The Erasmus Mundus Response_Able Futures (ResFut) programme offers 12 Erasmus+ scholarships for the 2027-2029 intake, each worth €1,400 per month for 24 months with the tuition fee waived. Applications close on 20 January 2027, and late applications are not accepted. At Youth Works Hub, we went through the programme's admissions pages and gathered every requirement, document and selection rule below.
ResFut at a Glance
🎓 Programme: two-year joint MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Design and Health_Care, an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programme
🕑 Duration: 2 years, full-time and on-site
📍 Location: 4 semesters spread across Belgium, Portugal and the UK
🗣️ Language: English
🏅 Scholarships for 2027-2029: only 12 Erasmus+ scholarships
💶 Scholarship value: €1,400 per month for 24 months, with the tuition fee waived
🧾 Self-funded tuition: €5,000 per year (€10,000 for the 4 semesters)
📅 Application window: 20 October 2026 to 20 January 2027, for the September 2027 intake
✏️ Who it is for: design graduates (product, graphic, game, spatial and more) who want to use their skills to create impact in the healthcare sector
What the Programme Is About
Response_Able Futures is a two-year, joint MFA programme created to tackle growing global challenges: socioeconomic shifts, digital transformation, ageing populations and a rising need for inclusive health services. Students study in three countries over the course of two years, and the programme engages three central themes:
🫂 Designing with care communities
💬 Designing for care communication
🧩 Understanding care systems
The programme explores what it means to be a future-forward designer while also investigating what it means to be a responsible citizen. It does not teach you to be a designer: it equips you with the understanding of how to use your skills within diverse care contexts.
An International Cohort and Real-World Partnerships
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master students come from all over the world, and each cohort brings new insights and perspectives on how care is delivered and how it is received. Partnerships with industry leaders, academic institutions and NGOs are core to the Response_Able Futures mission, and students benefit from cutting-edge resources and real-world projects with organisations committed to innovation in healthcare and sustainability.
Recent programme news includes masterclasses on medical device development, prototyping and designing for longevity with care. New in the 2027-2029 intake, the programme will be exploring the opportunity for some students to do an internship semester.
What the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Gives You
All applicants are able to apply for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, though only a limited number are available. If you are new to this type of degree, our guide on what Erasmus Mundus is explains how the joint masters work.
🏦 Monthly value: €1,400 per month for a total duration of 24 months.
🆓 Tuition: the tuition fee is waived for scholarship holders.
🧳 What it can cover: the living costs incurred by the student, including travel, visa, installation, house-rent and other living costs.
🎟️ Dedicated places: a number of dedicated scholarships are available for excellent students from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye.
Scholarship Restrictions
🔂 Students who have already obtained an EMJM scholarship or an Erasmus Mundus Master Course / Joint Doctorate scholarship are not eligible to apply for an additional scholarship under the EMJM action.
🚫 Erasmus+ scholarship holders cannot benefit from another EU funded scholarship scheme to follow the same EMJM course, for the entire period of the course.
You Are Applying to the Master's, Not Only to a Scholarship
During the application process you will be asked how you intend to fund your studies. You are applying to get into the ResFut Masters programme, not only applying for a scholarship. Competition for the 12 scholarships is extremely strong, so applicants are encouraged to seek out additional funding opportunities early on.
ResFut offers a limited number of places, which in the past has been capped at 21 students. Because of the number of quality applicants, this may increase to a maximum of 30.
Tuition Fees for Self-Funded Students
Students accepted into the programme are considered self-funded unless they receive an Erasmus+ scholarship. These students may receive scholarships or financial support from other sources or fund their own studies, and the programme has gathered a list of potential regional financial support organisations on its website.
💳 Fee: €5,000 per year (€10,000 for the 4-semester programme), regardless of whether you are an EU or non-EU student for the 2027-2029 cohort.
📈 Future change: the tuition fee will increase for non-EU students beginning with the intake starting in September 2028.
🪙 Payment: the tuition is payable in two instalments.
✅ Included: participation in all classes, emergency and accident insurance, administrative support, enrolment costs, examinations and the final diploma.
❌ Not included: travel costs, visa expenses, accommodation, living expenses and other personal costs such as software subscriptions, printing costs, prototyping costs or books.
🏠 Living expenses: estimated to be between €600 and €1,000 per month.
Proof of Financial Means for Non-EU Students
Students from outside the EU who are accepted must be able to provide proof of sufficient financial means. One way many students do this is a Blocked Account supported by LUCA School of Arts: students provide sufficient funds to support themselves for living expenses, and each month the student receives money back to pay monthly expenses. With this procedure, LUCA School of Arts can provide a certificate of financial solvability that can also be used for the visa application. More information is made available when a student is accepted onto the programme.
The programme gives this example of the required financial means for non-EU, self-funded students:
🔢 Monthly amount: 1,000 EUR/month + €100 one-time handling fee
🧮 Example for a full academic year: 1,050 EUR/month x 12 months + €100 one-time handling fee = 12,700 EUR
Other Funding: The Skills and Education Guarantee
The EU's Skills and Education Guarantee allows students to apply for support for their Master's studies abroad. Loans are offered by participating banks and student loan agencies on favourable conditions to mobile students, including better than market interest rates and up to two years to allow graduates to get into a job before beginning repayment. This process is not facilitated by the Response_Able Futures programme.
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Who Should Apply
The ideal candidate is a recent (or soon to be) graduate who holds a bachelor's degree in a design-related field. You do not need specific prior knowledge or experience in design for healthcare, but the programme looks for applicants who are:
🌱 Passionate about using their design skills to create a more equitable and inclusive world
🤲 Respectful of fellow students regardless of their beliefs or cultural backgrounds
🧗 Eager to engage with complex challenges, both locally and internationally
❤️ Keen to develop as empathetic and confident social change makers
🚆 Willing to travel, as the programme requires a lot of travel
👥 Communicative and open to working in a team
🔁 Open to giving and receiving critical feedback
🔥 Highly motivated self-starters, ideally top graduates from their BA cohorts who are humble enough to know how to work with others
Existing work experience is not required, although working in industry can add value.
Admissions Process and Required Documents
To apply, you create an online application in the application portal hosted by DreamApply. Provide a valid email address for communication and upload all of the required documents, because incomplete applications will not be considered. The required items are:
📑 Educational documents: diploma and transcripts (pdf)
🔤 Proof of English proficiency (pdf)
🪪 Identification documents (pdf/jpg)
📝 Written Reflection Statement (text placed in the application portal)
🖼️ Poster Presentation (pdf)
🗂️ Portfolio Selection (pdf)
Degree and Diploma Requirements
You can be from anywhere in the world, but you need an internationally recognised bachelor's degree in design with a minimum of 180 ECTS credits, along with official transcripts.
🎯 Level: the minimum requirement is a first-cycle higher education degree corresponding to Level 6 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), which should grant access to second-cycle programmes (Master's level, EQF Level 7) within your national education system.
🔬 Evaluation: whether your Bachelor's degree qualifies for admission is evaluated by the admissions office during the evaluation of your application.
🛠️ Making skills: the programme expects applicants to have a strong capacity to build and make, from reflection to execution.
🖨️ Copies: supply a digital copy of your diploma (scan or clear photograph) and a transcript of records or diploma supplement that clearly documents the full curriculum of your study programme, including the grades obtained.
🈯 Translations: if the original is not issued in English, Dutch, French or German, include an official translation into one of these languages, provided by your school or by a sworn translator.
🕰️ Not yet graduated: you may submit an official statement from your institution confirming that you are enrolled in the final year, including your expected graduation date and the title of the degree you will obtain.
📃 Graduated but no diploma yet: a provisional certificate of graduation will be accepted.
📆 Graduation cut-off: only candidates who will graduate by 31 August 2027 are eligible to apply.
🔏 Legalisation: legalisation of original diploma documents is not required during the initial application phase, but additional documentation or verification may be requested if details remain unclear during admissions or at enrolment.
Applying Without a Design Degree
The Selection Board can admit applicants without a formal design background whose academic, scientific or professional experience reveals an adequate preparation for the programme. Applicants with relevant experience and a degree other than design will be considered provided they have a strong portfolio, existing design research skills and the ability to communicate well both visually and verbally. Competition is very strong even among graduates with a design degree, as the programme is open to product, industrial, graphic, game and service designers, illustrators, animators, architects and visual designers.
English Language Requirements
You must provide one of the following certificates, issued within 5 years before the application deadline (from 20 January 2022):
🎧 IELTS Academic: minimum overall band score 6.5, with no section band score under 5.5
💻 TOEFL iBT: minimum overall score 79
📘 Cambridge English Qualifications (B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency): minimum score of 170 on the Cambridge English Scale
🦉 Duolingo English Test: minimum score 110
🧪 ITACE for Students: at least CEFR B2 results (this test can only be taken in Belgium)
🏫 English-taught diploma: a high school or higher education diploma from an English-taught study programme in Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States is accepted
Keep these rules in mind:
🛑 Medium of Instruction statements are not accepted as final proof of English proficiency if you are not from one of the countries listed above.
⌛ Because many English tests are costly, applicants with an outdated test can submit it in the first round. Once an applicant is accepted onto the programme, a current test result must be provided.
🎙️ Your practical command of English will also be assessed during the interview, and if it is deemed insufficient the application may not be retained.
🌷 Students who have obtained a diploma of Secondary or Higher Education in Flanders or the Netherlands can upload a copy of their diploma when the form asks for a language certificate. A language certificate is then optional.
Identification Documents
Mobility is a key aspect of the programme, and a valid identification helps assess which visas are required. You will need:
🛂 An identification document: an official document with a photograph and personal details, such as first name, surname and date and place of birth, all in English, as in passports (pdf).
🤳 A recent headshot photograph (jpg).
📮 Proof of your current residence: a residence certificate (proof of address) no more than 12 months old, which can be issued by your local town or city hall, a certificate from your employer or institution confirming your place of work, study or training, or a utility bill showing your home address.
The Written Reflection Statement
Inside the application portal, you describe a moment in the last year where you personally gave or received care, and how that experience changed your view on design's role in health. The maximum is 500 words, pasted directly into the portal. The programme advises you to talk about a story that is unique to you and not to use AI, a point we cover in our guide on using AI to write a motivation letter.
The Poster Presentation
You must watch or listen to the video "Women in medicine: Between historical stigma and excellence" from Deutsche Welle, then respond to it in the form of a poster. You analyse the topic covered in the video, reflect on it from your own region, location and perspective, and propose a design solution and/or reaction using your own specific design skills.
📐 Format: maximum of 1 page, open to any size.
🖥️ File: screen resolution rather than print resolution, with a maximum pdf size of 15 MB.
🖌️ Content: design visualisation(s) plus a short textual explanation, integrated into the poster, that frames your response.
💭 What it should show: you as a designer, your skills, your capacity, your vision on care and your design strengths.
🤖 AI use: you are recommended to design the poster with your own skills. AI may support you, but AI-generated imagery or visualisations must be referenced in the poster itself. Posters that appear to be designed entirely in AI, or that show capacities not aligned with your portfolio and do not reference AI use, will not be considered.
The Portfolio Selection
The portfolio is not a collection of all your work. It is a selection curated specifically for this application, and the ability to synthesise information is one of the criteria.
📄 Length: a maximum of 6 pages. Going over this limit reflects negatively on your application.
🗃️ Projects: a maximum of 3 relevant projects, detailing the process, the end result and your contribution if it was group work.
🧭 Focus: highlight your design processes (research, prototyping, testing, concept visualisation) as well as design execution.
💾 File: screen resolution rather than print resolution, with a maximum pdf size of 15 MB.
🏷️ Descriptions: support projects with visualisations. Each project needs a short description of the briefing (max. 500 characters) and of your personal approach, including whether it was created as a student or while working in industry (max. 1,000 characters).
🎬 Video and prototypes: if a work is audiovisual you can add a link to that specific video (not to a portfolio website), on a platform that is not password protected. Interactive prototypes should also be shown as a video.
🏛️ Student projects count: case studies from university are fine, and the portfolio does not have to contain realised projects from industry.
Selection Criteria and the Interview
Eligible candidates who submitted the required documentation are ranked according to these criteria:
📚 Academic ability, based on previous university results, certificates and qualifications
🎨 Sufficient design skills for graduate studies, demonstrated through the portfolio and poster
🧡 Motivation for the programme, link to prior studies, work experience and career goals
🔡 English proficiency, evaluated through the provided proof and the written components
The ranking decides who moves to the second-round interview. Applicants who do not qualify for the interview are informed by email. A maximum of 60 applicants will be invited to a 15-20 minute online interview, which emphasises English communication skills, especially your ability to think quickly, reflect critically and engage with the topics discussed in the interview and in your motivation materials.
What Makes an Application Stand Out
According to the programme, what makes an applicant stand out is authenticity. The selection committee reads many reflections that sound AI-generated, and what resonates is the authentic voice with which applicants write and share their passion for using design skills for good. The application should give insight into who you are as a person, as a designer and as a team member. The programme values an open attitude most: supportive, critical thinkers who show up on time, ask questions and are engaged in class.
Visa Support and Student Contract
Accepted students are supported by LUCA School of Arts in their visa application procedure. LUCA provides the required paperwork, while the student is responsible for the associated fees and appointment scheduling.
Enrolled students sign a Student Contract specifying the rights and obligations of the parties, no later than the preparatory week of the 1st semester. The template depends on whether the student is self-funded or a scholarship holder, and the updated document is provided to admitted students prior to enrolment.
Working During Your Studies and Careers Afterwards
Jobs occasionally become available through the individual schools, but this is not guaranteed. Although not recommended, students are able to work part-time and/or continue to freelance while studying.
After graduation, ResFut alumni may follow routes such as:
🏥 Employees within care organisations
🕊️ Work for NGOs, including in the Global South
🚀 Equity-driven startups within the creative tech industries, or taking a design masters project from concept into production
🔭 PhD candidates and academic routes
🗳️ Policy advisors in their home countries
📖 Teaching
As a new programme, ResFut is embedded in existing, long-standing design programmes which each have extensive support for graduates. It will continue adding to its network, looking to support graduates in start-ups, industry placements and an extensive alumni network.
Equal Opportunities and Personal Data
The programme aims to guarantee the principle of equal opportunities for all and to strengthen the universities' social commitment and respect for diversity. It is open to applicants with special needs.
The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), in the context of managing the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, collects and processes the personal data of some candidates, including certain data of scholarship holders and non-scholarship holders.
Appeal Procedure
If you think your application was not processed according to the rules published by the programme and the Agency, you can file an appeal. You cannot appeal the decision itself (whether or not you were selected), but you can register an appeal if you believe a mistake was made during the application and selection process.
✍️ Write an email with a clear subject heading, explaining why you think there was a problem.
📎 Attach any documents that support your case.
⏱️ Send it within 7 working days of getting your result to the Response_Able Futures Coordination Team, whose addresses are in the Links section.
You can browse more funded study routes in the scholarships section of Youth Works Hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Response_Able Futures Erasmus Mundus scholarship worth?
The scholarship has a value of €1,400 per month for a total duration of 24 months, and the tuition fee is waived for scholarship holders. It can cover living costs including travel, visa, installation, house-rent and other living costs.
How many scholarships are available for the 2027-2029 intake?
In the 2027-2029 application cycle there will only be 12 Erasmus+ scholarships available. Applicants are encouraged to seek out additional funding opportunities early on.
When can I apply to Response_Able Futures?
The application portal for the September 2027 intake opens on 20 October 2026 and closes on 20 January 2027. Late applications are not accepted.
Can I apply from outside Europe?
Yes. You can be from anywhere in the world, as long as you hold a Bachelor's degree with official transcripts or will graduate by 31 August 2027. All applicants are able to apply for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.
Do I need experience in design for healthcare?
No. Applicants do not need any specific prior knowledge or experience within design for healthcare. Your portfolio should highlight your abilities as a designer, both in the final execution and in your process.
Can I apply if my degree is not in design?
In principle yes, but you need a strong portfolio, existing design research skills and the ability to communicate well visually and verbally. Your experience must fill any gap between your skills and those of the other students in the cohort.
What are the English requirements for ResFut?
Accepted proofs include IELTS Academic 6.5 with no section under 5.5, TOEFL iBT 79, a Cambridge English Scale score of 170, Duolingo 110 or ITACE at CEFR B2. Certificates must be issued from 20 January 2022 onwards, and an outdated test can be submitted in the first round.
How much does the programme cost without a scholarship?
Tuition for the 2027-2029 cohort is €5,000 per year, or €10,000 for the entire programme of 4 semesters, regardless of whether you are an EU or non-EU student. Travel, visa, accommodation and living costs are not included, and living expenses are estimated at €600 to €1,000 per month.
Can I use AI in my application?
The programme advises you not to use AI for the written reflection and recommends designing the poster with your own skills. AI-generated imagery in the poster must be referenced in the poster itself.
How many applicants are interviewed?
A maximum of 60 applicants are invited to a 15-20 minute online interview. Applicants who do not qualify for the interview are informed by email.
Can someone review my portfolio before I apply?
No. ResFut students and faculty do not have the time to review individual portfolios and do not want to interfere with the application process.
Deadline
⏳ 20 January 2027
Links
🔗 Application portal: https://luca-school-of-arts.dreamapply.com/courses/course/6-responseable-futures-ma
🌐 Programme website: https://www.response-able-futures.eu/
📋 Application information: https://www.response-able-futures.eu/application
✉️ Programme contact: info@response-able-futures.eu
📜 Guidelines for Erasmus Mundus student complaints: https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-01/guidelines_for_ersamus_mundus_student_complaints.pdf
⚖️ Appeals, Coordination Team: andrea.wilkinson@luca-arts.be, e.stirling@shu.ac.uk, joana.quental@ua.pt
