Erasmus Mundus: Md. Nazial Kadir

In March 2021, Md. Nazial Kadir (Alumnus, CSE) received the Erasmus Mundus scholarship, an international Joint Masters scholarship centred around the European Union (EU) Member States.
Nazial had stumbled upon the Erasmus Mundus scholarship while working on his thesis. Identifying his goal to “stick to research,” Nazial explained how the scholarship would help him achieve it. The scholarship would allow him to focus on his education without worrying about finances since it covered tuition fees and travel costs while providing a monthly stipend. However, the best thing about the scholarship, according to Nazial, was the multicultural aspect. He could “travel to different countries without a visa, learn about the different research paradigms, and merge with different cultures.”
Nazial described the application process as relatively simple. According to him, the most challenging part was waiting for the results. He also had no alumni to consult for guidance. Still, since Erasmus Mundus was a relatively new scholarship, the applicant cohorts were small, and “the coordinators were very actively involved with the applicants.” Nevertheless, the silver lining was the support Nazial received from his friends. Searching for scholarships together and matching recommendation letters took the edge off the whole situation. Finally, he received a secondary scholarship specific to his degree. Currently, Nazial is enrolled at Université Jean Monnet, France, in the process of achieving a Master of Science in Imaging and Light in Extended Reality. His main advice for students aiming to acquire the Erasmus Mundus scholarship is to gain at least 6 months of work experience, as it significantly increases eligibility.
Written by: Areeza Afnan Mahmud