2027 Maastricht University (UM) NL-High Potential Scholarship

The Maastricht University Scholarship programme consists of both the High Potential Scholarship (funded by the Maastricht University Scholarship Fund), and the NL Scholarship by the Netherland Government.

The NL Scholarships are corporately 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.

All candidates applying for the 2027 Maastricht University NL High Potential Scholarship 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.

• 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 2027-2028 academic year and have submitted your application file in full, meeting all admission requirements as stated on the website, before 10 December 2026.

• You meet the specific admission requirements of the UM master’s 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 2027.

• 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.

The Scholarship covers;

• Living expenses: € 20,150* (13 months) or € 38,750* (25 months)

• Health & liability insurance: € 700

• Tuition fees

• Visa application costs

• Pre-Academic Training costs

Duration of the NL High Potential Scholarship

• 13 months for a one-year master programme

• 25 months for a two-year master programme

To apply, candidates must be ready to submit the following documents;

• 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.

• 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: you may upload one of the following documents in order to prove your academic excellence:

  • 1. Your university transcript that explicitly states your grade point average or class ranking (i.e. first class honours) for your entire study programme; or,

• 2. A letter signed by your institution’s Head of Department or Registrar stating that you are one of the top 20 students in the graduating year of your study programme. Please ensure that the letter contains the contact details of your Head of Department or Registrar.

To apply for the 2027 Maastricht University Scholarship, interested and qualified candidates should;

• 1

  Register for one of the participating master programmes at UM (participating programmes)

• 2

  Once you have submitted your application via Studielink, you will receive a student ID number for UM.

• 3

  You will need a student number in order to complete and submit the Scholarship Application Form

• 4

  Interested and qualified applicants should use the “CLICK HERE TO APPLY” button to submit the required documents and complete the application processes.