Considering that the SDSI study programme has been awarded the status of Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) programme* and has received financial support from the European Union, the SDSI consortium can now apply a 50% discount to the SDSI original study fee (8000 EUR per year), starting with the study year 2023/2024. The discounted study fee is 4000 EUR per year, and applies to students originating from the EU, EEA or Switzerland. Study fee for students from the rest of the world remains the same – 8000 EUR per year. 

In addition, thanks to the EU support, the SDSI consortium can annually award the Erasmus Mundus scholarships in the amount of 1400 EUR / month and completely waive the study fee for 15 students of excellence originating from European Union, the third countries associated to the Erasmus+ Programme**, and the Neighborhood East countries***, as well as to 5 students annually originating from certain other parts the world****.

Important: candidates who have already benefited from an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) scholarship are not eligible to apply for an additional scholarship. 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 of the candidates. In particular, certain data of the scholarship holders and non-scholarship holders is shared with the Agency and treated according to this privacy statement.

* Grant agreement with the EACEA, project ID 101082388 “Joint Master's Degree Programme in Service Design Strategies and Innovations”
** North Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Liechtenstein, Turkey 
*** Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Territory of Ukraine as recognised by international law
**** Region 1 – Western Balkans, Region 3 – South-Mediterranean countries, Region 5 – Asia, Region 6 – Central Asia, Region 9 – Sub-Saharan Africa, Region 10 – Latin America

There’s no possibility for any appeal to the final list of selected applicants, except if based on a specific procedural error by the SDSI Admissions and Examination Committee in the application process.

Appeal procedure

Please read the Selection Criteria as well as the Application Procedure carefully before submitting an appeal.

• Applicants who do not submit the required documents by the established deadlines should not appeal.

• Applicants who have followed the application procedure and met the deadlines, but have been rejected due to failure to meet selection criteria and have reason to believe that a mistake was made during the selection process, have the right to appeal the decision of the selection committee.

The appeal process relates to how your proposal was handled during the evaluation and eligibility review process. It is not an automatic re-evaluation. Please note that any new information or clarifications that should have been included in your proposal will not be considered. If, after reading the above conditions, you still have reason to believe that a mistake has been made, please send an email to the Head of SDSI Ilze Kundziņa at ilze.kundzina@sdsi.ma with all required information (name, email address and a detailed explanation of why you believe a mistake has been maid) for reconsideration by the SDSI Admissions’ Committee. All appeals must be submitted before April 10. Appeal results will be emailed to the applicant before April 20.

After the final acceptance you will have to prepare your documents for the residence permit to start your studies in SDSI. Your first study location is Latvia and therefore it is also the country to submit your application for the residence permit. You will be able to find the additional information about the documents needed for the initial residence permit for studies here: https://vissparmigraciju.pmlp.gov.lv/. Select your country and proceed to the next steps.

Please note: 

1. Make sure that before arriving to Latvia you have obtained the original paper-signed document certifying the necessary means of subsistence. Monthly amount in EUR is country specific and indicated in the section "Documents to be submitted". You have to present the means of subsistence for the time period of one year at least. Make sure that the document has the original signature, full name, job position of the signature person, and name of the financial institution issuing the document. The sum has to be indicated in EUR. Take this document with you when arriving to Latvia – you will have to submit it together with other docs during the process of obtaining the residence permit.

2. In order to obtain the residence permit, you will be requested to indicate the address of your residence during the studies in Latvia. Make sure that you start search of the rental apartment / dorms as soon as possible after admission to SDSI. Ask the SDSI incoming team for assistance.

3. We suggest that you open a bank account in a bank in Latvia. For non-EU/EEA students it is a must, and is possible after the residence permit by the Republic of Latvia is granted, within 90 days after starting your studies at SDSI. This will be the EU bank account for the whole duration of your study process. For Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders – it is where the SDSI scholarship will be monthly paid to, including during the mobility periods in Estonia and Finland. However, also non-Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders at some point might apply to and be awarded another kinds of national scholarships, and the EU bank account will then be needed. In addition, EU bank account allows you for low-cost or free of charge ATM transactions in the SDSI countries. 

In order to continue the SDSI mobility periods in Estonia and Finland, mobility instructions are pretty easy. Considering that the initial residence permit for non-EU students was granted by the Republic of Latvia in compliance with the EU study migration directive 2016/801 and covers your whole mobility path for the 2 years’ study programme, no additional visa or residence permit has to be obtained in Finland and Estonia by non-EU students. However, certain mobility registrations have to be implemented by all students in the following order:

1. Semester in Estonia: For non-EU students it is enough to have the initial residence permit which was granted by the Republic of Latvia on your Year 1, and you are not requested to undergo any other migration procedures. However, EU students have to register their Estonian residence address and apply for the Estonian ID card; see instructions here: https://www.eesti.ee/en/.

2. Semester in Finland: Non-EU students must submit a mobility notification to the Finnish Immigration Service prior to the start of the mobility semester in Finland: https://migri.fi/en/. For non-EU students – again, keep in mind, that you don’t need to apply for a new residence permit in Finland, based on the fact that you have a valid residence permit for studies issued by the Republic of Latvia, and your studies are covered by the SDSI consortium’s agreement among higher education institutions. EU students  must apply for the registration of the right of residence: https://migri.fi/en/.

We were thrilled to receive a tremendous number of applications this year, with around 700 candidates applying for only 30 spots in the program. The competition was tough, and we were highly impressed by the quality of the applicants.

As you may be aware, we can only award a limited number of Erasmus Mundus scholarships each year. According to the Project No. 101082388 of the EACEA, which is implemented by the SDSI consortium, we can annually allocate

• 15 Erasmus Mundus scholarships for students from the Programme Countries,

• additional one scholarship funded by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance,

• and additional 4-5 scholarships per year funded by the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation – Global Europe Instrument.
  

Please note that those who were not selected for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship will still have the opportunity to study as self-funded students. However, please keep in mind that the selection process for study fee spots is just as demanding as the regular admission process, and there are only ten study-fee spots available in the program.

We feel honored for receiving your study applications, and wish you all luck in your future endeavors. The admissions committee had a difficult month reviewing all of the applications, and we appreciate your patience and understanding throughout the process.

Once again, we thank you for your interest in the SDSI program and for sharing your talents and aspirations with us.

Best regards,
SDSI Admissions Team