The European Union has awarded 75 Indian students Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree scholarships for the 2026–2028 academic cycle, cementing India's position as the top recipient of these scholarships since 2004. The Delegation of the European Union to India also announced the launch of the EU-India Student Ambassadors' Network, bringing together 40 student ambassadors from 20 Indian universities to raise awareness about European academic opportunities. The announcement was made at a pre-departure ceremony in New Delhi on 22 June 2026, hosted by the EU Delegation to India.
The 2026 cohort will study at leading universities in 15 European countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, pursuing interdisciplinary master's programmes in fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and gender studies. The selection continues a trend of near-equal gender representation among Indian recipients. Ambassador Hervé Delphin described Erasmus+ as "more than a scholarship—it's a passport to a first-class experience," adding that the student ambassador network would "build a human bridge of knowledge and mutual understanding."
The EU-India Student Ambassadors' Network includes students from top Indian institutions such as IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the University of Delhi, representing 14 states and union territories. Since 2004, Erasmus+ has awarded over 7,500 scholarships to Indian nationals, including more than 2,500 Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees. With nearly 100,000 Indian students currently in Europe, the continent remains a preferred destination for higher education. The Erasmus+ programme (2021–2027) has a budget of €26.2 billion and supports education, training, youth, and sport globally.