Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship
Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Scholarship Overview — What Is the Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship?

The Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarship (NL-HPS) is a fully funded Master's scholarship for academically outstanding international students from outside the EU/EEA. Unlike many university scholarships that only offer a partial grant, the NL-HPS is a genuine full-ride package — and its name reflects exactly how it's funded.

The scholarship is actually a combination of two separate funding streams: the High Potential Scholarship, paid for by the Maastricht University Scholarship Fund itself, and the NL Scholarship, financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in partnership with universities across the Netherlands. Maastricht University blends these two funds into a single award and a single application process, so as an applicant you only need to apply once — you don't need to separately chase the university fund and the government fund.

Maastricht University (UM) was founded in 1976, making it one of the youngest research universities in the Netherlands, yet it has built an unusually international reputation. UM is known above all for its Problem-Based Learning (PBL) teaching method, in which students work in small tutorial groups to solve real-world problems rather than sitting through traditional lectures. The university is based in Maastricht, the southernmost city in the Netherlands, sitting at the meeting point of the Dutch, Belgian, and German borders — a location that makes weekend trips across three countries a normal part of student life.

The NL-HPS is awarded exclusively at Master's level and only for full-time programmes that are explicitly listed as "participating" in the scheme for that intake — not every UM Master's qualifies, and the list of eligible programmes can shift slightly from year to year as faculties opt in or out. Because the scholarship is genuinely comprehensive (tuition, stipend, insurance, visa costs, and even housing), it attracts an extremely large applicant pool relative to the number of awards available, making this one of the more competitive Dutch university scholarships to win.

What Does the Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship Cover?

The NL-HPS is structured as a true full-funding package rather than a single lump sum. Each component is paid or arranged separately, which is worth understanding clearly before you apply so you know exactly what you will and won't need to budget for yourself:

The Mandatory Accommodation — What Every Applicant Should Understand

One detail makes the NL-HPS genuinely unusual compared to most other Dutch university scholarships, and it's important enough that you should understand it fully before you apply: UM allocates you a specific room as part of the scholarship, and accepting that room is a mandatory condition of accepting the award.

In practice this means you cannot decline the assigned accommodation in order to arrange your own housing, live with friends, or find a cheaper room independently — refusing the room results in the entire scholarship being cancelled, not just the housing portion. This rule exists in large part to guarantee that scholarship recipients have secured, ready accommodation the moment they arrive, given how competitive student housing can be in Dutch university cities.

There are a few practical consequences worth planning around. The accommodation is designed for a single occupant and is explicitly not suitable for a partner, spouse, or children — if you are planning to relocate with family, this scholarship's housing model may not fit your situation, and you should factor that into your decision before applying. UM does take reasonable preferences into account where possible, such as religious considerations relevant to roommate arrangements, but the core requirement to accept the allocated room itself is non-negotiable.

Who Can Apply — Maastricht University NL-HPS Eligibility Requirements for International Students

1. Nationality — Which Students Are Eligible?

The NL-HPS is for students holding a nationality outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland, and Suriname. If you hold a passport from an EU member state, an EEA country (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), Switzerland, or Suriname, you are not the target group for this scholarship — you pay EU-level tuition and have access to different funding routes, including Dutch government student finance.

A specific and important detail here: UM explicitly excludes applicants who hold dual nationality where one of those nationalities is EU/EEA or Swiss, even if your other nationality would otherwise qualify. If you hold dual citizenship and are unsure how this affects your eligibility, it's worth confirming directly with UM's Scholarship Office before investing time in your application.

2. Degree Level and Programme Eligibility

• Master's (MSc / MA / LLM) only: The NL-HPS is exclusively for full-time Master's degree programmes at Maastricht University. There is no Bachelor's-level or PhD-level version of this specific scholarship.
• Only "participating" programmes qualify. Not every UM Master's programme is part of the scheme in a given year. UM publishes a specific list of eligible programmes for each intake, and this list can change — always check the current list on UM's official scholarship page before assuming your target programme is included.
• Not eligible: Part-time programmes, distance/online programmes, exchange programmes, pre-Master's bridging programmes, and PhD positions are all outside the scope of the NL-HPS (Dutch PhD candidates are typically hired as salaried researchers rather than scholarship recipients).

3. Prior Study in the Netherlands

You must have never previously completed a degree-seeking higher education programme in the Netherlands — whether at Bachelor's, Master's, or any other level. This rule is specifically about completed degree programmes: if you previously took part in an exchange programme in the Netherlands without earning a Dutch degree, you remain eligible to apply. Additionally, UM states that preference is given to candidates who have not yet obtained a Master's degree at all, meaning first-time Master's applicants are favoured over those pursuing a second Master's.

4. Age Limit

You must be no older than 35 years of age as of the first of September of your intended intake year. This is treated as a hard eligibility cutoff rather than a flexible guideline, so confirm your exact age relative to that date before applying.

5. Academic Excellence

You need a GPA equivalent to 7.5 out of 10 on the Dutch grading scale, which UM frequently expresses as roughly 75% of the maximum grade on your home institution's scale, or approximately 3.0 out of 4.0 on the US system. This is the formal minimum threshold; because the scholarship is highly competitive, successful applicants typically present academic records well above this baseline. UM also requires a separate document explaining your specific grading system, so the selection committee can correctly interpret your transcript.

6. Visa and Residence Eligibility

You must meet the requirements for obtaining a Dutch entry visa (MVV) and residence permit. If you already hold a residence permit for another Schengen country, that permit generally needs to remain valid through at least the start of the academic year for you to apply from within the Schengen area; otherwise, you would need to apply for your MVV visa from your home country instead.

7. Single Application Rule

You may submit only one scholarship application, for one scholarship, in a given cycle. If you apply for more than one UM scholarship fund at the same time, your applications will be disqualified. This means it's worth researching which UM scholarship genuinely fits your profile best before committing your one allowed application to the NL-HPS specifically.

Who Is NOT Eligible for the Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship?

• EU/EEA, Swiss, or Surinamese nationals, or dual nationals holding EU/EEA or Swiss citizenship alongside another nationality
• Applicants older than 35 on the first of September of the intake year
• Students who have already completed a full degree-seeking programme in the Netherlands (exchange-only students remain eligible)
• Applicants to Bachelor's, PhD, part-time, online, or non-participating UM Master's programmes
• Applicants who have already submitted a scholarship application for a different UM scholarship in the same cycle
• Applicants who fail to submit a complete admission application via Studielink and a complete Scholarship Application Form by their respective deadlines

Eligible Programmes — Which UM Master's Degrees Qualify?

Because the list of "participating" programmes changes from year to year as individual faculties opt into the scheme, the most reliable approach is always to check UM's current official list rather than relying on a fixed set of names. That said, eligible programmes have historically been drawn from across UM's main faculties, giving the scholarship genuinely broad subject coverage rather than being limited to one discipline:

Check Your Eligibility & Track Your NL-HPS Documents

Use the interactive tools below to instantly check whether you're likely to qualify for the Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship, build your document checklist, compare statistics, and explore alternatives — all without leaving this page.

How to Apply for the Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship — Step-by-Step Guide

The NL-HPS application is a two-step process built around Studielink (the Dutch national application portal) and UM's own scholarship system. Both steps need to be completed correctly, and in the right order, for your application to be considered:

1. Confirm your target programme is on the current participating-programmes list
   Before doing anything else, go to UM's official NL-High Potential Scholarship page and check the current list of eligible Master's programmes for your intake year. Applying to a non-participating programme means you will not be eligible for the scholarship, no matter how strong your application is.
2. Apply for admission to your chosen Master's programme via Studielink
   Register for your chosen UM Master's programme through Studielink, the Netherlands' national university application platform. This step needs to be completed by UM's published admission deadline for the scholarship cycle — typically in early December for the following academic year's intake. Submitting this application generates a UM student ID number, which you'll need for the next step.
3. Complete the separate UM Scholarship Application Form
   Once you have your student ID number, log in to your UM account and complete the dedicated online Scholarship Application Form. This is a genuinely separate application from your programme admission — completing your Studielink registration alone does not automatically enter you into the scholarship.
4. Prepare and upload your required documents
   Within the scholarship form, you'll need to upload your curriculum vitae (kept to a maximum of two A4 pages), a letter of motivation (using UM's specific motivation letter template), proof of academic excellence (your transcript plus a document explaining your home grading system), a personal statement of financial need, and the contact details of one academic or professional referee. UM verifies referees directly, so choose someone who can speak credibly to your academic standing and is reachable.
5. Submit before the scholarship deadline — typically early February
   The scholarship application deadline generally falls a few weeks after the admission deadline, commonly in early February. You may only submit your application once, and you cannot add or replace documents after submission, so review everything carefully before you finalise it.
6. Wait for UM to check completeness, then faculty shortlisting
   After the deadline, UM reviews all applications for completeness. Each participating faculty then independently shortlists and ranks its own top candidates — meaning your application is primarily compared against other applicants to the same programme, not the entire applicant pool across UM.
7. Attend an online interview, if shortlisted
   Shortlisted candidates are typically invited to an online interview as part of the final selection round. This is where you can expand on your motivation letter and clarify your academic and career goals directly with the selection committee.
8. Receive your result — selected, waitlisted, or rejected
   UM's International Services Desk informs all candidates of their status, generally by late spring. Waitlisted candidates may later be upgraded to selected or moved to rejected as the process concludes, so don't assume a waitlist outcome is final right away.
9. Sign and return your award letter, then attend Pre-Academic Training
   If selected, you must sign and return your award letter to formally accept the scholarship — including the mandatory accommodation. Awardees then receive details about the compulsory two-week Pre-Academic Training programme, which typically runs in the first week of August before the academic year begins.

How to Write a Winning NL-HPS Motivation Letter

UM provides a specific motivation letter template for this scholarship, and you're expected to use it rather than submitting a freeform essay — always download and follow the current template from UM's official scholarship page before drafting. Within that structure, here's how to make your content stand out:

How the Selection Process Actually Works

Understanding the mechanics of selection can meaningfully change how you prepare your application. The process happens in three distinct stages, and each one matters differently:

• Stage 1 — Completeness check: UM's International Services Desk first verifies that every required document has been submitted correctly. Incomplete applications are filtered out at this stage before any academic evaluation even begins, so administrative precision matters as much as content quality.
• Stage 2 — Faculty shortlisting and ranking: Each participating faculty independently reviews and ranks its own applicants, typically shortlisting a small number of top candidates (commonly cited as around the top 5 per programme) to move forward to interviews. This is the most important practical insight: you are mainly competing against other applicants to your specific programme, not the entire university-wide pool.
• Stage 3 — Online interviews and final decision: Shortlisted candidates attend an online interview, after which final selected, waitlisted, or rejected decisions are made and communicated by UM's International Services Desk.

Tips for Winning the Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship

• Verify the current participating-programmes list before you do anything else. This single check prevents the single most common and most avoidable mistake applicants make.
• Start your Studielink application well before the admission deadline. Because the scholarship deadline follows shortly after, leaving your admission application until the last moment compresses the time you have left to prepare scholarship-specific documents.
• Quantify your academic achievements wherever possible. Instead of saying "I am a strong student," say "I graduated in the top 5% of my class of 220 students with a GPA equivalent to 8.6/10." Specific numbers give selection committees a clear basis for comparison.
• Choose your referee carefully, and prepare them in advance. Because UM directly verifies your referee's authenticity by contacting them, choose someone who knows your academic work well, is responsive, and is prepared to confirm your standing if contacted.
• Be specific and honest in your financial need statement. Vague statements ("I cannot afford this") are less persuasive than concrete, specific circumstances explained clearly and respectfully.
• Genuinely reflect on the mandatory accommodation and ambassador commitment before applying. Both are binding conditions of acceptance, not formalities — applicants who clearly understand and embrace these conditions tend to present more convincingly in interviews.
• Don't apply for multiple UM scholarships simultaneously. Research which single UM scholarship fits your profile best, since submitting more than one scholarship application disqualifies all of them.
• Prepare specifically for the interview stage if shortlisted. Be ready to discuss your motivation letter content in more depth, articulate why this exact programme and faculty fit you, and speak clearly about your post-graduation goals.

After Receiving the NL-HPS — What Happens Next?

Receiving your award letter is your gateway to studying at UM — here is what to do next:

• Sign and return your award letter promptly: Accepting the scholarship is a formal step that also confirms your acceptance of the allocated room. Respond within the window UM specifies.
• Prepare for Pre-Academic Training: This mandatory two-week programme typically takes place in the first week of August, before your formal studies begin, and is designed to help international scholarship recipients adjust academically and practically before term starts.
• Apply for your Dutch visa and residence permit (MVV + VVR), if applicable: UM's International Services Desk covers the visa application costs and guides scholarship recipients through the IND application process as UM's recognised sponsor.
• Don't arrange separate accommodation: Since your room is allocated as part of the scholarship and is mandatory to accept, there's no need to search for housing independently — focus instead on preparing for arrival logistics like flights and luggage.
• Register with the Municipality (BRP): Within days of arriving in the Netherlands, register with the local municipality to receive your BSN (BurgerServiceNummer), which you'll need for banking, health insurance, and most formal transactions.
• Open a Dutch bank account: You'll need a Dutch bank account (or a recognised alternative such as Bunq, N26, or Wise) to receive your monthly stipend payments smoothly.
• Prepare to act as a UM ambassador: Part of accepting the scholarship is committing to share your experience during at least one information session for prospective students or other stakeholders during or after your studies — keep this commitment in mind as a genuine part of the award, not a footnote.
• Connect with UM's international student community: Maastricht hosts a large international student body across faculties, plus active student associations — a valuable network both during your studies and as you build your career afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Maastricht University High Potential Scholarship