Europass CV for a Master's Application: When to Use
Europass CV for a master's application: of 12 programme pages checked, GLODEP's 2027 rules require it and 3 suggest it. Page caps, gap rules, what to cut.
Europass CV for a Master's Application: When to Use
Use the Europass CV only where the programme names it. Of 12 European master's admissions pages we checked, one current rule requires it: GLODEP's "We do require the Europass format of your CV. No other form will be assessed." GEMMA's 2022 document list also marks it mandatory. Three suggest it, one leaves it to you and six name no format. What programmes do fix is length (1 to 3 pages) and, at ETH Zurich, completeness.
Most Europass advice online is job advice, and Europass's own tips are written for a "future employer". Some of those tips clash with admissions rules. This page sorts the 12 programmes by what they ask, shows the one direct conflict, and gives a constructed CV for an applicant with no work experience. The CV travels with a letter, and the one-page European motivation letter rubric reads that letter.
Every programme and Europass page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. CV rules sit on document lists that change between intakes, so recheck yours before you upload. Germany has its own page: CV for a master's in Germany, tabular or Europass.
Who actually asks for Europass
Each row quotes the programme's own page.
| Programme | What the page says about format | Europass status | Page cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLODEP (Erasmus Mundus, 2027/2029 intake) | "We do require the Europass format of your CV. No other form will be assessed." | Required | "maximum three A4 pages" |
| GEMMA (Erasmus Mundus) | "CV should follow the Europass template", marked "Mandatory" | Required in its 17th-edition list, a file dated 2022; the consortium's current site did not load | none stated |
| TU Delft | "As an example, you may use Europass format to create your cv." | Suggested | "a maximum of 3 pages" |
| University of Twente, MSc Computer Science | "Resume (tip: use the format of Europass to make sure everything is included)" | Suggested | none stated |
| UvA, Graduate School of Social Sciences | "Please submit an extensive CV, preferably based on the Europass CV format." | Suggested (preferred) | none stated |
| Euroculture (Erasmus Mundus, 2027–2029) | "This can follow the Europass format if you prefer, but alternative clear and concise formats are also acceptable." | Optional | "as concise as possible" |
| Wageningen | "There is no specific format or structure you need to use." | No format | "maximum two pages" |
| Chalmers | "There are no standardised forms or templates." | No format | none stated |
| Politecnico di Milano | "Curriculum Vitae (mandatory)" | No format | "Maximum 2 pages long." |
| University of Copenhagen, MA Advanced Migration Studies | portfolio of "your CV (1 page)" and a 1-page letter | No format | 1 page |
| KU Leuven | "Curriculum Vitae (CV)" in the general list | No format | none stated |
| ETH Zurich | "full and continuous history (no biographical gaps)", "tabular resume" | No format; a content rule instead | none stated |
Count the third column: 2 required (one of them in an older document), 3 suggested, 1 optional, 6 no format (our count). None of the 12 pages asks for a photo on the CV. Euroculture asks for a "Passport-sized photograph" as a separate upload.
Neither Europass page we read says any programme requires it. The EU's page describes a free service "in 31 different languages" (About Europass) and calls the CV "one of the best-known CV formats in Europe" and "familiar to employers and education institutions" (Create your Europass CV).
Where Europass advice conflicts with admissions rules
Europass's tips page tells you to "Tailor your CV" this way:
Do not include a full detailed history. Focus on facts and main points that match the job you have in mind.
ETH Zurich asks for the opposite:
Your CV must contain a full and continuous history (no biographical gaps) of your education and work experiences until present. … Please do not leave gaps in your CV, even if you were not enrolled at a school or university nor gainfully employed for a certain period of time, i.e. because of extended vacation or hiatus, as we are interested in the entire history of your intellectual and personal development.
ETH also says "Start with high school" and "Please write the CV in the language of instruction of the Master's degree programme you are applying to." A Europass CV trimmed to "main points" fails both rules. Europass does say "In case of long gaps in working or learning, include an explanation", which helps, but ETH wants every period listed whether or not it was a gap.
The photo tip is the second clash. Europass says to "add a professional photograph of yourself". None of the 12 programmes asks for one on the CV.
Our view: treat Europass as a layout, never as a rulebook. Build the content to the strictest rule on your list (usually ETH's gap-free history if you apply there), then fit it to the shortest page cap on your list. Leave out the photo unless a programme asks.
The countercase: where a programme names Europass, use it. GLODEP will not assess any other form, and UvA's social sciences guide says "preferably", so the reader has told you what they want to see. Even then the content rules still apply: GLODEP's three-page cap and UvA's "extensive CV" decide what goes in.
Unknown: no page we checked says whether a reader marks down a non-Europass CV where Europass is only suggested. Nobody publishes that, so do not pay for a redesign on that assumption.
What to delete from the Europass template for a master's
The template's defaults come from job search. For an admissions reader:
- Delete the "About Me" pitch. Europass says to use it "to highlight why you are the best person for the job". In an application that is the motivation letter's work.
- Delete skills you cannot evidence. Self-rated levels and generic soft skills give the reader nothing to check.
- Delete job-search items such as a driving licence or hobbies unless they connect to the programme. Euroculture asks you to focus "on experiences relevant to the programme".
- Rewrite job verbs such as "managed" and "increased" where they describe coursework. Say what you built, studied or found.
Add what the programme pages ask for and the template does not prompt:
- Courses still in progress, with credits. UvA: "Courses you are currently enrolled in but are not listed on the transcripts, should be mentioned in your CV, indicating the credits to be obtained."
- Research and methods experience. UvA asks you to put "any other (hands-on/field) experience with social sciences research methodology" in the CV.
- Awards and scholarships. UvA: "Please mention relevant awards and honours in your CV." ETH: "Please also mention if you have been granted a scholarship for your studies."
- Academic background before work. Chalmers lists "academic background as well as relevant work experience, computer literacy, language skills and possible publications".
- Your thesis title and supervisor. The letter will mention the thesis, so the CV row should name it the same way.
Constructed example: a master's CV with no work experience
Context (invented): Kofi Mensah finished a BSc in Environmental Engineering and is applying to TU Delft and ETH Zurich. The CV is built to pass both: newest first as TU Delft asks, every period back to secondary school as ETH asks, and on one page so it also fits the 1-page cap at Copenhagen.
Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's CV.
Kofi Mensah · Date of CV: 31 October 2026 · email · phone
Education 08/2022–07/2026 · BSc Environmental Engineering, [university], [country]. Grade: 3.62/4.00 (scale stated on the transcript). Thesis: "Nitrate removal in a two-stage constructed wetland: a 12-week bench study", supervisor Dr. A. Owusu. Courses in progress: none. 09/2016–07/2022 · Secondary school, [school], [city]. [Final certificate and result].
Research and projects 01/2026–05/2026 · Bachelor's thesis (as above): designed the sampling plan, ran 48 lab analyses, wrote the statistics in R. 02/2025–06/2025 · Course project, Hydrology II: rainfall-runoff model for a 3 km² catchment, team of four; I built the calibration script.
Experience 08/2026–present · Preparing master's applications and an English test; part-time tutoring in mathematics. 06/2025–08/2025 · Volunteer, [community water project]: weekly water-quality sampling at six wells.
Awards · Departmental merit award, 2025.
Languages · English (IELTS Academic, overall 7.5, taken 09/2026); Twi (native).
Computer skills · R, Python, QGIS, AutoCAD.
What the example does and why:
- No unexplained month. The row "08/2026–present" covers the time since graduation, which ETH requires even "if you were not enrolled at a school or university nor gainfully employed".
- No "About Me", no photo, no skill bars. The pitch goes in the letter.
- The thesis has a title, a supervisor and a method. A TU Delft letter must "Summarize in a maximum of 250 words your BSc thesis work", and the CV row is the reference for it.
- The grade carries its scale. Readers outside your country cannot read a bare number.
Make the CV and the letter agree
Readers check one against the other. GLODEP even tells applicants they "may refer to your Curriculum Vitae to save space" in the letter. Before you upload, check:
- Dates for every degree, project and job are identical in both documents.
- The thesis or project has the same title in both.
- Any period the CV shows as a gap or a non-study activity is not described differently in the letter.
- Every skill the letter claims has a CV row that shows where you used it.
- The CV is in the programme's language of instruction where the programme says so (ETH).
- The CV is within the shortest page cap on your list, and a PDF where the programme says so (Euroculture asks for ".pdf").
For how the European letter itself differs from a US statement, see motivation letter vs statement of purpose in Europe. For a US-style academic CV, see CV vs resume for grad school. For Erasmus Mundus programmes that set their own CV rules, see the Erasmus Mundus motivation letter guide.
Questions about the Europass CV for a master's
Is a Europass CV required for a master's in Europe?
Not by most programmes. Of the 12 pages we checked, GLODEP's 2027/2029 rules require it and GEMMA's older document list marks it mandatory. TU Delft, Twente and UvA's social sciences school suggest it; the rest set no format.
Europass or a normal CV for an Erasmus Mundus master's?
Follow the consortium. GLODEP accepts only Europass; Euroculture says alternative "clear and concise formats are also acceptable".
Can I use Europass for ETH Zurich?
Yes, if the content meets ETH's rule: a tabular history from high school with "no biographical gaps", in the programme's language of instruction. The ETH and EPFL motivation letter guide covers the letter that goes with it.
What CV format do Dutch universities want?
The three Dutch universities in our table differ. TU Delft suggests Europass with a 3-page cap, UvA's social sciences school prefers it, and Wageningen says "There is no specific format or structure you need to use". TU Delft's letter rules are in the TU Delft motivation letter guide.
How long should a master's CV be?
As long as the shortest cap on your list allows: 1 page at Copenhagen's Advanced Migration Studies, 2 at Wageningen and Polimi, 3 at TU Delft and GLODEP. With no cap, one or two pages is enough for an applicant without work experience. For the degree line itself, see how to write a licenciatura or laurea title on an English CV.
Applying to the US as well? See photo and date of birth on a US grad school CV.
Not every Swiss school takes a Europass CV: St Gallen SIM requires its own CV template with two named referees.
Get a free review of your motivation letter
Your CV goes in with a letter. Get a free Quick Review of your motivation letter against GradPilot's one-page European motivation letter rubric. It reads whether the letter names the programme and your reason first, answers what the programme asked, and ties your preparation to the programme. For a Dutch programme use the Dutch master's motivation letter rubric; for a longer UK or European letter, the UK/EU motivation letter rubric.
More guides for European applications are in graduate school essays.
Sources
Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.
- GLODEP, Criteria and requirements (intake 2027/2029): Europass required, three A4 pages, assessment on merit, motivation and CV, CV reference in the letter.
- GEMMA, Documents for student application, 17th edition (PDF; file properties dated November 2022): Europass mandatory. The consortium's current site did not load on the check date.
- TU Delft, Required documents: Europass as an example, 3 pages, new to old, 250-word thesis summary.
- University of Twente, MSc Computer Science admission, international: Europass tip.
- University of Amsterdam, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Documents Explained (last updated 18 September 2026): Europass preferred; courses in progress, methods experience, awards.
- Euroculture, Application procedure (2027–2029 intake): Europass optional, concise, PDF, photo upload.
- Wageningen University & Research, Apply for a master's programme: no format, two pages.
- Chalmers, Apply for master's programmes: no standardised forms, CV content.
- Politecnico di Milano, List of documents required: CV mandatory, 2 pages.
- University of Copenhagen, MA Advanced Migration Studies: 1-page CV in the portfolio.
- KU Leuven, Requested documents: CV in the general list.
- ETH Zurich, General documents: gap-free tabular CV, high school onward, language of instruction, scholarships.
- European Commission, About Europass and Create your Europass CV (no year stated): free, 31 languages, tips on history, gaps and photo.
Review Your Motivation Letter
See how your own draft reads against the limit and the questions your programme publishes.