Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarship 2027-28

About the scholarship

The Maastricht University NL-High Potential scholarship is the combined form of two awards: the UM High Potential Scholarship (funded by the Maastricht University Scholarship Fund) and the NL Scholarship (financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science). A note on naming: the national component was formerly called the "Holland Scholarship" and many aggregators still use that label, but "Holland Scholarship" is not the official UM name. The award is highly selective — UM itself notes only about 2% of applicants are awarded. The two-week Pre-Academic Training starting the first week of August 2027 is a mandatory part of the programme.

Eligibility

• A national of a country outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Surinam; must qualify for a Dutch entry visa/residence permit (MVV); no dual EU/EEA or Swiss nationality.
• Applied to a participating full-time UM master's for 2027-28 with a complete admission file via Studielink by 10 December 2026, meeting that programme's requirements.
• Never participated in a degree-seeking higher-education programme in the Netherlands (exchange programmes are fine).
• GPA of at least 7.5 out of 10 on the latest transcript (equivalents: 75% of the maximum grade, or 3 out of 4).
• Not older than 35 on 1 September 2027; preference for candidates without a prior master's degree.
• Willing to act as a UM NL-High Potential ambassador; only one scholarship application per person, and documents cannot be changed after submission.

Benefits

• Living expenses: €20,150 for a 13-month programme or €38,750 for a 25-month programme (the official page gives a line-item breakdown, e.g. housing €960/month).
• Health and liability insurance (€700), arranged and paid by UM.
• Tuition fees, visa application costs and Pre-Academic Training costs paid at cost by UM.
• A room is allocated as a mandatory part of the award until 16 July 2028 — accepting the scholarship means accepting the room (not suitable for partners, children or pets); two-year awardees arrange their own second-year housing.
• Not covered: air tickets and an upfront cleaning fee of about €75.

Documents required

All uploaded as .doc/.docx/PDF via the scholarship form, in one go:

1. CV (max two A4 pages; include awards/prizes and job experience)
2. Letter of motivation using UM's template
3. Proof of academic excellence: university transcript with the most recent GPA plus a document explaining the grading system
4. Personal statement of financial needs (describe financial difficulty, caretaking, disability, refugee status, etc.)
5. A reference letter uploaded by the applicant (former professor/lecturer/employer — not family; must follow UM's reference guidelines; dated no earlier than February 2026; UM may verify it)
6. Contact details of one referee (relationship, work phone with country code, institutional/work email — personal-email references are rejected)

How to apply

1. Apply for a participating master's via StudielinkSubmit your complete admission file by 10 December 2026 and receive a UM student ID.
2. Log in with your UM account and complete the scholarship formbefore 1 February 2027, 23:59 CET. (UM warned the portal would be down 22–26 October during an upgrade.)
3. Wait for the selection timelinecompleteness check after the deadline; faculties rank their top 5 in March; interviews late March; decisions in April; final status (selected / waitlisted / rejected) by early May 2027.
4. Attend Pre-Academic Traininga mandatory two-week component starting the first week of August 2027.

FAQs

Verified 16 Oct 2026 via maastrichtuniversity.nl (official award amounts, deadlines, eligibility, documents, selection timeline) and independent 2027-28 guides. The "top 5%" criterion and award counts are not published on the official page — omitted.