Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarships for International Students

Each academic year, Maastricht University awards 18 full scholarships through its NL-High Potential Scholarship programme. Every award combines a tuition fee waiver with a monthly stipend. The scholarship is open to highly talented students from outside the European Union who have already been admitted to a Master's programme at Maastricht University.

• Host: Maastricht University, Netherlands
• Level: Master's degree
• Study destination: Netherlands
• Deadline: 10 Dec 2026/1 Feb 2027 (annual)
• Course starts: September 2027
• Awards: 18 full scholarships
• Covered: Tuition fee waiver, monthly stipend, insurance, visa costs and pre-academic training

Maastricht University, Netherlands

See the list of participating Master's programmes for 2027-28 under this scholarship programme.

18 awards available

International students from a country outside the EU/EEA.

The scholarship covers living expenses (€20,150 – 13 months; €38,750 – 25 months), health and liability insurance (€700), visa application costs (at cost), tuition fee (at cost), pre-academic training costs (at cost), and International Student Ambassador Programme (ISAP) costs (at cost for first block only).

The High Potential scholarship is awarded for the duration of the Master's programme – 13 months for a one-year master's programme and 25 months for a two-year master's programme.

Please note that air tickets are not included and must be paid by the candidate. A cleaning fee (approx. €75) is not included and must be paid to Maastricht Housing upfront.

All candidates must meet the following requirements:

• You hold 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 hold a double nationality from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
• You have applied for admission to a full-time Master's programme at Maastricht University for the 2027-2028 academic year (see the list of participating programs above) and have submitted your application file in full, meeting all admission requirements, 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 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 over 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.
• 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.

To apply for the scholarship, you must first register for one of the participating Master's Programme (MA) at Maastricht University. Once you have submitted your application via Studielink, you will receive a student ID number which you will need in order to complete and submit the Scholarship Application Form. You must then fill in the scholarship application form (by logging in with your UM account), upload the required documents, and submit your application online. The admission deadline when applying for this Scholarship is 10 December 2026. The scholarship application deadline is 1 February 2027, 23:59 CET.

Upload the following documents in .doc, .docx or PDF format: curriculum vitae (max two A4 pages), letter of motivation (using the template), proof of academic excellence (university transcript showing GPA of 7.5 or higher and a document explaining your grade system), personal statement of financial needs, a reference letter (dated and written no earlier than February 2026, from a professor, lecturer, or employer, not a family member), and the contact details of one referee.

It is important to visit the official website (link found below) to access the application form and for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.