Maastricht University’s NL-High Potential Scholarship is one of the most generous fully funded scholarships for master’s study in the Netherlands, covering living expenses, tuition fees, visa costs, and insurance for talented students from outside the EU.
Applications are open from 1 October 2026 until 1 February 2027, and the competition is intense: only 2% of applicants are awarded the scholarship.
What the Scholarship Covers
The scholarship combines a UM NL-High Potential Scholarship with the NL Scholarship, and its duration depends on the length of the master’s programme: 13 months for a one-year master’s and 25 months for a two-year master’s.
| Benefit | Amount | Paid/arranged by |
|---|---|---|
| Living expenses | €20,150 (13 months) or €38,750 (25 months) | Paid to students by the UM International Services Desk |
| Health and liability insurance | €700 | Arranged and paid by the UM International Services Desk |
| Visa application costs | At cost | Arranged and paid by the UM International Services Desk |
| Tuition fees | At cost | Arranged and paid by the UM International Services Desk |
| Pre-Academic Training costs | At cost | Arranged and paid by the UM International Services Desk |
| International Student Ambassador Programme (ISAP) | At cost for first block only | Arranged and paid by the UM International Services Desk |
The €20,150 living expenses amount works out to €1,550 per month and is broken down as follows (amounts are subject to change):
- Housing: €960
- Groceries and personal hygiene: €160
- Telephone: €60
- Travel: €100
- Books and study materials: €90
- Clothing, hobbies, and going out: €125
- Miscellaneous: €55
Note that air tickets are not included and must be paid by the candidate. A cleaning fee of approximately €75 is also not included and must be paid to Maastricht Housing upfront.
A mandatory part of the scholarship is a room that will be allocated to the student until 16 July 2028. Students on a two-year programme must find housing for the second year themselves. Accepting the scholarship means accepting the room — refusing it cancels the scholarship. The accommodation is not suitable for partners or spouses, children, or pets, although preferences such as religious beliefs are taken into account.
Who Is Eligible
All candidates must meet the following requirements:
- 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.
- Do not have dual nationality from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
- Have applied for admission to a participating full-time master’s programme at Maastricht University for the 2027–2028 academic year, with the full application file submitted and all admission requirements met before 10 December 2026.
- Meet the specific admission requirements of the master’s programme applied for.
- Have never participated in a degree-seeking higher education programme in the Netherlands (exchange programmes are fine). Preference is given to candidates who have not yet obtained a master’s degree.
- Be no older than 35 years of age on 1 September 2027.
- Have obtained excellent results in prior education, demonstrated by a latest grade transcript showing a GPA of 7.5 out of 10 or higher (equivalent to at least 75% or 3 out of 4 depending on the grading system).
- Agree to become an active UM NL-High Potential and UM ambassador during and after studies, including sharing experiences during at least one information session for students or stakeholders.
Candidates may only submit one application, and for one scholarship only. Documents cannot be added or replaced after submission.
How to Apply
The application has two steps.
Step 1: Apply for a participating master’s programme at Maastricht University. Apply via Studielink to one of the participating master’s programmes. Once you submit your application, you will receive a UM student ID number, which you need to complete the scholarship application form.
To be eligible, the programme application must be submitted in full, meeting all admission requirements, by 10 December 2026. By the scholarship deadline of 1 February 2027, all registration requirements must be met (except legal residence, tuition payment, and the hard copy of the diploma).
Any handling fee required by the programme must be paid by 10 December 2026; handling fees are not covered by the university.
Step 2: Fill in the scholarship application form. Applications are accepted only via the online form, logging in with the UM account. The required documents (in .doc, .docx, or PDF format) are:
- Curriculum vitae of no more than two A4 pages, including awards and prizes.
- Letter of motivation using the official template.
- Proof of academic excellence: the university transcript or official document showing a GPA of 7.5 or higher, plus a document explaining the grading system.
- Personal statement of financial need, explaining why you would benefit from the scholarship and describing personal circumstances such as financial difficulty, caregiving responsibilities, medical conditions, disability, or refugee status.
- A reference letter following the scholarship reference guidelines, from a professor, lecturer, or employer (not a family member), dated no earlier than February 2026. The letter is uploaded by the applicant, not the referee.
- Contact details of one referee, including their relationship to the applicant, work telephone number with country code, and work or institutional email address.
Important: due to a system upgrade, the application portal is not available between 22 and 26 October.
Selection Procedure
- After 1 February 2027, the UM International Services Desk checks that all applications are complete.
- Complete applications are sent to each UM faculty in February 2027.
- Each faculty selects and ranks its top 5 applicants in March 2027.
- The International Services Desk confirms faculty selections by the end of March 2027 and invites selected candidates for an online interview.
- All candidates are informed of their status — selected, waitlisted, or rejected — in April 2027, with waitlisted statuses finalized by May 2027.
- Awardees receive information about the mandatory two-week UM Pre-Academic Training, which starts in the first week of August 2027.
- Candidates must sign and return the award letter to accept the scholarship.
Key Deadlines
- Scholarship applications open: 1 October 2026
- Programme application and admission file complete: before 10 December 2026
- Scholarship application deadline: 1 February 2027, 23:59 CET
Given that only 2% of applicants receive this award, candidates should prepare strong academic records, a compelling motivation letter, and complete documentation well before the deadline.
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