Fully Funded Master’s Scholarship Netherlands Maastricht University 2027–2028
Maastricht University says it will award 18 full scholarships for the 2027–2028 intake. The page for the previous cycle listed 21. Keep that drop in mind, because the NL-High Potential Scholarship is not a reward for everyone who gets a place. It is a contest between people who already have one.
Pakistani graduates can apply. The Fully Funded Master’s Scholarship Netherlands is for applicants with a nationality outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Suriname, and Pakistan is outside that group. For a participating full-time master’s programme, it covers tuition, a monthly living amount, health and liability insurance, and visa costs. The scholarship form opened on October 1, 2026 and closes on February 1, 2027 at 23:59 CET. Your admission file must be complete earlier, before December 10, 2026, which is about eight weeks from today (our own count).
Who Can Apply for the Maastricht Master’s Scholarship
Maastricht University (UM) lists these conditions for the 2027–2028 cycle. You need to meet all of them.
- Nationality: you hold a nationality outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Suriname, and you meet the requirements for an entry visa and residence permit for the Netherlands. You must not hold dual nationality with an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
- Residence permit from another Schengen country: if you already have one, it must stay valid until at least September 2, 2027. If it expires sooner, you can only apply from your home country through an MVV visa application.
- Programme: you applied to a participating full-time master’s programme for 2027–2028 and submitted a complete file before December 10, 2026. Only programmes on UM’s official list qualify.
- Age: you are not older than 35 on September 1, 2027.
- Grades: UM’s page says only applicants with a grade average of 7.5 out of 10 or higher are considered. It describes this as at least 75 percent of the maximum grade, for example 3 out of 4.
- Ambassador role: you agree to share your experience in at least one information session for students or other groups, during or after your studies.
Two limits sit on top of these rules. UM accepts scholarship applications only through its own application form, and it says documents cannot be added or replaced after you submit.
What the Fully Funded Master’s Scholarship Covers
UM calls these full scholarships, but read the table before you plan a budget. The living amount is a fixed sum, UM marks its figures as subject to change, and flights are not included. The 13-month amount applies to a one-year master’s programme and the 25-month amount to a two-year programme.
| Living expenses, 13 months | €20,150, paid to you by the UM International Services Desk |
| Living expenses, 25 months | €38,750, paid to you by the UM International Services Desk |
| Monthly equivalent | €1,550 |
| Health and liability insurance | €700 (listed with a note that amounts may change) |
| Visa application costs | At cost, arranged and paid by UM |
| Tuition fees | At cost, arranged and paid by UM |
| Flights | Not included. You pay for your own air tickets |
UM also splits the €1,550 monthly figure into a budget. Treat this as UM’s planning guide, not a bill.
| Budget line | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Housing | €960 |
| Groceries and personal hygiene | €160 |
| Telephone | €60 |
| Travel | €100 |
| Books and study materials | €90 |
| Clothing, hobbies and going out | €125 |
| Miscellaneous | €55 |
| Total (our addition) | €1,550 |
Housing comes with the award
A room is a mandatory part of the scholarship. UM says it will allocate you a room until July 16, 2028, and that accepting the scholarship means accepting the room. If you receive the scholarship for a two-year programme, you must find your own housing for the second year.
UM also says this accommodation is not suitable for partners or spouses, children or pets, and that preferences such as religious beliefs will be taken into account. The page lists a housing line of €960 inside the monthly figure but, in the text we could read, does not explain how rent and stipend interact. Ask the International Services Desk before you accept.
Two Deadlines, Not One
The usual planning mistake is treating February 1 as the only date. It is the last day for the scholarship form, but UM asks for a complete admission file before December 10, 2026. It also says that by February 1 you must have met all registration requirements, except legal residence, tuition payment and the hard copy of your diploma.
| Step | Date | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Applications and the 2027–2028 programme list open | October 1, 2026 | Official UM page |
| Complete admission file for a participating master’s | Before December 10, 2026 | Official UM page |
| Scholarship application form closes | February 1, 2027, 23:59 CET | Official UM page |
| Completeness check, then faculty ranking | After February 1; faculties send top-five lists in March 2027 | Official UM page |
| Selections confirmed, online interviews | By the end of March 2027 | Official UM page |
| Application status sent to all candidates | April 2027 | Official UM page |
| Pre-Academic Training (two weeks, mandatory) | Starts in the first week of August 2027 | Official UM page |
Official UM NL-High Potential page
As our own calculation, 23:59 CET (UTC+1) on February 1, 2027 is about 03:59 on February 2 in Pakistan (UTC+5). The form can only be submitted once, so finish your documents days before the closing time.
If you are comparing several master’s routes, line the dates up now. Our guide to the Erasmus Mundus EMMIR scholarship lists a scholarship deadline of December 20, 2026, which is ten days after Maastricht’s admission cut-off.
Editorial Note
UM describes a funnel. It checks files for completeness after February 1, sends complete files to each faculty, and each faculty ranks its own top five. UM then confirms the selections and invites those candidates to an online interview. The page does not say how many scholarships each faculty can expect, so do not assume an even split. In practice, your programme choice is part of the competition, and only a complete file enters it.
One more point on numbers. Several third-party pages still show older, lower stipend figures. Plan with the amounts on UM’s own page and recheck them before you submit.
How to Apply in Fully Funded Master’s Scholarship, Step by Step
- Choose a participating programme. Check UM’s list of participating master’s programmes for 2027–2028 on the official page. Programmes not on the list are not eligible.
- Apply for admission through Studielink and finish the whole programme file before December 10, 2026. Follow the programme’s own page for its admission documents.
- Get your student number. UM says you need it to complete the scholarship form.
- Log in with your UM account and open the scholarship application form. UM says it accepts applications only through this form.
- Upload your documents and submit once, before February 1, 2027 at 23:59 CET. Check every file and your referee’s details first, because you cannot add or replace documents afterwards.
- Wait for the decision. UM says it will tell all candidates their status in April 2027.
UM scholarship application page
Documents to Prepare
- Letter of motivation, written on UM’s template, which focuses on why you want the scholarship.
- Proof of academic excellence: your transcript, or an official document from your university, showing your latest GPA at the level described above.
- Personal statement of financial needs: explain why you would benefit from the award. UM names examples such as financial difficulty, sole-parent or caretaking duties, a medical condition, a disability or refugee status.
- One reference letter, written to UM’s reference letter guidelines, which UM provides for your referee.
- Contact details for one referee. UM says it may contact your referee to check the reference is genuine.
Different versions of UM’s scholarship pages describe the reference-letter step in different ways, and the form may ask for more files than this list. Read the upload list on the live form before you ask your referee to write anything.
How Selection Works
- UM’s International Services Desk checks whether applications are complete after February 1, 2027.
- It sends complete applications to each faculty in February 2027.
- Each faculty selects and ranks its top five applicants and sends them back for a final check in March 2027.
- The Desk confirms the faculty selections by the end of March 2027 and invites the selected candidates to an online interview.
- After the interviews, the Desk informs all candidates of their status in April 2027.
Awardees must also complete UM’s Pre-Academic Training. UM calls it a two-week mandatory part of the programme, and it starts in the first week of August 2027.
Notes for Applicants in Pakistan
For Applicants in Pakistan
UM’s pages we could read do not mention HEC attestation or any Pakistan-specific route, and we found none. What they do give is practical:
- Visa step. After the Dutch immigration service (IND) approves your residence permit, you can only apply for the MVV visa sticker at the Dutch embassy in Islamabad if the IND letter says so. You email isl-ca@minbuza.nl with the subject “Mvv appointment request” and include your V number, full name, contact details and the IND approval letter. You then have 3 months from the date of that letter to apply.
- Documents for the appointment. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months and have at least 2 empty pages. For study applications, the email from your institution that contains your V number is enough instead of a copy of the IND letter. The embassy keeps your passport, and the sticker can take up to 10 working days. You can collect it at the embassy or at a Gerry’s collection centre, which the embassy says you use at your own risk.
- Check your collection country. UM tells applicants to use the Dutch government’s MVV country page to see where they must collect the visa sticker. The Pakistan page has the Islamabad steps above.
- Grades. UM’s own example is 3 out of 4 equal to 7.5 out of 10. A Pakistani degree on a 4.0 CGPA scale uses the same arithmetic, but UM decides how any degree is converted. If the form lets you attach a grading-scale explanation, attach one.
- Who can submit. UM says applications are accepted only through its form. No agent can submit through another route, and none can promise a result.
Questions Applicants Ask
Can my husband, wife or children live in the scholarship room?
UM says the accommodation provided to scholarship students is not suitable for partners or spouses, children and pets. The page we could read says nothing about extra funding for family members, so ask the International Services Desk at hhp.scholarship@maastrichtuniversity.nl before you accept.
Does the scholarship pay for my flight to the Netherlands?
No. UM says air tickets are not included and must be paid by the candidate. Budget for the flight separately.
My degree uses a 4.0 CGPA scale. Is 3.0 enough?
UM’s page uses 3 out of 4 as its example of the 75 percent minimum. Our reading is that 3.0 sits right at the floor, and a minimum is not a target, because only a few places exist. UM makes the final decision on how your grades are converted.
Related Guides
- Erasmus Mundus EMMIR Scholarship 2027–2029 : Amazing Scholarship in Europe Another master’s scholarship with an early deadline, with a full funding comparison.
- Chinese Government Scholarship Huazhong University 2027 A different master’s route with a later window, including a Pakistan-specific program.
Official Sources
- Maastricht University: NL-High Potential Scholarship (eligibility, amounts, dates, selection)
- NetherlandsWorldwide: MVV visa sticker, choose your country (where to collect your visa sticker)
- NetherlandsWorldwide: MVV visa sticker in Pakistan (Islamabad appointment steps)
Questions about the scholarship go to hhp.scholarship@maastrichtuniversity.nl, the address listed on UM’s page.
Information in this guide was checked against the official pages above on October 17, 2026.
Scholarship requirements, deadlines, and funding details can change. Always verify current information directly with the official provider before applying.
Last updated: October 18, 2026
Written by: The ScholarshipOrbit Editorial Board
Research basis: prepared using official scholarship, government, university, and program sources
ScholarshipOrbit is an independent guidance resource and is not affiliated with Maastricht University, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Dutch government, or any organization mentioned above.
