Only 2% of applicants get this, so read the fine print before you apply
Maastricht’s own page states plainly that only 2% of applicants are awarded this scholarship, so it is worth reading every eligibility line closely rather than assuming a strong application alone is enough. Eighteen full scholarships go out each year, combining the university’s own High Potential Scholarship with the nationally funded NL Scholarship, and the two-stage timeline, apply for the master’s first, then the scholarship, means missing the earlier of the two deadlines ends your chances regardless of how strong the rest of your file is.
Two deadlines, not one, and the earlier one is the real cutoff
The scholarship deadline of 1 February 2027 is not the date that actually controls your eligibility. You need a UM student number to even submit the scholarship form, and getting one means applying for a participating master’s programme through Studielink and submitting a complete application file, meeting every admission requirement, by 10 December 2026, almost two months earlier. If your programme also charges a handling fee as part of its own admissions process, that fee is not covered by the scholarship and is your own responsibility to pay by that same 10 December date.
The living-cost figure is broken down to the euro
Maastricht’s own page itemises exactly where the EUR 1,550 monthly living allowance is expected to go: EUR 960 for housing, EUR 160 for groceries and personal hygiene, EUR 60 for telephone, EUR 100 for travel, EUR 90 for books and study materials, EUR 125 for clothing and going out, and EUR 55 for miscellaneous costs. Air tickets to and from the Netherlands are explicitly not included and are the candidate’s own expense, as is a roughly EUR 75 cleaning fee paid directly to Maastricht Housing.
The allocated room is not optional, and it is not built for families
A university-allocated room is a mandatory part of this scholarship, not a convenience you can decline while keeping the money. Maastricht’s own page is direct: refusing the room cancels the scholarship entirely, and the accommodation itself is explicitly not suitable for a partner, children or pets. Two-year master’s students only get that allocated room for the first year and have to find their own housing for the second, so budget for that transition well ahead of time.
Your referee’s email address can sink an otherwise strong application
One detail trips up more applicants than the academic requirements themselves: the reference letter’s referee must be a current or former professor, lecturer or employer, never a family member, and must be reachable by a work or institutional email address. A letter citing only a personal email address is rejected outright, and Maastricht’s own guidance notes it may contact the referee directly to check authenticity, so a referee who is hard to verify is a real risk to the whole application, not just a formality.