2025/2026 Maastricht University NL-High Potential scholarship – Netherlands

Location: Netherlands

Program: Masters

Eligibility: International Students

Duration: 1-2 years

Deadline: February1, 2025

The Scholarship is aimed at providing exceptional support for highly talented students from outside the European Union (EU) who have been admitted to a master’s programme at the university.

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.

Maastricht University (UM), founded in 1976 in the Netherlands, is known for its international focus and innovative Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach, which emphasizes student participation and collaboration. It offers a wide range of programs, most taught in English, attracting a diverse student body from around the world. UM is renowned for interdisciplinary research, particularly in fields like sustainability, healthcare, and innovation. Located in the historic city of Maastricht, near Belgium and Germany, it provides a unique international learning environment and cultural experience.

Benefits of The Scholarship

Visa Sponsorship
Covers tuition fees
Living expenses €15,925 – €30,625
Health & liability insurance €700
Accommodation
Covers pre-academic training costs

The amount of €15,925 for living expenses (€1,225 per month) covers the following expenses and can be broken down as follows (amounts are subject to change):

Housing: € 600
Groceries and personal hygiene: € 160
Telephone: € 60
Travel: € 100
Books and study materials: € 90
Clothing, hobbies and going out: € 125
Miscellaneous: € 90

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 2025. If your residence permit expires before 2 September 2025, 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 programme at Maastricht University (participating programmes) for the 2025-2026 academic year.
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.
You are not older than 35 years of age on 1 September 2025.
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 can only submit an application once, please make sure all documents meet the requirements before you start your application. We cannot add or replace documents after you submit the application

Note

This is a very competitive scholarship, only 2% of the applicants get awarded the scholarship.