finance costs scholarships	Money matters. Education is probably the best and inflation-proof investment you can find, but it is not always easy to make both ends meet between cost and finance. This page is meant to help you in planning your budget for studying in the MUNDUS URBANO program.
costs
participation costs EM scholarship holders	According to the Erasmus Mundus Programme guide, EMMC participation costs are composed of the tuition fee, health insurance and any other compulsory administrative/operational cost related to the participation of the student in the EMMC (i.e. the student union fee in Germany). The maximum yearly participation costs for Erasmus Mundus Scholarship holders differ depending on the applicant’s country of origin* and are set at € 4.000,- for EU citizens and 8.000,- for Third Country participants. These participation costs will be directly deducted from any Erasmus Mundus scholarship. * Erasmus Mundus Category A scholarship – awarded to students selected by MUNDUS URBANO consortia, who are nationals of a Third Country (all countries outside the EU Member States, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland), who have not carried out their main activity (studies, research or work) for more than 12 non-consecutive months over the last 5 years in one of the 27 EU Member States, Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland. (Switzerland, Western Balkan countries and Turkey are third country students and are eligible for cat. A). ** Erasmus Mundus Category B scholarship – awarded to students selected by MUNDUS URBANO consortia, who are nationals of one of the 27 European Member States, Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland or any third country students who has spent at least 12 (non-consecutive) months, over the last 5 years, working, studying or doing research in one of the 27 EU Member States, Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland. (Switzerland is a third country and can only be considered for Cat. B if the Swiss students fall under the 12-month rule).
participation costs self-financed students	All participants in the MUNDUS URBANO double-degree Masters course pay a tuition fee of €6.000 per year. Prices are the same for European and non-European students and do not cover health insurance, student union contributions and other administrative fees. Study fees do not include living cost, books and study trips. Self-financed students choosing to remain at TU Darmstadt in the second year only pay 900€ for the supervision and tuition of the masters thesis.
fee waivers	Self-financed students who do not have any financial support may receive a fee waiver for the first year of up to 1.000€ subsidized by the TU Darmstadt. This means the first year tuition cost would be 5.000€.
student union	German universities require an additional student union membership fee of currently 240 EUR per semester, which also covers free public transportation in and around Darmstadt, and allows for discounts at the university cafeterias.
insurance	Health insurance is mandatory for non-EU students in order to obtain a residence permit. The cost of insurance varies between 60 and 100 EUR per month, depending on the coverage provided and the age of the student. National health insurance companies include, among others: Barmer GEK, AOK, TK Versicherung. Insurance can be arranged upon arrival and registration at the TU Darmstadt. For Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders the health insurance fee is already included in the participation cost.
living costs	In Germany, living costs depend on the student’s personal standard and generally range from €600 to €1.000 per month. Any travel cost and overseas expenses are not considered in this estimate. In Italy, Spain and France the living costs can be up to 50% more expensive.
scholarships
erasmus mundus scholarship	A limited number of applicants to the MUNDUS URBANO program may benefit from the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program. This will cover the tuition fee of the program plus a monthly allowance of € 1 000 per month  (non Europeans) and € 500 per month (Europeans) over the 24 month period.   Since the Erasmus Mundus scholarship is highly competitive, the chance of approval is typically between 5 and 10%. The principal eligibility criteria can be found at the EU website and the FAQ. If you want to apply for an ERASMUS MUNDUS scholarship just tick the appropriate box in the MUNDUS URBANO application form. The best candidates will be proposed for any available grants from the ERASMUS MUNDUS scholarship scheme, and the next best candidates will be put on a waiting list in case of vacancies. Applicants that have not been selected for the ERASMUS MUNDUS scholarship scheme, but have been admitted to the waiting list, may still join the MUNDUS URBANO course with their own or third source funding.   The maximum number of Erasmus Mundus Masters programs for which any one student may apply is three. This is meant to encourage students to focus their choice. Applicants who apply for more than 3 Erasmus Mundus programs will automatically be removed from the list.
DAAD	The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) also offers scholarships – please consult the DAAD Website: http://www.daad.org/. Applicants for a DAAD scholarship are advised to apply for the urban-studies MSc course ‘International Cooperation and Urban Development’ and submit their master thesis in Darmstadt. They are still eligible for the double degree if they spend one semester at our partner universities.   Other German donors with similar conditions include a number of foundations Such as: •  the KAAD (http://www.kaad.de/english/inhalt_e.htm), •  the Boell Foundation (http://www.boell.de/asp/frameset_en.html), •  the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (http://www.fes.de/intro_en.html), •  the KAS (http://www1.kas.de/stiftung/englisch/services.html), •  the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (http://www.fnst.org/), •  the EED (http://www.eed.de), •  the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung,( http://www.boeckler.de/274.html) •  the Rosa -Luxemburg Stiftung http://www.rosalux.de/
other scholarships	There are numerous scholarships available that can be used for the MUNDUS URBANO program. One category includes national scholarships provided by employers, the government and foundations in the applicant’s country of origin. International scholarship schemes are listed on specialized websites, such as: www.bmbf.de/press/2663.php www.stipendienlotse.de www.worldbank.org/wbi/scholarships http://cambodiajobs.blogspot.com For information about some possible donors you may consult the INTERPLAN-ALUMNI.NET page.