Building a competitive document set

Each document has its own guide in the document preparation guides. This chapter is about the set as a whole: how the pieces fit, what to prepare once, and what to tailor.

How selection committees read your application

Most consortia score applications against published criteria and rank candidates. Where criteria are published, they usually combine academic record, motivation, references, language ability and relevant experience. One example: EPOG publishes weights of 35% academic records, 30% languages, 15% background and 20% motivation and references.

Three consequences follow.

1. Eligibility is a gate, not a score. If you do not meet a published minimum (degree, credits, grade, language), most committees never score the rest.
2. The academic record usually carries the most weight, and it is the part you can least change now. Present it clearly: correct grading scale, conversions where asked, and course names a reader outside your country can understand.
3. Motivation and references separate candidates with similar grades. These are the documents worth your time.

If a programme does not publish its criteria, ask. See questions to ask a coordinator.

One master set, many tailored versions

Most of your documents fall into three groups.

Work on the official records first because they depend on other people and offices. Draft the core narrative second, then adapt it. Leave programme-specific items until your shortlist is final, except for portfolios and proposals that need weeks of work.

The checklist of each programme you save in My programmes follows this split: each document has its own step, with a suggested start date counted back from the deadline.

The documents most programmes in our sample ask for

From the programmes whose document lists we captured from official pages, the documents most often listed as mandatory were: academic transcripts, recommendation letters, CV, passport or ID, degree certificate or proof of enrolment, English certificate and motivation letter. Proof of residence was mandatory for a large share of scholarship applicants. The document guides index shows the counts.

That is a pattern, not a rule. AquaH's manual states that no recommendation letter is required. GLOBE's first stage asks for an online form with no supporting documents. Some programmes add a questionnaire (EMAI), a video business card (CLIDE) or a programme-specific Excel file (IMATEC).

Consistency across documents

Committees notice contradictions. Before submitting anything, check that these match across the application form, CV, transcripts and letters:

• your full name, exactly as in your passport (including middle names and transliteration);
• dates of study and graduation;
• grade averages and the scale they are expressed on;
• job titles and employment dates;
• the programme name, track and universities you mention.

If a document necessarily differs (for example, a transcript in your original script), add a translation or a short note rather than leaving the reader to guess.

File preparation

• Format. PDF unless told otherwise. Scan in colour at a readable resolution; phone photos of documents are often rejected.
• Size. Portals often cap file sizes. Compress scans without making stamps or signatures unreadable.
• Merging. Some programmes want one PDF per category or one PDF for everything (HYGIEIA combines degree and transcripts; MIR wants diploma supplements in a single file; SPACEMED wants dual nationals to upload both passports as one PDF).
• Names. Surname_Firstname_Programme_DocumentType.pdf. Never upload scan001.pdf.
• Language. If a document is not in English or another accepted language, attach the translation in the same file unless told otherwise.

Certified copies, translations and legalisation

Three different things, often confused:

• Certified copy: a copy stamped by an authorised person (your university, a notary, a public office) confirming it matches the original.
• Certified or sworn translation: a translation by a translator recognised in the relevant country, stamped and signed.
• Legalisation or apostille: a government confirmation that the signature or stamp on a public document is genuine, for use in another country.

Many programmes accept plain scans at application and ask for certified or legalised documents only after admission (AquaH, IMSOGLO, emiSS). Others want them at application (DENSYS 2.0 asks for notarised copies; JMPMB asks for an apostille or legalisation on the degree). Read translations and legalisation and apostille before paying for anything.

Hard copies

A few programmes ask selected candidates to post paper documents: EU4M and STEPS ask for hard copies of all attachments; EACH asks for signed documents within three weeks of an offer; CYBERSURE requires certified hard copies by 15 August 2027. Budget for tracked courier delivery and keep the tracking number.

Where preparation time goes

The work that takes the longest is rarely writing. In order of typical lead time:

1. Official transcripts and certificates from slow registries, plus certified translations and legalisation.
2. Language tests: booking, sitting, receiving results, and a possible retake.
3. Recommendation letters: referees need time and reminders.
4. Portfolios, proposals and writing samples.
5. Motivation letters: a good one takes several drafts over two to three weeks.

The lead times in each document guide are planning estimates, not official processing times. Check with the issuing office.

Checklist

• ☐ Official records requested at least eight weeks before the first deadline.
• ☐ One master CV and one base motivation letter drafted and reviewed by someone else.
• ☐ Names, dates and grades identical across every document.
• ☐ For each programme, I know which documents must be certified, translated, legalised or merged.
• ☐ Files named consistently and checked after upload.