Maastricht University NL‑High Potential Scholarship

Maastricht University (UM) NL-High Potential Scholarship programme offers 18 full scholarships each academic year for highly talented students from outside the European Union (EU) who have been admitted to a master’s programme at UM. The programme includes the High Potential Scholarship funded by the Maastricht University Scholarship Fund and the NL Scholarship financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in conjunction with Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences, aimed at international students from outside the EU/EEA who wish to follow a full degree programme in the Netherlands.

The programme covers students from outside the EU/EEA and Swiss and Surinam countries for full-time master’s study at Maastricht University. It applies to participating full-time master’s programmes at UM listed for the scholarship. Preference is given to candidates who have not yet obtained a Master’s degree, and candidates must meet the specific admission requirements of the UM master’s programme they applied for.

UM states that selection is competitive and that only 2% of the applicants get awarded the scholarship. Candidates must submit an application only once and only for one scholarship. UM requires applications to be submitted through the scholarship application form and requires uploaded documents and referee contact details to be up-to-date, since UM cannot add or replace documents after submission.

UM NL-High Potential scholarship duration is 13 months for a one-year master’s programme and 25 months for a two-year master’s programme. The scholarship includes living expenses paid to students by UM International Services Desk, insurance arranged and paid by UM International Services Desk, visa application costs arranged and paid by UM International Services Desk, and tuition fees arranged and paid by UM International Services Desk. Accepting the scholarship includes accepting an allocated room until 16 July; refusal cancels the scholarship. For a two-year programme, students must find housing for the second year themselves. UM states that air tickets are not included and must be paid by the candidate.

• Nationality in a country outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland or Surinam, and meets the requirements for obtaining an entry visa and residence permit for the Netherlands
• No dual nationality from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland
• Applied for admission to a participating full-time master’s programme at Maastricht University for the academic year stated on the programme page and submitted the application file in full, meeting all admission requirements, by the stated submission deadline
• Meets the specific admission requirements of the UM master’s programme to which the candidate applied
• Has never participated in a degree-seeking higher education programme in the Netherlands (exchange programmes in the Netherlands are welcome to apply)
• Preference is given to candidates who have not yet obtained a Master's degree
• Not older than 35 years of age
• Obtained excellent results during prior education as demonstrated by the latest grade transcript showing a GPA of 7.5 out of 10 or higher
• Agrees to become an active UM NL High Potential and UM ambassador during and after studies, including committing to share experiences during at least one information session for students and/or other stakeholders
• Can only submit an application once and for one scholarship only
• If already has a residence permit for another Schengen country, it must still be valid until at least the date stated on the programme page (otherwise scholarship application must be made from home country via an MVV visa application)

• Living expenses €20,150 for a 13-month programme or €38,750 for a 25-month programme (paid to students by UM International Services Desk)
• Health & liability insurance €700 (arranged for and paid by UM International Services Desk)
• Visa application costs At cost (arranged for and paid by UM International Services Desk)
• Tuition fees At cost (arranged for and paid by UM International Services Desk)
• Pre-Academic Training costs At cost (arranged for and paid by UM International Services Desk)
• International Student Ambassador Programme (ISAP) At cost for first block only (arranged for and paid by UM International Services Desk)
• A room allocated until 16 July 2028 (accepting the scholarship means accepting the room)

1. Step 1: Apply for one of the participating master’s programmes at Maastricht University (UM). After submitting the application via Studielink and receiving a student ID number for UM, use the student number to complete and submit the Scholarship Application Form.
2. Step 2: Log in with your UM account and fill in the scholarship application form. Submit the application only via the application form, and upload the required documents in .doc, .docx or PDF format.
3. By the scholarship deadline stated on the programme page, ensure all registration requirements are met except legal residence, tuition payment and hard copy of a diploma.
4. For scholarship eligibility, ensure that you submit the master’s programme application file in full by the stated master’s admission deadline.

• Curriculum vitae (up-to-date; not longer than two A4 pages)
• Letter of motivation (using the scholarship motivation letter template)
• Proof of academic excellence: university transcript or an official document from your home university showing your most recent GPA of 7.5 or higher
• Document explaining your grade system (including equivalence to at least 75% of the maximum grade as described on the programme page)
• Personal statement of financial needs
• A reference letter (referees must be (former) professors, lecturers, or employers, and not family members; letters must be dated and written no earlier than February 2026; applicants must upload the reference letter themselves)
• Contact details of one referee