ELIGIBILITY:

All candidates must meet the following requirements:

You hold the nationality of 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 2027. If your residence permit expires before 2 September 2027, you can only apply for the scholarship from your home country via an 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, Switzerland, or Surinam.

You have applied for admission to a participating master’s programme at UM 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.

For participating programmes for academic year 2027-2028, you can apply from 1 October 2026 onwards. Please check this link: Participating programmes 2027-2028.  

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 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:

Applications are open from 1 October 2026 until 1 February 2027 at 23:59 hrs.

Duration of the UM NL 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 NL Brightlands Talent Scholarship programme 2027-2028:

Living expenses	€ 20,150*(13 months) or € 38,750*(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 the first block only	Arranged for and paid by the UM International Services Desk

This amount is subject to change for academic year 2028-2029