Maastricht University - UM NL Brightlands Talent Scholarship

What you get

You get a full scholarship for a master's degree at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. It covers a living-cost stipend of 20,150 EUR for a one-year master's (about 1,550 EUR per month over 13 months) or 38,750 EUR for a two-year master's (over 25 months). On top of that, the university pays your full tuition fees, your health and liability insurance, your visa costs, and a two-week course before your studies start. A furnished room is arranged for you, and you must accept it. On two-year programmes you find your own room in the second year. The room does not fit partners, children or pets. The award goes to two students per academic year. It is funded together with the Brightlands innovation campuses in Limburg, which link companies and researchers in chemistry, health, agrifood and data science. You write your thesis on an assignment from a company on your Brightlands campus.

Who can apply

• Admission: You are (conditionally) admitted to a participating master's programme at Maastricht University for 2027-2028. Applicants who do not already hold a master's degree are preferred.
• Field of study: Your programme must be one of these five: MSc Biobased Materials, MSc Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, MSc Biomedical Sciences, Research Master Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience (Neuropsychology), or MSc Imaging Engineering.
• Nationality: You hold a nationality from outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland or Surinam, and you have no second nationality from any of those. You must be able to get a Dutch entry visa and residence permit.
• Study history: You have never done a full degree at a Dutch university. An exchange semester is fine.
• Age: You are 35 or younger on 1 September 2027.
• Grades: You have a GPA of at least 7.5 out of 10 (75% of the top mark or better).
• Financial need: You can show that you need the funding.
• Engagement: You are willing to speak for Brightlands and the university at information events during and after your studies.

How to apply

First apply for admission to your master's programme through Studielink and submit that file in full by 10 December 2026. Then apply for the scholarship through the online form, which opens on 1 October 2026, by 1 February 2027. If you make the shortlist, a selection committee invites the top five to an online interview and decides in April 2027.

How realistic are your chances?

Only two scholarships are awarded each year, and the package covers everything, so this is highly competitive. The narrow field helps your odds: you must be a non-EU student admitted to one of five specific programmes, be under 35, and have a GPA of at least 7.5. If you clearly meet all of that, show real financial need and a strong motivation to work with the campus companies, you have a genuine shot. Still, you compete against a small, strong shortlist decided by interview.