As the funding period for the CIRCLE programme has ended, there will NO longer be a call for applications!
To successfully submit your application, make sure to read our website carefully and to submit all required documents.
Even if you have not finished your Bachelor’s studies, you can still apply. If this is the case, kindly state in your application when your expected date of graduation is. It is important that you finish your Bachelor’s studies by the time you apply for admission at your entrance university.
1. Consider the requirements and your motivation
Applying for a Master's programme requires great deal of time and effort. Before you apply, consider the admission requirements and the following questions:
- Why would you like to participate in the CIRCLE programme?
- In what way will the programme affect your professional future?
- What are your (academic!) reasons for choosing: the CIRCLE programme, the university for year 1 and the university for year 2?
- Which specialization track are you interested in?
- What do you think would CIRCLE add to your previous experience?
2. Online application
In order to apply for the International Master's Programme on Circular Economy (CIRCLE), you have to fill in an online application.
Link for the online application: jointdegree.biobs.com
Once you create the application, you can log in several times until the announced deadline to work on your application. More information on how to complete individual sections of the application is available on the application platform.
3. Required documents
For the application, you will need several documents which must be uploaded to the platform as PDF files. All documents must be in English. These documents are:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Copy of passport
- Language certificate according to the requirements of the programme
- Transcript of Records of your undergraduate studies (or Diploma supplement)
- Undergraduate diploma/degree certificate (if you have note received your diploma yet, write a statement saying when do you expect to receive it)
- 2 academic recommendation letters (the letters must be signed, they must contain a date and they must be on official stationary)
- List of courses to demonstrate your compliance with CIRCLE requirements regarding math/statistics and environmental/systems sciences (only the form provided by us will be accepted)
- Abstract of your undergraduate thesis (if you are still working on your thesis, submit your proposal and a confirmation from your supervisor; if you were not required to write a thesis, upload a statement describing what was required of you to finish the studies)
- Additional information, certificates etc. (any additional information, certificates etc. that you think the Admission Committee needs to know about)
Should you have any questions or doubts, please, do not hesitate to contact us at emcircle@uni-graz.at.
Selection
Selection to the CIRCLE programme and admission at the respective host universities are two separate steps. In the following, the selection to the programme is described. For information on admission to the individual universities see the section on admission.
Your submitted application will be thoroughly reviewed. First the formal aspects will be checked (required documents, documents in English etc.) and then the eligibility requirements will be reviewed. If applications are found to be incomplete and/or non-eligible, the candidates will be informed about this per email.
Eligible applications are then evaluated and ranked by the CIRCLE Admission Committee according to the following selection criteria and point system:
- Grade of your Bachelor study: 0 (not satisfying) to 3 (very good)
- Motivation letter: 0 (not satisfying) to 3 (very good)
- Recommendation letters: 0 (not satisfying) or 1 (satisfying)
- Additional information, e.g. relevant research/work experience: 0 (not satisfying) to 2 (good)
Candidates with the most points will be put on the main list for scholarships. For each intake, up to 16 students will receive the scholarship. Please note, that according to the Erasmus Mundus regulations, maximal three students per country (i.e. with the same nationality/citizenship) can be awarded a scholarship.
The candidates who do not make it on the main list for scholarships, will be put on the reserve list. The very best candidates on the reserve list will be given the opportunity to participate in the CIRCLE programme as self-paying students.
IMPORTANT: The final approval of all selected CIRCLE students and scholarship holders will be done by the European Commission (EC) in April/May.
Applicants will be informed about the selection results via email.
Once the EC have confirmed the selection results, the selected students will be contacted by the coordinating university providing them with further instructions. The selected students will receive a nomination letter including the mobility path and the details of the scholarship as well as an acceptance letter which the selected students will have to sign. By doing this, they confirm their acceptance of the scholarship guidelines and pledge to take all the necessary measures to start and complete the mobility successfully and in accordance with all the stipulated administrative and academic requirements. The next step is admission to the individual universities where the selected students start their studies.
Appeals
The CIRCLE consortium guarantees an absence of any conflict of interest as well as transparency and equal treatment for all applicants. Thus, any objection related to the selection results can be filed at emcircle(at)uni-graz.at and will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Admission
After signing and submitting the acceptance letters, the students will apply for admission at their host university 1. Each university will contact the students with information on admission. Please note that at this point selected candidates have to provide original and certified documents as instructed by the respective host university.
The offered place in the International Master's Programme is contingent on your fulfilling the requirements for admission at your respective host university.
Tip: It is important to remember that you have to be admitted to both host universities. Before the first academic year, you will apply for admission at your first host institution and before the second at your second host institution. Because of this, gather information on admission from both universities, so you can prepare all the necessary documents in advance.
