The UM NL Global Studies Scholarship is the one Maastricht award Indian school leavers can use for a full bachelor’s degree: one full-coverage scholarship a year for the Global Studies programme, with tuition at cost, EUR 20,150 a year in living expenses, a room for the first year and the visa and insurance bills paid. It runs for the whole 36 months of the degree, not for one year.
The window is open now: 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET, with one hard condition in front of it. The application file for the Global Studies programme itself has to be complete by 10 December 2026, because the scholarship form needs a Maastricht student number.
UM NL Global Studies Scholarship 2027: quick facts
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | Maastricht University, Netherlands, through the UM International Services Desk. One full-coverage award a year for the bachelor’s programme in Global Studies |
| Last date to apply | 1 February 2027, 23:59 CET (scholarship form). Admission file complete by 10 December 2026 |
| Official website | maastrichtuniversity.nl – UM NL Global Studies Scholarship |
What the award covers for three years
This is a tuition waiver plus a monthly stipend, and the university lists the stipend down to the euro. The 2027-2028 table reads:
| Living expenses | EUR 20,150 per academic year (EUR 1,550 a month), paid to the student by the UM International Services Desk |
| What the EUR 1,550 covers | Housing EUR 960, groceries and personal hygiene EUR 160, telephone EUR 60, travel EUR 100, books and study materials EUR 90, clothing, hobbies and going out EUR 125, miscellaneous EUR 55 |
| Tuition fees | At cost per academic year, arranged and paid by the UM International Services Desk |
| Health and liability insurance | At cost, arranged and paid by the university |
| Visa application costs | At cost, arranged and paid by the university |
| Pre-Academic Training | At cost, two weeks, first week of August 2027, mandatory |
| International Student Ambassador Programme | At cost for the first block only |
| Duration | 36 months, the full Global Studies bachelor’s programme |
Two costs stay with you: the air ticket to the Netherlands, and a cleaning fee of about EUR 75 that Maastricht Housing collects upfront. The EUR 20,150 is also flagged as subject to change for the 2028-2029 academic year, so years two and three of the degree are funded at whatever the rate is then, not at the 2027-2028 figure.
Three years of tuition at cost is the part that matters most for an Indian family. Dutch non-EU bachelor fees sit far above the EU rate, and this award takes the entire fee bill off the table for the full degree rather than for a first year only.
The room rule, and what it means in years two and three
A room is allocated to the scholarship holder until 16 July 2028, which covers the first academic year. The catch is spelled out on the page:
- Accepting the scholarship means accepting the room. Refusing the room cancels the scholarship.
- You find your own housing for the second and third year. The allocation does not run for the whole degree.
- The accommodation is not suitable for partners, spouses, children or pets.
- Preferences such as religious beliefs are taken into account when rooms are assigned.
- The housing line inside the EUR 1,550 monthly allowance is EUR 960, so rent is paid out of the stipend rather than billed separately.
Plan for Maastricht’s private rental market in year two. The city has a serious room shortage, and students who arrive without a housing plan in the second year are the ones who struggle.
Who can apply from India
The eligibility test here is different from the master’s awards. It is aimed at students who have finished school and hold no higher-education diploma yet.
- You hold the nationality of a country eligible for Official Development Assistance from the OECD, with Surinam excluded. India is on that list, so Indian nationals qualify.
- You do not hold a second nationality from an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or Surinam.
- You have no diploma from a higher education institution. If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, you are not eligible for this scholarship.
- You are not older than 35 on 1 September 2027.
- You have applied for the Global Studies bachelor’s programme for 2027-2028 and submitted a complete application file, meeting all admission requirements, before 10 December 2026.
- If you already hold a residence permit for another Schengen country, it must stay valid until at least 2 September 2027, otherwise you apply from India through an MVV visa.
- You agree to act as a Global Studies and UM ambassador during and after your studies, including at least one information session for students or other stakeholders.
One application only, and no document can be added or replaced after you submit, so the file has to be complete before you press send.
The programme you would be joining
Global Studies at Maastricht is a bachelor’s programme taught at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the university describes it as unique in the Netherlands for having six faculties contribute equally to the teaching. The degree crosses disciplinary and geographical boundaries rather than settling inside one department.
Two components are worth knowing before you apply. Students take part in a local or international field study, and they develop an intervention for a societal problem set by an NGO, a government body, an agency, a firm or a school, alongside an interdisciplinary bachelor thesis. Teaching is in Maastricht’s problem-based learning format, with small tutorial groups rather than lecture halls.
Deadlines for the 2027-2028 intake
| Scholarship applications open | 1 October 2026 |
| Global Studies admission file complete through Studielink | 10 December 2026 |
| Any programme handling fee paid by the candidate | 10 December 2026 |
| Scholarship application form closes | 1 February 2027, 23:59 CET |
| All registration requirements met, except legal residence, tuition payment and hard-copy diploma | 1 February 2027 |
| Admission office ranks and proposes a top five | March 2027 |
| Online interviews with the selection committee | After March 2027 |
| Status informed to all candidates | April 2027, final by the beginning of June 2027 |
| Pre-Academic Training, two weeks, mandatory | First week of August 2027 |
The sequence is unforgiving: miss 10 December and the scholarship form has nothing to attach to. Register through Studielink first, get the student number, then open the scholarship form with your UM account.
Documents and the referee rules
- Curriculum vitae, no longer than two A4 pages, listing your education, experience, extracurricular engagement, active citizenship and any awards or prizes.
- Letter of motivation on the university’s template, focused on why you need the scholarship.
- Proof of academic excellence: your latest transcript, which has to show at least 75 percent of the maximum grade, the equivalent of 7.5 out of 10 at Maastricht.
- Personal statement of financial needs, covering circumstances such as financial difficulty, sole carer responsibilities, a medical condition, a disability or refugee status.
- One reference letter from a former professor, teacher, principal, college counsellor, lecturer or employer. Family members cannot act as referees, and you upload the letter yourself.
- Referee contact details: your relationship to the referee, their work telephone number with the country code, and their work or institutional email address. A letter that lists only a personal email is rejected unless a valid reason is given.
The referee check is real: the university says it may contact your referee to verify authenticity. Tell your teacher or principal before you submit, and use a school email address rather than a personal one.
How the selection runs
- The UM International Services Desk checks after 1 February 2027 that every application is complete.
- The UM Scholarship Office forwards your file to the Global Studies admission office.
- That office, with the programme coordinators, ranks the applications against the UM scholarship selection criteria and proposes a top five in March 2027.
- The Global Studies Scholarship selection committee, made up of the programme coordinator and representatives of the UM Scholarship Office, interviews the top five online and then decides. Unsuccessful candidates join a reserve list.
- Status is sent in April 2027, with a final selected, waitlisted or rejected decision by the beginning of June 2027.
- Awardees sign and return the award letter to accept, and join the two-week Pre-Academic Training in the first week of August 2027.
One award and five interviews means the interview decides it. The committee wants to see a link between your own background and the global problems the programme studies, so bring concrete examples from school, volunteering or community work in India.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The award is for nationals of countries eligible for Official Development Assistance from the OECD, with Surinam excluded, and India is on that list. You must hold no higher-education diploma and must not hold a second EU/EEA, Swiss or Surinam nationality.
The scholarship form closes on 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. The Global Studies application file has to be complete through Studielink by 10 December 2026, and any handling fee charged by the programme is paid by that date too.
EUR 20,150 in living expenses per academic year, which is EUR 1,550 a month, plus tuition fees at cost, health and liability insurance, visa costs, the Pre-Academic Training and the first block of the ambassador programme. Air tickets and a cleaning fee of about EUR 75 are not covered.
Yes. The scholarship tenure is 36 months, the length of the Global Studies bachelor’s programme, and the living allowance is stated per academic year. The amount is subject to change for 2028-2029.
No. The page states that candidates who have completed a degree programme equivalent to a bachelor’s degree are not eligible. The award is for incoming bachelor students with no higher-education diploma.
No. A room is allocated until 16 July 2028, covering the first year, and you find your own housing for the second and third year. Accepting the scholarship means accepting the room, and refusing it cancels the award.
All candidates are informed in April 2027, with a final status by the beginning of June 2027. The mandatory two-week Pre-Academic Training takes place in the first week of August 2027.
Official links
Related reading: UM NL Global Studies Scholarship (eligibility, amount table, deadlines)
All Maastricht University scholarships
Maastricht University scholarship guide
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