The Scholarship programme consists of both the High Potential Scholarship (funded by the Maastricht University Scholarship Fund), and the NL Scholarship, which is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in conjunction with Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences. It is aimed at international students from outside the EU/EEA who wish to follow a full degree programme in the Netherlands.
The Maastricht University (UM) NL-High Potential Scholarship programme offers 21 full scholarships of € 34,000 (including tuition fee waiver and monthly stipend) each academic year for highly talented students from outside the European Union (EU) who have been admitted to a master’s programme at UM.
Founded in 1976, Universiteit Maastricht (Maastricht University) is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the large town of Maastricht (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), Limburg. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, Nederland (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Netherlands), Universiteit Maastricht (UM) is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 15,000-19,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. Universiteit Maastricht (UM) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 43 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students' past academic record and grades. International students are welcome to apply for enrollment.
Eligibility Criteria
All candidates must meet the following requirements:
You hold a nationality in a country outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland or Surinam and meet the requirements for obtaining an entry visa and residence permit for the Netherlands. Please check this website before you apply to see in which country you have to collect your MVV visa for the Netherlands .
If you already have a residence permit for another Schengen country, you can only apply if this residence permit is still valid until at least 2 September 2026. If your residence permit expires before 2 September 2026 you can only apply for the Scholarship from your home country via a MVV visa application. More information can be found on the webpages of the Visa Office.
You do not have dual nationality from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
You have applied for admission to a participating full-time master's programme at Maastricht University for the 2026-2027 academic year before 8 December 2025.
Participating programmes 2026-2027
For participating programmes for academic year 2027-2028 you can apply from 1 October 2026 onwards. Please check this link: Participating programmes 2027-2028
You meet the specific admission requirements of the UM master programme to which you have applied.
You have never participated in a degree-seeking higher education programme in the Netherlands. Students who have completed exchange programmes in the Netherlands are welcome to apply.
Preference will be given to candidates who have not yet obtained a Master's degree.
You are not older than 35 years of age on 1 September 2026.
You have obtained excellent results during your prior education programmes, as demonstrated by your latest grade transcript showing a GPA of 7.5 out of 10 or higher.
You agree to become an active UM NL High Potential and UM ambassador during and after your studies, by committing to share your experiences during at least one (information)
session for students and/or other stakeholders.
You can only submit an application once and for one Scholarship only. Please make sure all documents meet the requirements before you start your application. We cannot add or replace documents after you submit the application
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Step 1: Apply for one of the participating master programmes at UM
For further details on how to apply for a master programme at UM, please see your prospective programme’s webpage. Once you have submitted your application via Studielink, you will receive a student ID number for UM. You will need a student number in order to complete and submit the Scholarship Application Form
Please note: you first have to apply for the master programme at UM to receive your student ID, as soon as you have your student ID you can apply for the scholarship. Please be aware that the admission deadline when applying for this Scholarship is 8 December 2025.
Please note: by the Scholarship deadline of 1 February 2026 you must have met all admission requirements (except legal residence, tuition payment & hard copy of a diploma).
Please note: if your study programme requires the payment of a handling fee as part of your programme’s admissions procedure, the UM International Services Desk does not cover handling fees. You are responsible for paying any handling fee your programme may require by 8 December 2025. To check whether your programme requires the payment of a handling fee, please check your programme’s webpage under the menu tab 'Admission requirements'.
Please note: you need to provide an official document from your home university showing your most recent GPA and a document explaining your grade system. We only accept applications with a GPA of 7.5 out of 10 or higher. This is equivalent to a minimum of 75% out of 100% or 3 out of 4 depending on your grade system.
Step 2: Please fill in the application form, you need to log in with your UM account
Please fill out the application formhere. We can only accept applications via the application form.
Upload the following documents in .doc, .docx or PDF format, and submit your application. Please note that you will only be able to submit your application once, so please ensure that all of your documents and referee contact details are up-to-date.
Curriculum vitae
Your CV should be up-to-date, contain relevant information about your education and (job) experience, and should not be longer than two A4 pages. If you have received any awards or prizes, please do not forget to mention these on your CV.
Letter of motivation
Please use the template for the motivation letter. This template will focus on your motivation for the scholarship.
Proof of academic excellence
Please upload:
1. Your university transcript or an official document from your home university showing your most recent GPA of 7.5 or higher Only applicants with a grade point average of 7,5 out of 10 or higher will be considered
2. A document explaining your grade system. Your university transcript has to show at least 75% of the maximum grade, for example a 3 out of 4 that would be equivalent to a 7.5 out of 10 at Maastricht University.
Personal statement of financial needs.
Please explain why you would benefit from being awarded a scholarship and describe your personal circumstances such as financial difficulty, sole parent/caretaking responsibilities, medical condition, disability, refugee status etc.
A reference letter. We have prepared scholarship reference letter guidelines; please forward them to your referee, as they will help your referee to write a good reference letter on your behalf. Please note that referees must be (former) professors, lecturers, or employers, and not family members. Recommendation letters should be dated and written no earlier than February 2025. Letters that do not adhere to the guidelines are not taken into account, which means your application is incomplete. You need to upload the reference letter yourself, this cannot be done by your referee. Please note we may check your reference.
The contact details of one referee
Please note that we might check the authenticity of your referee by contacting your referee. Therefore, ensure that you take the following steps when choosing a referee and submitting their details:
Relationship to applicant; indicate your referee’s connection to you. Is this your professor, thesis supervisor, employer? Please remember that family members may not function as referees.
Work telephone number of your referee; be sure to include the applicable country calling code.
Work or institutional email address of your referee. Letters referencing only a personal email address will be rejected.
We are building a new Scholarship AssistantThis assistant will simplify your search and monitoring of the scholarships relevant to your study and needs.
Founded in 1976, Universiteit Maastricht (Maastricht University) is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the large town of Maastricht (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), Limburg. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, Nederland (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Netherlands), Universiteit Maastricht (UM) is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 15,000-19,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. Universiteit Maastricht (UM) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 43 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students' past academic record and grades. International students are welcome to apply for enrollment.