MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships without IELTS

Here is the short answer first: you do not need IELTS — or TOEFL, or any English test — to apply for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026. There is no language certificate anywhere in the eligibility rules and no score field anywhere in the application. This page explains why the test does not exist in this call, what the evaluators actually check instead, the documents that are really required, and the one separate place where language can still come up: your residence permit in the host country.

Key Details

Funder: European Commission – Horizon Europe, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Call Open: 9 April 2026
Deadline: 9 September 2026 at 17:00 CET
Total Budget: €399 million (approx. 1,600 fellowships expected)
Monthly Living Allowance: ~€5,990/month (gross, country-adjusted) + €710/month mobility allowance + €660/month family allowance (if applicable) + €1,000/month research, training & networking costs
Duration: European Fellowship: up to 24 months | Global Fellowship: 12–24 months + 12-month return phase
Eligibility: Researchers holding a PhD (max. 8 years post-PhD experience), wishing to conduct research at a host institution in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country
Research Areas: All disciplines — natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering, medicine, etc.
How to Apply: Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal — joint proposal with your host institution required

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship is one of the most prestigious individual research grants in Europe. It funds researchers from any nationality to work at any eligible European host organisation — including universities, research institutes, and companies. Global Fellowships also allow a research phase at a non-EU institution before a mandatory return to Europe. Applicants are encouraged to contact their prospective host at least 5–8 weeks before the deadline to prepare a joint proposal.

Always verify deadlines and details on the official Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions website before applying.

Why there is no IELTS requirement

The MSCA eligibility rules are short and specific: a PhD by the deadline, a maximum of eight years of post-PhD research experience, and the mobility rule for your host country. Language testing is simply not part of the call. The European Commission evaluates tens of thousands of proposals from researchers of every first language, and it does so by reading the proposal itself rather than collecting certificates. Nothing in the Funding & Tenders Portal submission asks you to upload a language score, and the host organisation cannot add an IELTS condition to the fellowship itself.

What evaluators check instead of a test score

Your proposal is written in English and scored under Excellence, Impact and Implementation. There is no separate language mark, but unclear writing costs you in practice: evaluators must be able to follow your methodology and work plan, and the abstract is the public summary of your project if you are funded. Strong applicants treat the proposal like any journal submission — they have it read and proofread by colleagues or a professional editor before the deadline. Budget that time into your writing schedule; it is the real language “requirement” of this call.

The document checks that actually happen

Part A forms: administrative data, declarations, and your chosen evaluation panel and keywords.
Part B proposal: the research project, your CV in the required template, and the ethics self-assessment.
Host support: for Global Fellowships, a letter of commitment from the outgoing host organisation.
At grant preparation: if your proposal is selected, the host verifies your PhD and identity documents during the hiring process.

None of these documents is a language certificate, and no stage of evaluation asks for IELTS, TOEFL or an equivalent score.

The one language point that can still appear: your permit

The fellowship makes you an employee of the host organisation, and employees need the right to live and work in the host country. Most EU researcher residence permits — including the researchers’ permit under EU rules — do not set an English-test condition. A small number of national routes and individual employers ask for proof of the local language or of English for specific non-research formalities, which is an employment matter for the host’s HR office, not an MSCA rule. If you are unsure, ask the host’s international office after you receive an offer; it never affects your fellowship eligibility.

Want the general version? This page covers the no-IELTS case for the MSCA call. For the complete overview — the funding table, the general eligibility rules and the standard application route — see MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 — the full programme guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need IELTS or TOEFL for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship?

No. The call has no English-language test requirement, and no language certificate is requested at submission, evaluation or grant preparation.

Can I write my proposal in another language?

No. Proposals must be written in English, which is why proofreading matters even though no test score is required.

Will my host university ask me for an English test?

Hosts do not add a language test to the fellowship itself. Individual employers occasionally have local HR formalities; check with the host’s international office once you have an offer.

Can a proposal be rejected because of weak English?

There is no automatic language rejection. Proposals are scored on excellence, impact and implementation, and unclear writing makes those sections harder to score well — so a careful proofread is worth real points.