Polytechnical University of Madrid - International Grants for the United States and Canada

What you get

For a study period of at least one academic semester at a partner university in the USA or Canada, you will receive up to 3,000 EUR. The funding is provided by the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) in collaboration with Banco Santander. The UPM pays up to 1,500 EUR: 1,250 EUR before your departure and 250 EUR upon your return, once you have submitted your results. Santander contributes up to 1,500 EUR during your stay. If you receive only one of the two parts, you will receive up to 1,500 EUR. The UPM awards 15 of these scholarships. You can use these scholarships for a standard exchange semester or to complete your Bachelor’s thesis (TFG) or Master’s thesis (TFM) abroad at partner universities such as Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, Cornell, Purdue and Polytechnique Montréal.

Who can apply

• Your university: You are enrolled on an official Bachelor’s (Grado) or Master’s (Máster) degree programme at UPM. Your enrolment will remain valid from the time of application until the end of your stay abroad.
• Where you go: You will spend at least one semester at a UPM partner university in the USA or Canada.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply, provided they are studying at UPM.
• English: You have an official result from an English language test (e.g. TOEFL or TOEIC) that meets the minimum requirements set by your chosen university.
• Not funded twice: You have not received any funding for the same purpose and the same country in a previous year.

How to apply

You apply online via UPM’s MoveOn platform and then submit the generated form and your supporting documents via UPM’s electronic portal (Sede Electrónica), for which a digital certificate is required. You must also register on the Santander platform using your UPM student email address. The application deadline for the 2026/27 round was 16 March. A selection panel assesses applicants on the basis of their academic achievements and how well they match the requirements profile. Applicants with a disability rating of 33% or higher, or those who have taken part in UPM Conecta, will be given priority.

How realistic are your chances?

This scholarship is restricted to UPM students attending specific partner universities in the USA or Canada; consequently, the pool of applicants is significantly smaller than for open scholarships. If you are already a student at UPM, have been offered a place at a partner university and have a very good academic record, your chances are good. As there are only 15 scholarships available and the partner universities are of a high calibre, good grades and a solid command of English will make all the difference.