Application procedure

Candidates are required to apply via the BDMA online application form. Important: Students currently studying in their last year of Bachelor can submit their application even if they have not yet received their diploma.

All the information in this page refers to the next available application periods for the 2024-2026 BDMA cohort.

Please be informed that the candidate’s personal data will be sent to the Agency and may be used by other bodies involved in the management of Erasmus+ (i.e. European Commission, Erasmus Mundus National Structures, EU Delegations, Erasmus Mundus Student and Alumni Association) for facilitating the student/doctoral candidate access to the joint programme.

Eligibility criteria

To apply to BDMA, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • They have been awarded a Bachelor’s degree (i.e., the equivalent of 180 ECTS) with a major in computer science, from an accredited university. The university has to be listed in the World Higher Education Database (WHED) or be included in the following university rankings:

    Please refer to the FAQ for questions regarding Bachelor’s degree.

  • They must be able to demonstrate proficiency in English by means of an internationally recognised test equivalent to level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The consortium will rely on how certification bodies evaluate their own equivalences against this framework, e.g., Cambridge General English FCE, IELTS (Academic) 5.5, TOEFL (paper based) 570, TOEFL (computer based) 230, TOEFL (internet based) 72, etc. Please refer to the FAQ for questions regarding proof of proficiency in English.

Application periods

There are two different application periods. During the first one, applicants apply for the EACEA Erasmus+ grants (grant period). During the second one, self-funded applicants apply to BDMA (self-funded period).

The main deadlines are summarized below:

  • Grant application start period: September 25th, 2023
  • Grant application ending period (strict deadline): December 22nd (at noon GMT time), 2023
  • Self-funded application start period (common for all applicants): March 1st, 2024
    • Self-funded application ending period for NON EU Countries applicants (strict deadline): April 30th, 2024
    • Self-funded application ending period for EU Countries applicants (strict deadline): June 30th, 2024

The detailed dates for all relevant milestones of the grant application period can be found below:

Grant application start period September 25th, 2023
Deadline for the grant application period December 22nd, 2023
Deadline for uploading reference letters December 29th, 2023
Notification to proceed to the papers documents phase TBA
Deadline for receiving the papers TBA

The detailed dates for all relevant milestones of the self-funded application period can be found below:

Self-funded application start period (common for all applicants) March 1st, 2024
Deadline for the self-funded application period (NON EU Countries) April 30th, 2024
Deadline for uploading reference letters (NON EU Countries) May 5th, 2024
Deadline for uploading proof of bachelor (NON EU Countries) June 15th, 2024
Preliminary decision (NON EU Countries) End of May, 2024
Deadline for receiving paper documents (NON EU Countries) 1 month after being notified by e-mail
Deadline for the self-funded application period (EU Countries) June 30th, 2024
Deadline for uploading reference letters (EU Countries) July 2nd, 2024
Deadline for uploading proof of bachelor (EU Countries) June 30th, 2024
Preliminary decision (EU Countries) Mid July, 2024
Deadline for receiving paper documents (NON EU Countries) 1 month after being notified by e-mail

Selection procedure

Applications will be scored according to the following categories:

  • Domain of the bachelor: Points will be assigned proportional to the percentage of Computer Science credits in the curriculum.
  • Academic results: This will be calculated as the weighted average of the marks in the different subjects.
  • Other studies: A second bachelor or master will score depending on the obtained credits in computer science. Extra-curricular courses taken will be scored based on lecturing hours taking.
  • Professional experience: Points will be given by year of work on IT or BI position (regarding the position held and the topic).
  • Cover letter: Points will be assigned based on the following categories: organisation, sequencing, content, vocabulary and word choice, critical thinking, originality and creativity, accuracy of facts.
  • Reference letters: Points will be assigned based on the approval, comments and reputation of the referees, as testified by the reference letters and the referees’ H-factor.

A final ranked list of candidates, based on all obtained points, will thus be produced. A main list containing the top applications will be submitted to the European Commission for scholarship approval. A reserved list is also produced.

Visa conditions

To apply for a visa as a self-funded student, you will need to have a financial guarantor. The guarantor must be able to prove that he has a monthly income that is sufficiently high for him to be able to pay you 666 EUR/month, while retaining 1254,82 EUR/month for himself and 150 EUR/month for each dependent. If these conditions cannot be met, the Belgian consulate will not issue a student visa.
Note that it is very difficult, and in some cases impossible, for an accompanying spouse or partner of a non-European student, to obtain a visa.