MAEC-AECID Scholarships in Spain: Fully Funded Master’s for Public Servants

The MAEC-AECID scholarship is Spain’s government award for public servants from partner countries who want to take an official master’s degree in Spain. It is run by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, known as AECID. The best-known strand pays 1,900 euros a month for eleven months, plus health insurance. That is a generous amount by European standards, and it is set that high for a reason. This award is not for school leavers. It is for people already working in a public post who take a year out to study.

Before you read further, here is the honest picture for Pakistani readers. The 2026-27 master’s call listed eleven Latin American countries and the Philippines. Pakistan was not on that published country list. A separate strand, the Africa-Med Master, covered listed African and Middle Eastern countries, and Pakistan was not on that list either. Some Pakistani websites advertise this scholarship with a 31 January 2027 deadline and a monthly stipend of 1,000 to 1,500 euros. I could not verify those details against the official AECID call, and they do not match the amounts or dates in the verified 2026-27 calls, so this guide does not present them as fact. If you are a Pakistani public servant, read this guide to understand the program, then check the official AECID site and the Spanish Embassy in Islamabad when the 2027-28 call is published, because the country list is set fresh in each call.

1. Introduction

MAEC-AECID is short for the scholarship program of Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). The program funds study in Spain for civil servants and staff of public systems in countries that Spain’s cooperation policy prioritizes. The idea is simple. A government employee spends a year in Spain, earns an official master’s degree, and returns to their post with new skills. Spain pays the living costs because the benefit goes back to the home administration.

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Quick Facts

Scholarship Name	MAEC-AECID Scholarship
Host Country	Spain
Host University	Any participating Spanish university
Study Level	Official master’s degree, maximum 60 ECTS, in person in Spain
Funding Type	1,900 euros a month for 11 months (master’s); 2,000 euros a month (Africa-Med); 1,500 euros a month (Diplomatic School); health insurance included
Eligible Nationalities	See article: Pakistan was not on the 2026-27 lists
Study Duration	Varies by program
Application Deadline	Master’s call closed May 2026; Diplomatic School call closed 3 June 2026; Africa-Med call closed 15 July 2026. Next call dates not announced yet.
Scholarship Year	2027-28
Official Website	aecid.es

The program runs through a formal call for applications, published in Spain’s official gazette, the Boletin Oficial del Estado (BOE). Each call sets out the programs on offer, the eligible countries, the amounts, and a short application window. The window is usually around ten working days from the day the call is published. That is the single most important practical fact about this scholarship. You cannot wait for the call to appear and then start gathering documents. By the time you have your employment certificate from your own administration, the window will be closed. The people who win this award prepare their file months in advance and watch the BOE and the AECID site themselves.

The 2026-27 round had three main programs: a general master’s program, a master’s at the Diplomatic School of Spain, and the Africa-Med master’s program. All three are now closed. The 2027-28 call has not been published yet. This guide uses the confirmed rules, amounts, and dates of the 2026-27 round so you can prepare properly for the next one.

2. Types of MAEC-AECID Scholarship

The MAEC-AECID call is not one scholarship. It is a set of programs under one call, and each program has its own countries, amount, and length. The programs below are the ones in the 2026-27 call. The mix can change in the next call, so always read the new call text rather than assuming the same programs return.

Master’s Program. This is the flagship strand. It funds an official master’s degree of up to 60 ECTS credits at a Spanish university, studied in person over eleven months, from September to July. The grant is 1,900 euros a month, with health insurance in Spain at up to 80 euros a month per beneficiary. Up to 90 scholarships are awarded. The award is not renewable and not extendable. It is open to public employees and personnel integrated into public systems, including educational and university system staff, from eleven Latin American countries and the Philippines: Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines.

Africa-Med Master Program. This strand funds the same kind of award, an official in-person master’s of up to 60 ECTS, for citizens of listed African and Middle Eastern countries. In the 2026-27 call the grant was 2,000 euros a month, running from September 2026 to July 2027, with 30 scholarships. The application window ran from 2 to 15 July 2026. Applicants had to already hold admission to the master’s degree and prove their knowledge of Spanish. The eligible-country list included, among others, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. Check the full list in the call resolution for your country.

Diplomatic School Program. This strand funds the Master’s Degree in Diplomacy and International Relations at the Diplomatic School of Spain. It runs for nine months, from October to June, and the grant is 1,500 euros a month. In the 2026-27 call the application window ran from 21 May to 3 June 2026. Applicants must apply for pre-admission to the Diplomatic School under that school’s own requirements, and the award is aimed at civil servants.

ASALE Program. A smaller strand appears in some country calls for work linked to the Spanish language academies. The official AECID call document for the Philippines listed a monthly stipend of 1,300 euros for this strand. It is a niche route and it does not appear in every country call, so do not plan around it unless your country’s call lists it.

3. MAEC-AECID Scholarship Degree Level

The MAEC-AECID programs fund official master’s degrees only. The degree must be an official university master’s, a master universitario, offered in person at a Spanish university. The program must total no more than 60 ECTS credits, which is the standard length of a one-year Spanish master’s. A 90 or 120 ECTS program is outside the scheme. It is not partly covered, and there is no second year to apply for, because the award is not renewable or extendable. Confirm the credit total of your chosen program before you commit to it.

The master’s runs over eleven months, from the start of September to the end of July, for the general master’s and Africa-Med strands. The Diplomatic School strand runs for nine months, from October to June. Study is full time and in person. There is no part-time option and no distance learning option. You must be able to study for the full period, which means your employer must agree to release you for eleven months. Sorting out your leave and your position on return is far easier before you apply than inside a ten-day window.

The award does not fund undergraduate study or PhD research as its main strands. Some calls mention research stays and internships as smaller options, but the master’s programs are the core of the scheme. If you want a PhD in Spain, look at other routes, such as the La Caixa doctoral fellowships or a university’s own doctoral funding, rather than MAEC-AECID.

4. Available Subjects

AECID does not publish a fixed list of subjects. Any official master’s degree of up to 60 ECTS can qualify, as long as it is offered by a Spanish university and you can show a clear link between the subject and your public service work. That freedom is useful, but it also means your choice of program carries weight. The selection panel will ask why this subject, why Spain, and what your administration gains when you return.

Because the award is for public servants, the subjects that fit best are the ones tied to public work. Common choices include public administration, public policy, law, economics, international relations, education, public health, agriculture, environmental management, water resources, and urban planning. University staff often choose programs in their teaching field, such as engineering, science, or language studies. The subject itself does not decide your result. What matters is the story your application tells about the work you already do and the work you will do better after the master’s.

One warning matters here. Spain has two kinds of master’s degrees. An official master’s, a master universitario, is recognized across the European Higher Education Area and is the only kind this scholarship funds. A university-specific master’s, a master propio or titulo propio, is a university’s own qualification and is not covered. When you search for programs, check that the listing says official master’s, and confirm the ECTS total is 60 or fewer.

5. Scholarship Benefits

The grant is a monthly allowance plus health insurance in Spain. The amounts below are the confirmed figures from the 2026-27 call. They can change in the next call, so confirm the figures in the new call text before you budget.

• Monthly stipend of 1,900 euros for the general master’s program, paid for eleven months from September to July.
• Monthly stipend of 2,000 euros for the Africa-Med master program, paid for eleven months from September 2026 to July 2027 in the 2026-27 call.
• Monthly stipend of 1,500 euros for the Diplomatic School program, paid for nine months from October to June.
• Health insurance in Spain at up to 80 euros a month per beneficiary. The insurance covers conditions not contracted before the scholarship begins. Pre-existing conditions sit outside that cover, which is a real consideration for a mid-career applicant.
• Up to 90 scholarships in the general master’s program and 30 scholarships in the Africa-Med program in the 2026-27 call.

Two things are not listed as covered in the call documents I reviewed, and you should confirm both in the new call before you apply. First, tuition. The call documents describe the grant as a monthly allowance plus health insurance, and they do not list tuition as a separate covered item. Some Spanish public universities charge low tuition for official master’s degrees, and some waive fees for scholarship holders, but do not assume your tuition is paid. Check the call text and ask your chosen university. Second, travel. The call documents do not list a travel allowance, so plan for your own flights unless the new call says otherwise. Dependants are not funded, and the award is explicitly not renewable and not extendable.

6. Eligible Nationalities

Eligibility runs by country, and each program has its own list. This is the part of the scheme that most applicants get wrong, because many scholarship websites describe MAEC-AECID as open to all of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The call itself is narrower. Here are the confirmed lists for the 2026-27 call.

For the general master’s program, the eligible countries are Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines. These are eleven Latin American states plus the Philippines. Educational and university system staff are included, which widens the award well beyond central government, but the nationality list is fixed.

For the Africa-Med master program, the eligible countries are listed African and Middle Eastern countries. The 2026-27 list included, among others, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. The full list is in the call resolution, and you must check it for your country rather than relying on a summary.

For Pakistani applicants, the position is this. Pakistan was not on the published country list for the 2026-27 general master’s program, and it was not on the Africa-Med list either. Some Pakistani websites advertise this scholarship with a 31 January 2027 deadline and a monthly stipend of 1,000 to 1,500 euros. I could not verify those details against the official AECID call, and they do not match the amounts or the dates in the verified 2026-27 calls, so do not plan around them. The country list is set fresh in each call, and AECID publishes country-specific call documents, so the right move for a Pakistani public servant is to watch the official AECID site and the Spanish Embassy in Islamabad for the 2027-28 call and check the country list the day it appears.

If Pakistan appears in a future call, the preparation in this guide will put you ahead of the short window. If it does not, you will not have wasted weeks on an application you cannot submit.

7. Eligibility Criteria

The rules below are the confirmed requirements from the 2026-27 call. Always confirm the current rules in the new call before you apply, because details can change between cycles.

• Nationality: You must be a national of one of the countries listed for your program. You must not hold Spanish nationality. For the Africa-Med program, applicants must not hold a Spanish foreigner identity number (NIE), with an exception for refugees.
• Public employment: You must be a public employee, or personnel integrated into a public system, of your country. This includes central government staff, local government staff, and educational and university system staff. Private sector employees are not eligible for the master’s program. This is what sets this award apart from most international scholarships.
• Degree: You must hold a bachelor’s degree that gives access to an official master’s program in Spain.
• Pre-admission: Before the application period starts, you must process your pre-admission to the master’s degree at your destination university. For the Africa-Med program, you must already hold admission to the master’s when you apply. For the Diplomatic School program, you must apply for pre-admission to the Diplomatic School under its own requirements.
• Full-time study: You must be able to study for the full eleven-month period, from September to July, or nine months for the Diplomatic School program.
• Spanish: You must be able to work in Spanish, because the call, the application, and most official master’s programs are in Spanish.
• Government authorization: Earlier calls asked applicants to hold authorization from their own government or administration to take up the award. The 2026-27 call documents describe the employment certification as the proof of your public post. Get your employer’s written agreement early, because an eleven-month absence needs your administration’s approval in any case.

The employment certificate is the document that most applicants underestimate. It comes from your own administration, and public administrations are not quick. Request it months before the call appears. It is the one document nobody else can get for you, and it is also the proof that you are a public employee rather than a private sector applicant.

8. English Language Requirements

There is no IELTS requirement for MAEC-AECID, and IELTS is not part of this scheme at all. The working language is Spanish. The call and the application are published in Spanish, and most official master’s programs covered by the scheme are taught in Spanish. That is the language bar you must clear.

AECID and third-party guides describe a B2 level of Spanish as the practical standard, usually shown through a DELE certificate or through academic records from Spanish-medium study. For the Africa-Med program, applicants had to prove their knowledge of Spanish as part of the application. Your chosen master’s program may set its own language rule, so confirm what proof it asks for and get your certificate in time. If your Spanish is weak, this is not the right scholarship for you yet. A year of study in Spanish, on top of a full-time master’s, is not the place to start learning the language. A small number of official master’s programs in Spain are taught in English, but the call itself is in Spanish and the award is built around Spanish-language study, so plan for Spanish.

9. Required Documents

Gather these documents before the call appears. The window is about ten working days, and you will not have time to chase certificates from your administration once it opens.

• Certification of your public employment, issued by your administration, showing your post and your status as a public employee or as personnel integrated into a public system.
• Your degree certificate and academic record, showing that you hold a bachelor’s degree that gives access to a master’s program.
• Evidence of admission or pre-admission to the official master’s degree, from the Spanish university. For the Africa-Med program, full admission is required at the time of application.
• Passport and nationality documents, proving you are a national of an eligible country.
• The official application form, published with the call in the BOE and submitted through the AECID electronic office within the window.
• Spanish language evidence, where the call or your chosen master’s requires it, such as a DELE certificate.
• Written agreement from your employer or administration for the eleven-month absence, where the call asks for it.

Keep every document as a clear scan, and keep the originals safe. AECID applications go through the AECID electronic office, the Sede Electronica, and the form and the document upload both sit inside that system. There is no paper application and no agent route. If anyone asks you to pay for access to the application, that is a scam. The application is free.

10. Selection Criteria

Selection is merit-based. The panel reviews your academic record, your public service record, and the link between your chosen master’s and the work you do. The call documents describe a merit review covering academics, the quality of your proposal, and the impact of the study on your home administration. Shortlisted candidates may be interviewed. Winners are announced on the AECID site.

What makes an application stand out here is different from a standard scholarship. The panel is not only judging you as a student. It is judging what your administration gains. A strong application shows a clear public service record, a master’s subject that matches the work you already do, and a concrete plan for what you will change when you return to your post. A vague statement about personal growth will not carry the same weight. Be specific about your role, your responsibilities, and the problem your study will help you solve back home.

11. How to Apply – Step by Step

There is no paper form and no agent route. Every MAEC-AECID application goes through the official AECID electronic office. Follow the steps below, and start months before the call appears.

1. Check the eligible-country list for your program. If your country is not listed in the current call, do not submit an application. Watch for the next call instead.
2. Request your employment certification from your administration now. This is the slowest document, and it is the one only you can obtain.
3. Identify an official master’s degree of 60 ECTS or fewer at a Spanish university that fits your public service work. Confirm it is an official master’s, not a university-specific title, and confirm the credit total.
4. Process your pre-admission to that master’s program, following the university’s own procedure. For the Africa-Med program, secure full admission before the call opens. For the Diplomatic School program, apply for pre-admission to the Diplomatic School.
5. Get your employer’s written agreement for the eleven-month absence, and sort out your position on return.
6. Prepare your Spanish language evidence, and gather your degree certificate, academic record, and passport documents as clear scans.
7. Watch the Boletin Oficial del Estado and the AECID website for the call. The application window is usually around ten working days from publication, so check the AECID site regularly from early spring.
8. When the call appears, register on the AECID electronic office, fill in the official application form, upload your documents, and submit before the window closes. Save your submission confirmation.

Apply early in the window. The portal gets busy in the final days, and the deadline is fixed by the call. Late applications are not accepted.

12. Deadline

All three programs in the 2026-27 call are closed. Here is the confirmed timeline for that round.

Stage	Date
Master’s program applications	Spring 2026, closed May 2026
Diplomatic School program applications	21 May to 3 June 2026
Africa-Med master program applications	2 to 15 July 2026
Scholarship period, master’s and Africa-Med	1 September 2026 to 31 July 2027
Scholarship period, Diplomatic School	October 2026 to June 2027
2027-28 call	Not published yet

The 2027-28 call has not been announced. Based on the pattern of past calls, the master’s call is expected in spring 2027, the Diplomatic School call in late spring, and the Africa-Med call in early summer, but AECID has not confirmed any date. Do not plan around a specific day until the call is published in the BOE. Check the official AECID website for the announcement, and treat any date on a third-party site as a guess until the official call confirms it. The window will be short, so have your file ready before the call appears.

Check every date and rule on the official AECID website before you apply. The official site is aecid.es, where the calls are published and applications are submitted through the AECID electronic office. The official call document for the Philippines, which sets out the program modalities and amounts, is on the AECID site, and the Spanish Foreign Ministry’s announcement of the Diplomatic School call is on the exteriores.gob.es site.