Maastricht University pays for two non-EU master’s students a year to study at one of its Brightlands campuses: the UM NL Brightlands Talent Scholarship covers the tuition fee at cost, a monthly living allowance, health and liability insurance, the visa bill and the compulsory pre-academic training. The university’s own page puts the 2027-2028 value at EUR 20,150 for a one-year master’s and EUR 38,750 for a two-year one, on top of the fee waiver.
It is not a scheme you can apply to on a whim. Only master’s programmes tied to two specific Brightlands campuses take part this cycle, you need a GPA of 7.5 out of 10 or higher to be considered at all, and the admission file has to be complete by 10 December 2026, seven weeks before the scholarship form closes. Every number below comes from the scholarship page linked at the end.
UM NL Brightlands Talent Scholarship 2027-28: quick facts
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | Maastricht University, Netherlands, through the UM International Services Desk – two full-coverage awards a year for master’s programmes linked to the Brightlands campuses (2027-2028: Chemelot campus and Maastricht Health campus) |
| Last date to apply | 1 February 2027, 23:59 CET (scholarship form). Admission file and any handling fee must be complete by 10 December 2026 |
| Official website | maastrichtuniversity.nl – UM NL Brightlands Talent Scholarship |
What the scholarship pays in 2027-2028
The award is built as a tuition waiver plus a monthly allowance, and the university lists every cost it takes over. The living allowance is paid to you by the UM International Services Desk.
| Living expenses, one-year master’s | EUR 20,150 over 13 months (EUR 1,550 a month) |
| Living expenses, two-year master’s | EUR 38,750 over 25 months |
| What the EUR 1,550 a month is meant to cover | 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, 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 (two weeks, August 2027) | At cost, mandatory part of the scholarship |
| International Student Ambassador Programme | At cost for the first block only |
| Duration | 13 months for a one-year master’s, 25 months for a two-year master’s |
Two costs stay with you: the air ticket to the Netherlands and the cleaning fee of about EUR 75 that Maastricht Housing collects upfront. If your programme charges a handling fee during admission, the university does not cover that either, and it has to be paid by 10 December 2026.
The room is part of the deal. This is the condition that surprises applicants. A room is allocated to every scholarship holder until 16 July 2028, and accepting the scholarship means accepting the room. Refusing the room means the scholarship is cancelled. Students on a two-year programme have to find their own housing for the second year.
- The allocated 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 allowance is EUR 960 a month, so the room is paid out of the stipend rather than billed separately.
Who can apply from India
India sits in the eligible group: the award is open to students whose nationality is outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Surinam. The full list of conditions on the official page is:
- No EU/EEA, Swiss or Surinam dual nationality either, and if you already hold a residence permit for another Schengen country it must stay valid until at least 2 September 2027.
- You have never followed a degree-seeking programme in the Netherlands. Exchange semesters in the Netherlands are fine.
- GPA of 7.5 out of 10 or higher on your most recent transcript, which the page spells out as at least 75 percent of the maximum grade, for example 3 out of 4. You must upload an official document from your university showing the GPA and a document explaining the grading system.
- You are not older than 35 on 1 September 2027.
- Preference goes to candidates who do not already hold a master’s degree.
- You agree to act as a Brightlands and UM ambassador during and after the degree, including at least one information session for students or stakeholders.
- One application, one scholarship. The form can be submitted only once and you cannot apply for a second UM scholarship.
Which master’s programmes qualify this cycle
The scholarship rotates between the four Brightlands campuses in Maastricht, Heerlen, Sittard-Geleen and Venlo, two per year. For 2027-2028 the participating programmes are the ones affiliated with the Chemelot campus and the Maastricht Health campus, so the first thing to check is whether your target programme is on that list before you build an application around it.
There is a second filter: every scholarship holder joins the thesis-internship-programme (TIP) and writes the master’s thesis on an assignment set by one of the companies on the respective Brightlands campus. That is a research placement inside a company, not an ordinary academic thesis, and it is a compulsory component rather than an option.
The two deadlines that matter
Applicants lose this scholarship by missing the admission date rather than the scholarship date, because the form needs a Maastricht student ID.
| Applications for participating master’s programmes open | 1 October 2026 |
| Admission file complete through Studielink, any handling fee paid | 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 |
| Interviews with the selection committee | After February 2027 |
| Status informed to all candidates | April 2027, latest beginning of May 2027 |
| Pre-Academic Training (two weeks, mandatory) | August 2027 |
The scholarship form and the master’s application can run at the same time, but the award needs you to be at least conditionally admitted. Register through Studielink first, get your Maastricht student number, then fill the scholarship form with your UM account.
Documents you upload with the scholarship form
- Curriculum vitae, no longer than two A4 pages, with your extracurricular engagement and active citizenship spelled out and any awards or prizes listed.
- Motivation letter on the university’s own template, which focuses on your motivation for the scholarship rather than for the degree.
- Proof of academic excellence: your transcript or an official statement of your most recent GPA of 7.5 or higher, plus a document explaining your grading scale.
- Personal statement of financial needs, explaining why the scholarship would change your situation – financial difficulty, sole carer responsibilities, a medical condition, a disability or refugee status.
- One reference letter from a former professor, lecturer or employer. Family members are not accepted, the letter must follow the university’s guidelines, must be dated no earlier than February 2026, and you upload it yourself.
- Contact details of one referee, because the university checks authenticity.
There is no way to add or replace a document after submission, so assemble the file before you open the form. The same page warns that documents not following the reference-letter guidelines make the application incomplete.
How the selection actually runs
- The UM International Services Desk checks that every application is complete after 1 February 2027.
- Complete files go to the faculty in February 2027.
- The faculty admission office ranks applicants and sends a top five to the Brightlands Talent Scholarship selection committee.
- The committee, made up of university and Brightlands campus representatives, interviews the top five online and then decides. Candidates who are not selected join a reserve list in case an awardee declines.
- The scholarship office informs everyone in April 2027, with a final status by the beginning of May 2027 at the latest.
With two awards a year and a shortlist of five, the interview is the real decision point. Expect questions that connect your thesis interest to a company on the campus you picked.
How this compares with the other Maastricht awards
Maastricht runs a family of NL scholarships on the same 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027 window with the same 10 December admission cut-off, so the choice is about the programme, not the deadline. The NL Social Justice Scholarship is tied to the master’s in Globalisation and Law at the law faculty, and the NL-High Potential Scholarship is the larger scheme spread across many faculties. Brightlands is the narrowest of the three: two seats, two campuses, and a company-based thesis.
You may apply for one UM scholarship only, so read all three pages before you pick a form.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The award is open to students whose nationality is outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Surinam, so Indian citizens qualify. You cannot hold a second EU/EEA, Swiss or Surinam nationality, and you must not have followed a degree-seeking programme in the Netherlands before.
The scholarship form closes on 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. The admission file for the participating master’s programme has to be complete by 10 December 2026, and any handling fee charged by the programme must also be paid by that date.
Tuition fees at cost plus EUR 20,150 in living expenses over 13 months for a one-year master’s, or EUR 38,750 over 25 months for a two-year master’s. Health and liability insurance, visa costs, the two-week Pre-Academic Training and the first block of the ambassador programme are also paid. Air tickets and a cleaning fee of about EUR 75 are not covered.
A grade point average of 7.5 out of 10 or higher, which the university equates to at least 75 percent of the maximum grade, for example 3 out of 4. You upload a transcript or official GPA statement plus a document explaining the grading system.
Only the participating master’s programmes for 2027-2028, which are the ones affiliated with the Chemelot campus and the Maastricht Health campus. The list is published on the scholarship page and changes as the award rotates between campuses each year.
Yes. The thesis-internship-programme is a mandatory part of the award, and you write the master’s thesis on an assignment for one of the companies based at the Brightlands campus connected to your programme.
A room is allocated to you until 16 July 2028 and is paid out of the monthly allowance, which budgets EUR 960 a month for housing. Accepting the scholarship means accepting the room, and refusing it cancels the award. The housing is not suitable for partners, children or pets, and two-year students arrange their own accommodation in the second year.
Official links
Related reading: UM NL Brightlands Talent Scholarship (eligibility, amounts, deadlines)
Maastricht University scholarship index for all UM awards
Maastricht University scholarship guide
Related reading: browse post graduation scholarships, international scholarships and study abroad scholarships for more funded master’s options for Indian students.
Related scholarship posts: Maastricht NL-High Potential Scholarship 2027-28, Maastricht NL Social Justice Scholarship 2027-28, Leiden University Excellence Scholarship 2027.