Handling fee
Applicants who received their previous education in a non-EU/EEA country* need to pay a handling fee of € 100 (excl. bank costs) at the start of the application process for all UM bachelor, master and bridging programmes. This fee covers the administrative costs concerning the assessment of applicants’ previous education diploma. Your application will not be processed, if the handling fee is not paid. Make sure you pay your handling fee before the application deadline of your study programme. Once you have started your studies at UM, the handling fee will be refunded to you (excl. bank account costs).
How to arrange your payment
Once you have applied for your programme of choice in Studielink, you will receive an email with payment details and instructions.
Deadline payment handling fee
Maastricht University must have received your handling fee payment at the latest on the application deadline for the study programme you are applying for. We recommend that you pay the handling fee well in time before the application deadline. Applications with late handling fee payments will not be processed.
The application deadline for the study programme of your choice is listed on the Admission requirements page (for bachelors and masters) and the general study programme page (for pre-masters/bridging programmes).
Exemptions
In some cases, applicants who received their previous education in a non-EU/EEA country* do not need to pay the handling fee. This is the case if you belong to one of the following exemption categories:
- You have previously paid a handling fee to UM
- You were previously enrolled at UM for a bachelor 's programme, master's programme, pre-master's/bridging programme, Foundation Programme, Centre for European Studies (CES) course or as an exchange student
- You completed your previous education in one of the countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) or in Switzerland
- You are applying for a bachelor's programme and hold a pre-university (VWO) diploma obtained in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten or Suriname
- You are applying for a bachelor's programme and have completed an International Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate
- You have already had your admissibility assessed by a foreign university in the context of a UM double-degree programme
- You have been granted refugee status in the Netherlands/are a recognised refugee in the Netherlands
- You have a valid residence permit for refugees in the Netherlands (Foreign Nationals Identity Document, W-document, type III or IV)
- You are financially supported by UAF (Foundation for Refugee students)
- You are Ukrainian and have the displaced persons status under the Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55 EG)
You will only receive a request to pay the handling fee if, according to our information, you do not belong to any of the abovementioned exemption categories. If you receive a request to pay the handling fee, and you feel that you do belong to one of the exemption categories, you can notify us. More information about how to do so is provided in the email with the handling fee payment request.
*All countries except the following:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Refund handling fee
Once you have started your studies at UM, the handling fee will be refunded to you (excl. bank costs). The refund of the handling fee (excl. bank costs) can only be transferred to a SEPA bank account.
Note: a refund is only made if you start your studies at UM in the academic year for which the handling fee was paid. If you are entitled to a refund of the handling fee, we will let you know by email and ask you for the necessary bank details (in October for students who start their studies in September, and in March for students who start their studies in February).