Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarship 2027/2028 | Fully Funded Master’s Scholarship in the Netherlands

Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarship 2027/2028

Maastricht University in the Netherlands is accepting applications for the NL-High Potential Scholarship Programme for the 2027/2028 academic year.

The university awards 18 full scholarships each academic year to highly talented students from outside the European Union and European Economic Area who wish to pursue an eligible full-time Master’s programme at Maastricht University.

The scholarship includes a full tuition waiver, living allowance, health and liability insurance, visa costs and pre-academic training. It is highly competitive, with Maastricht University stating that approximately 2% of applicants receive the scholarship. 

📋 Scholarship Overview

💰 Scholarship Coverage and Benefits

The scholarship includes:

• Full tuition-fee waiver.
• Living allowance throughout the scholarship period.
• Health and liability insurance.
• Visa application costs.
• Pre-Academic Training costs.
• International Student Ambassador Programme costs for the first block.
• Allocated accommodation as a mandatory part of the scholarship package. 

💶 Living Allowance

One-Year Master’s Programme

The scholarship provides:

€20,150 for 13 months

Two-Year Master’s Programme

The scholarship provides:

€38,750 for 25 months

The living allowance is approximately:

€1,550 per month. 

🏥 Insurance

Approximately:

€700

is allocated for health and liability insurance. 

🏠 Accommodation

Accommodation is a mandatory component of the scholarship.

Maastricht University allocates a room to scholarship recipients until July 16, 2028. Accepting the scholarship means accepting the allocated room; refusing it results in cancellation of the scholarship.

Recipients enrolled in a two-year Master’s programme must arrange their own accommodation for the second year after the university-allocated housing period ends.

The university estimates housing costs at approximately:

€960 per month.

This amount is included within the monthly living allowance and is not an additional benefit on top of the stipend. 

✈️ Are International Flights Covered?

No.

Maastricht University explicitly states that international airfare is not included in the scholarship and must be paid by the student.

An approximately €75 cleaning fee for accommodation is also not covered by the scholarship. 

✅ Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet all of the following conditions:

• Hold nationality from a country outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Surinam.
• Not hold dual nationality from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
• Apply for an eligible full-time Master’s programme at Maastricht University for 2027/2028.
• Submit a complete Master’s admission file and meet all admission requirements by December 10, 2026.
• Meet the specific admission requirements of the selected Master’s programme.
• Never previously have participated in a degree-seeking higher-education programme in the Netherlands; previous exchange programmes in the Netherlands are permitted.
• Be no older than 35 years on September 1, 2027.
• Demonstrate excellent academic performance.
• Hold a GPA equivalent to at least 7.5 out of 10.
• Agree to serve as an active Maastricht University scholarship ambassador during and after the study period by sharing their experience with students and other stakeholders.

Preference is given to applicants who have not previously obtained a Master’s degree. 

📊 Minimum GPA Requirement

Applicants must have a GPA of at least:

7.5 out of 10

Maastricht University indicates that this is approximately equivalent to:

• 75 out of 100
• or 3 out of 4

depending on the applicant’s grading system.

Applicants must provide both an official document showing their most recent GPA and a document explaining the grading system used by their previous university. 

🎓 Eligible Master’s Programs

Not all Maastricht University Master’s programmes are eligible for this scholarship.

The official 2027/2028 list contains the following programmes: 

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

• Arts and Culture – Arts and Heritage
• Arts and Culture – Modern Political Culture
• Arts and Culture – Contemporary Literature and Arts
• European Studies

Faculty of Law

• European Law School – European Business Law
• European Law School – European Public Law
• European Law School – General Programme
• European Law School – Law for a Sustainable Europe
• European Law School – Law and Artificial Intelligence
• Forensics, Criminology and Law
• Globalisation and Law – Corporate and Commercial Law
• Globalisation and Law – General Programme
• Globalisation and Law – Human Rights
• Globalisation and Law – International Trade and Investment Law
• International and European Tax Law
• Customs and International Supply Chain Taxation
• Tax and Technology
• Advanced Master in Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Management – Law
• Advanced Master in Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Management – Science

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences

• Epidemiology
• Global Health
• Governance and Leadership in European Public Health
• Health and Digital Transformation
• Health Food Innovation Management
• Health Promotion
• Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management
• Human Movement Sciences – Health and Rehabilitation
• Human Movement Sciences – Sports and Nutrition

Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

• Forensic Psychology
• Psychology – Developmental Psychology
• Research Master in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience – Fundamental Neuroscience

School of Business and Economics

• Financial Economics
• International Business – Accounting and Financial Analysis
• International Business – Organisation: Management, Change and Consultancy
• International Business – Strategy and Innovation
• Learning and Development in Organisations

Only programmes on the university’s official eligibility list qualify for the 2027/2028 scholarship. 

🗣️ Language Requirements

There is no single language requirement set specifically by the scholarship.

Applicants must meet the language requirements of the Master’s programme they select, and required English-language test scores may therefore differ between programmes.

Applicants should check the official webpage of their selected programme before applying.

📄 Required Scholarship Documents

After applying to an eligible Master’s programme and receiving a Maastricht University student identification number, applicants must prepare:

1. Curriculum Vitae: Up to date and no longer than two A4 pages, including relevant education, work experience and awards.
2. Motivation Letter: Applicants must use Maastricht University’s official scholarship template.
3. Proof of Academic Excellence: Academic transcript or official document showing a GPA of at least 7.5/10 or equivalent.
4. Grading-System Explanation: Official information explaining the grading scale used by the applicant’s previous institution.
5. Personal Statement of Financial Needs: An explanation of why the scholarship is needed and relevant personal or financial circumstances.
6. One Reference Letter.
7. Referee Contact Information: Including the referee’s relationship to the applicant, professional telephone number and institutional email address. 

📝 Reference Letter Requirements

The referee must be:

• A current or former professor.
• A lecturer.
• A current or former employer.

Family members may not serve as referees.

The reference letter must:

• Be dated.
• Be written no earlier than February 2026.
• Follow Maastricht University’s scholarship reference guidelines.
• Be uploaded by the applicant.
• Be linked to the referee’s professional or institutional email address; reference letters supported only by a personal email address may be rejected. 

📝 How to Apply

The application process consists of two main stages.

Stage One: Apply for a Master’s Programme

1. Select one of the eligible Master’s programmes.
2. Apply through the Dutch national higher-education application portal.
3. Complete the programme application and satisfy all admission requirements.
4. The complete application file must be submitted by December 10, 2026.
5. After applying, the student receives a Maastricht University student identification number.

If the selected Master’s program charges an admissions handling fee, the applicant must pay it personally. The scholarship does not cover program handling fees. 

Stage Two: Apply for the Scholarship

1. Log in using the Maastricht University account.
2. Complete the scholarship application form.
3. Upload all required scholarship documents.
4. Enter the referee’s information.
5. Review the entire application carefully.
6. Submit the scholarship application before:

February 1, 2027 at 23:59 CET.

Applicants can submit the scholarship application only once, and documents cannot be added or replaced after submission. 

📅 Important Dates

🎯 Selection Process

After the scholarship deadline:

1. The International Services Desk checks all applications for completeness.
2. Complete applications are forwarded to the relevant faculties in February.
3. Each faculty selects and ranks its top five scholarship applicants.
4. The International Services Desk completes a final review in March.
5. Selected candidates are invited to an online interview.
6. Applicants are informed of their status in April.
7. Final statuses are selected, waitlisted or rejected, with the process completed by May 2027. 

Maastricht University states that the scholarship is extremely competitive, with only approximately 2% of applicants receiving an award. 

📚 Pre-Academic Training

Scholarship recipients must participate in a mandatory two-week Pre-Academic Training programme.

The programme begins in the first week of August 2027, and its cost is covered by the scholarship. 

🔗 Official Links

🌐 Official Scholarship Page:
Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarship

📚 Eligible Master’s Programmes 2027/2028:
Official List of Eligible Programmes

📝 Master’s Application Portal:
Studielink

💡 Need Help Applying?

The Fursaty team can assist students preparing for the Maastricht University Scholarship with:

• Scholarship eligibility assessment.
• Selection of an eligible Master’s programme.
• Academic-profile and GPA review.
• Application-document preparation and organization.
• Professional CV preparation.
• Motivation Letter preparation.
• Financial Needs Statement support.
• Reference-letter review.
• Final application review before submission.

📲 Contact Fursaty via WhatsApp to evaluate your profile and begin your application.