ELIGIBILITY:

All candidates must meet the following requirements:

You hold a nationality of a country outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland 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 of 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 a dual nationality from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland

You have applied for admission to a participating master’s programme at UM for the 2026-2027 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

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 Brightlands 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.

Application deadline

The application portal will open on 1 October 2025. The application deadline is up to and including 1 February 2026, 23:59 CET.

Duration of the UM Brightlands Talent Scholarship

13 months for a one-year master’s programme

25 months for a two-year master’s programme

BENEFIT:

Amount of the UM Brightlands Talent Scholarship programme 2026-2027:

Living expenses	€ 15,925*(13 months) or € 30,625*(25 months)	Paid to students by the UM International Services Desk
Health & liability insurance	At cost	Arranged for and paid by the UM International Services Desk
Visa application costs	At cost	Arranged for and paid by the UM International Services Desk
Tuition fees	At cost	Arranged for and paid by the UM International Services Desk
Pre-Academic Training costs	At cost	Arranged for and paid by the UM International Services Desk
International Student Ambassador Programme (ISAP)	At cost for first block only	Arranged for and paid by the UM International Services Desk

*This amount is subject to change for academic year 2027-2028