Maastricht University - UM First Generation Students (FGS) Scholarship

UM First Generation Students (FGS) Scholarship

This scholarship covers your full tuition fee at Maastricht University for the standard length of your bachelor's programme. That is worth 2,694 EUR per year for programmes on the low tuition rate, and the funding runs for 36 months. You never receive cash yourself. The Scholarship Office pays the tuition directly, so the fee is simply lifted from you. As a scholar you also join the university's problem-based learning model, where you learn by working through real problems in small groups, and its international academic community. The scholarship is funded by a Maastricht University graduate who wants to make higher education easier to reach.

Who can apply

• First in your family: Neither of your parents completed a degree at a university or university of applied sciences (hogeschool). You are the first in your family to study.
• Nationality: You have Dutch nationality. The scholarship is only for Dutch students.
• Financial need: You can prove you need financial help, for example with the DUO supplementary grant letter (aanvullende beurs) or a similar document.
• Where you study: You are enrolling in a bachelor's programme at Maastricht University for the 2026-2027 academic year, in one of five faculties: Health, Medicine and Life Sciences; Psychology and Neuroscience; Science and Engineering; Law; or the School of Business and Economics.
• Admission: You are admitted to, or meet the entry requirements for, the bachelor's programme you choose.
• One application: You can apply for one programme and one scholarship only.

How to apply

First register for your chosen bachelor's programme through Studielink. Then submit the scholarship application with a CV, a motivation letter, a reference letter and proof of financial need, all in Dutch. The deadline is 1 May 2026. The faculty ranks the applications and you hear the result at the end of July 2026. There is no interview.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is cut narrowly. You must be Dutch, the first in your family to study, able to show financial need, and enrolling in one of five faculties. That makes the eligible group far smaller than for open scholarships. If you clearly meet those conditions and can document the need, your prospects are good. A convincing motivation letter tied to the first-generation theme, plus a strong reference, is what sets a well-matched application apart.