalent in preferably bioscience engineering or agricultural sciences, (preferably agricultural economics) with good overall scores (at least a second class or equivalent, preferably higher).
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate through their transcripts basic science training in: (i) mathematics and/or statistics; (ii) agronomy and/or biology and/or environmental sciences; and (iii) social sciences/sociology and/or rural development and/or economics.
• Language requirements:
  The English language proficiency can be met by providing a certificate (validity of 5 years) of one of the following tests:
  –    TOEFL IBT 80
  –    TOEFL PBT 550
  –    ACADEMIC IELTS 6,5 overall score
  –    CEFR B2 Issued by a European university language centre
  –    ESOL CAMBRIDGE English CAE (Advanced)
  Language of instruction is not accepted anymore, except applicants who are nationals from or have obtained a bachelor and/or master degree in a higher education institute with English as mode of instruction in USA, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Canada, and in the latter case a certificate that the mode of instruction was English has to be submitted.

For VLIR-UOS:

VLIR-UOS offers a limited number of full scholarships for students each year, according to a specific list of eligibility criteria. Applicants need to be a national AND resident of one of the 31 scholarship countries at the time of application.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Duration of Scholarship: 2 years

Value of Scholarship:  

For Erasmus Mundus:

• 2 year Programme Costs for the IMRD programme (= 2 x 9,000 => 18,000 EUR)
• 2 year full worldwide insurance coverage
• contribution to travel and installation costs (either 5,000 or 7,000 EUR)
• 24 monthly subsistence allowances (= 24 x 1,000 => 24,000 EUR)

The EMJMD Student Scholarship does not include:

• accommodation
• living costs.
• transportation costs from one mobility to another

For VLIR-UOS:

• The scholarship covers ALL related expenses (full cost).

How to Apply: Applying for the International Master of Science in Rural Development (IMRD) is simple; see if you meet the admission requirements and freely apply for admission.

Source: www.imrd.ugent.be