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Admission & applying

Academic requirements

SINReM is particularly suited for (but not limited to): chemical engineers, chemists, environmental scientists and engineers, geologists, geophysicists, mining engineers, mineralogists, materials scientists, metallurgists, bioscience engineers, biotechnology scientists, and process engineers.

To be admitted to the SINReM programme, you need to:

  1. hold a Bachelor degree (equivalent to at least 180 ECTS*) in a discipline closely related to the SINReM scope (see above for examples);**
  2. have a strong background in science (equivalent to at least 15 ECTS in mathematics and/or physics and 10 ECTS in chemistry);**
  3. have completed your previous degree(s) with very good or excellent grades (typically top 30% of the students);
  4. submit a convincing motivation letter with your application, which shows that the SINReM scope matches your previous education and future goals;
  5. fulfil the English language requirements listed below.

* Find out if your Bachelor degree meets the academic entry requirements by selecting your country.

** If you do not fully meet criteria 1 and 2, you may still be admitted if you have excellent grades (typically top 10% of the students) in your previous degree(s). Please note that in this case you will have to invest more time within the first year to catch up with fundamentals of science and engineering.

Academic admission is granted by the SINReM Student Selection Committee, based upon the strength of the academic profile and motivation. The full application procedure needs to be completed in order to be granted admission.

All students participating in the SINReM programme will need to sign the Student Agreement prior to the start of the programme.

English Language requirements

Accepted English language test certificates (the certificate cannot be older than 5 years):

  • TOEFL iBT (at least total score of 86 out of 120, TOEFL iBT Home Edition is accepted)
  • TOEFL pBT (at least total score of 570)
  • Academic IELTS (overall band score of at least 6.5 with at least 6 for writing, IELTS Online is accepted)
  • Cambridge C1 advanced certificate (formerly Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE))

Only nationals of all EU and EEA countries, Australia, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe are exempted to provide an English language test certificate as listed above and can provide a stamped and signed certificate of English proficiency issued by their previous university if they have obtained at least 60 ECTS credits with English as the language of instruction during a previous bachelor of master level higher education degree. This certificate should clearly state that English was the language of instruction during the previous degree. Nationals of other countries need to provide one of the above listed English language test certificates (TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge CAE).

The English Language requirements listed above are the result of official agreements between the partner universities organising SINReM and no exemptions are made.

How to apply

Deadlines

  • The Application Portal for applications for intake September 2024 will open in October 2023.
  • The deadline for all applicants to submit the application form if applying for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship for intake September 2024 is 28 February 2024.
  • The deadline for non-EEA* and non-Swiss applicants to submit the application form as a self-funding student or if applying for an EIT AVSA scholarship for intake September 2024 is 28 February 2024.
  • The deadline for EEA* and Swiss applicants to submit the application form as a self-funding student or if applying for an EIT AVSA scholarship for intake September 2024 is 31 May 2024.*European Economic Area: Member States of the European Union (EU) and Iceland, Liechtenstein
    and Norway

Ask your questions during our online Q&A webinar!

On February 8, EIT RawMaterials organised an online Q&A webinar for SINReM applicants.

Watch the recording of the webinar here.

Process

In the application portal, you will need to upload a scan (PDF file) of your BSc Degree Certificate (Diploma) (or Certificate of Expected Graduation if you have not yet obtained your BSc degree), Transcript of Records, passport, motivation letter, and CV. All documents need to be in English.

We do not review eligibility, transcripts, diplomas or credentials via e-mail, so apply via submitting your application file in the online application portal.

Apply here

Find out if you are eligible to apply for academic admission and/or a scholarship for the SINReM programme. Complete the questions below and get access to the Application Portal from October 2023 onwards. Carefully read the SINReM Applications Manual to guide you through the application procedure.

I meet the English language requirements.

I meet the English language requirements:

I have a certificate of one of the listed English language tests:

  • TOEFL iBT (at least total score of 86 out of 120)
  • TOEFL pBT (at least total score of 570)
  • Academic IELTS (overall band score of at least 6.5 with at least 6 for writing)
  • Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE)

or I am a national of one of the listed countries below and I have an official certificate stating that I have obtained at least 60 ECTS credits with English as the language of instruction during my previous bachelor or master degree:

All EU and EEA countries, Australia, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

YES
NO

I have obtained the equivalent of at least 10 ECTS credits chemistry and 15 ECTS credits physics/mathematics.

I have obtained the equivalent of at least 10 ECTS credits (300 hours of work) in chemistry and at least 15 ECTS credits (450 hours of work) in a combination of mathematics and physics during my previous bachelor or master studies at a university.

YES
NO

I have a bachelor degree in a field relevant for the SINReM programme.

I have a bachelor degree in bioscience engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, environmental sciences and engineering, geology, geophysics, mining engineering, mineralogy, materials sciences, metallurgy or process engineering, or another degree that shows affinity with any aspect of the (minerals and metal) raw materials value chain. Degrees in natural resources management (forestry, wildlife, bio-conservation, …) are not suited for the SINReM programme.

YES
NO

I obtained very good or excellent grades.

I obtained very good or excellent grades (typically top 30% of the students cohort) during my previous bachelor degree.

YES
NO

I will be officially graduated by 28th February 2024.

I will be officially graduated and I will be able to show my final Diploma or Certificate of Graduation of my previous bachelor degree by the deadline of 28 February 2024.

YES
NO

You will be considered for an Erasmus Mundus or AVSA scholarship and for academic admission to the SINReM programme. ​

Continue to Portal

You will be considered for an AVSA scholarship and academic admission to the SINReM programme but you are not eligible to apply for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

Continue to Portal

You will not be considered for a scholarship nor will you be granted academic admission to the SINReM programme.

Admission and scholarship selection

To award scholarships and academic admission to the SINReM programme, all submitted application files will be reviewed by the SINReM Student Selection Committee, with representatives from all partner universities. Admission and scholarships are awarded based on meeting the academic and language requirements, and motivation.

To set up the scholarship ranking, the Student Selection Committee takes into account not only previous achievements, motivation (including entrepreneurial spirit) and references, but also the scientific background of the applicants, as the SINReM programme aims to work on multidisciplinary projects with a diversity of students having different backgrounds.

Applicants who are selected for admission and/or a scholarship for the SINReM intake September 2024, will be notified by e-mail in April 2024.

All students participating in the SINReM programme will need to sign the Student Agreement prior to the start of the programme.

Legalisation of your documents and Letter of Admission

Please legalise your BSc Degree Certificate and Transcript of Records according to the correct legalisation method for your country. You will be notified by e-mail in April 2024 in case you are granted academic admission to SINReM. After that, you will be contacted by the International Admission Desk of Ghent University in order to send scans of your legalised Degree Certificate (Diploma) and Transcript of Records by e-mail as soon as possible and before the ultimate deadline of 31 May 2024.

After the International Admission Desk of Ghent University has received your legalised documents, you will receive a Letter of Admission for the SINReM programme based on which you can apply for a student visa.

Visa application and further practical info

If you need a visa to enter Belgium, please start your visa application as soon as possible after you have received your Letter of Admission.

Apply for a long stay student visa type D at the Belgian embassy or consulate which is competent for  your country of residence. More information about your visa application can be found here and at the competent Belgian embassy or consulate.

SINReM includes student mobility to other Schengen countries, and therefor you have to apply for a long stay student visa type D with code B35. After your arrival in Belgium, you will be able to apply based on this code B35 for a 2 year residence permit that will allow you to travel to Germany and Sweden without having to apply for a visa in these countries.

An administrative fee is asked by the embassy or consulate for the processing of your visa application. Erasmus Mundus and EIT AVSA scholarship holders are exempted from paying this administrative fee. Therefore, a visa administrative fee exemption document should be submitted to the embassy or consulate during your visa application. This document will be attached to your Scholarship Award Letter that will be sent to all selected scholarship holders in April 2024.

When applying for a visa, you will be asked to prove your solvency (i.e. creditworthiness). This solvency can be proved in different ways:

  • A Scholarship Award Letter (document certifying that the student has been granted a scholarship)
  • An affidavit of support (or a financial guarantee)
  • A blocked account and solvency letter: Ghent University can provide a letter to prove sufficient means of subsistence. In that case the financial means have to be transferred to a bank account of Ghent University, where they will be blocked on a personal account. The financial means will then be reimbursed to you on a monthly basis. For more information, contact [email protected]

All instructions on other administrative steps (insurance, bank account, student housing, travel to Belgium, residence permit …) will be sent to admitted students by e-mail in May 2024.

Feedback and appeal

Each year, more than 550 application files are submitted for the SINReM programme. The admission criteria are clearly listed on this website and no exceptions are made. Every year, only 25-30 scholarships can be awarded so scholarship selection is very competitive.

The Student Selection Committee with representatives of all participating universities screens all files and awards the scholarships based on objective criteria.

If you would not agree with the outcome of the Student Selection Committee, an appeal can be filed to [email protected].  The decision of the Committee will not be changed unless the applicant can prove that the Committee made an objective mistake during evaluating the candidate.

Data protection

The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), in the context of managing the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees, collects and processes the personal data of some of the candidates.

In particular, certain data of the scholarship holders (students and scholars), nonscholarship holders and reserve list candidates is shared with the Agency through the EACEA Mobility Tool and treated according to the following privacy statement.