About the programme
Offers two full-coverage scholarships per academic year, including a tuition fee waiver and monthly living stipend, to selected high-achieving, non-EU/EEA, non-Swiss, non-Surinamese master's students with strong personal development potential. Recipients must complete a thesis internship with a company on a Brightlands campus. Participating programmes for 2027-2028 are linked to the Chemelot and Maastricht Health campuses.
Duration: 13 months (one-year master's) or 25 months (two-year master's)
Eligibility
- Hold a nationality outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Surinam, and meet visa and residence permit requirements for the Netherlands
- Do not hold dual nationality from an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or Surinam
- Applied for admission to a participating UM master's programme for 2027-2028 and submitted the full application by 10 December 2026
- Meet the specific admission requirements of the chosen master's programme
- Never previously enrolled in a degree-seeking higher education programme in the Netherlands (exchange students welcome)
- Not older than 35 years on 1 September 2027
- GPA of 7.5 out of 10 or higher (or equivalent) on latest transcript
- Agree to be an active Brightlands and UM ambassador, sharing experiences in at least one session
- Sign in to check these against your background.
What they look for
- Preference for candidates who have not yet obtained a master's degree
- Top-performing with high personal development potential and substantiated motivation to contribute to campus development
Needs your university. Must be admitted to (or conditionally admitted to) a participating UM master's programme and apply via Studielink; referees must be professors, lecturers or employers.
What you receive
- Tuition fee waiver
- Monthly living stipend
- Mandatory accommodation until 16 July 2028
- Health and liability insurance paid
- Visa application costs paid
- Pre-Academic Training (two weeks) and International Student Ambassador Programme (first block) paid
- Thesis internship with a Brightlands company
What you will need
- Curriculum vitae
- Letter of motivation
- Proof of academic excellence (transcript and grading system document)
- Personal statement of financial needs
- Reference letter
- Referee contact details
How to apply
- Apply to a participating UM master's programme via Studielink (deadline 10 December 2026)
- Complete the Scholarship Application Form via UM account, with applications open from 1 October 2026
- Complete and submit documents by 1 February 2027
- Faculty ranks applications and proposes top 5 to selection committee
- Online interviews with top 5 candidates
- Decisions communicated April to early May 2027; accept by signing award letter
Applications are submitted on Maastricht University’s own site. Open Doors helps you prepare; it is not the official application portal.
From people who applied
No notes yet.
Source and verification
- Official source
- Maastricht University
- Last checked
- 13 Nov 2026, read automatically from the official page
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