ELIGIBILITY:

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

Register for one of the participating master programmes at UM (participating programmes)
For further details on how to register for a master programme at UM, please see your prospective programme’s webpage. Once you have submitted your application via Studielink, you will receive a student ID number for UM. You will need a student number in order to complete and submit the Scholarship Application Form

Please note, this is a very competitive scholarship, only 2% of the applicants get awarded the scholarship.

BENEFIT:

Amount of the NL-High Potential scholarship programme 2025-2026:

Living expenses	€ 15,925* (13 months) or € 30,625* (25 months)	Paid to students by the UM International Services Desk
Health & liability insurance	€ 700*	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

*These amounts are subject to change for academic year 2026-2027

Please note that a mandatory part of the Scholarship is a room that will be allocated to you. Accepting the Scholarship means, you accept the room. The accommodation provided to Scholarship students is not suitable for partners/spouses and/or children. Preferences with regard to the accommodation f.e. religious beliefs will be taken into account. Refusing the room means your Scholarship will be cancelled.  

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