Services for international & exchange students

At Maastricht University, we strive to create a welcoming atmosphere and to facilitate the rapid integration of the international members of our student community, whether they’re here for a full study programme or for a shorter time on an exchange.

We do this by offering support to international students both before and during their studies through social events, buddy programmes, introduction courses, etc. It’s important to us that every student from every country feels at home in Maastricht.

Services for prospective students

For the international students who live too far from Maastricht to come and get a feel for the city and the university, we want to provide as much information as we can about what it's like to live and study here. That's why we've created the following opportunities for them to talk to current international students and to get as much information as they can online:

  • Student Support: Prospective students can speak with current international or Dutch students who can tell them what it's like to study and live in Maastricht, help with the application process or answer questions about the study programmes.
  • Virtual Open Day: For international students who can't make it to Maastricht for an Open Day, the Virtual Open Day provides videos on all programmes and locations as well as various aspects of student life.
  • Virtual campus tour: Especially for prospective international students who can't see the buildings and facilities for themselves, we created a virtual tour.
  • Mymaastricht.nl: This website gives prospective and current students detailed information on living in Maastricht. It’s a joint initiative of UM, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and the Maastricht municipality.
     

Information events in your country

We take part in various international education fairs, so there are also opportunities to meet us in your own country. Have a look at the international fairs we participate in throughout the year. Come meet us and learn more about our programmes!

English information events in Maastricht

For the international students who are able to come to an Open Day or become a Student for a Day, we hold our information sessions in English for all of the programmes that are taught in English (which is the majority of our programmes). We also have a mix of both international and Dutch students available to answer questions.
 

Foundation Programme

Some international high school diplomas are not sufficient to qualify for direct admission to a Dutch bachelor’s programme. For students with one of these diplomas, we offer a one-year Foundation Programme that can help them qualify for the programme of their choice.

Maastricht University has signed the Dutch Code of Conduct with respect to international students, which guarantees a proper recruitment, selection and coaching of international students. 

Services for incoming students

We know that coming to a new city and university from abroad is not only exciting, but has its challenges as well. And we don’t want our international students to face those challenges alone. The International Student Support Office is dedicated to supporting them with the administrative and social issues involved in moving abroad. Once they're in Maastricht, students can also come to the office if they need help in person.

Some of our support services include:

  • Visa support: we help students with everything they need to get a visa and residence permit.
  • Scholarships and financial aid: there are scholarships and financial aid options for both regular and Erasmus+ exchange students.
  • Travel Instructions Service
  • International Student Welcome Day: new international students can meet other international students and staff in a relaxed, social atmosphere.
  • Student Ambassadors can help you choose a study programme and tell you more about student life in Maastricht.
  • International Student Ambassador Programme: new international students can register for a current student to be a ‘buddy’ who can guide them through their move to Maastricht and help them settle in.

     

  • Housing: students can search for a room from abroad at maastrichthousing.com. Through our own quality mark 'prettig wonen, we ensure that the accommodation offered adheres to safety and trustworthiness criteria. In addition, we offer fully furnished rooms at our UM Guesthouse.
  • Language support: if students would like to learn Dutch or another language, they can take language courses at the university’s Language Centre.
     

Pre-Academic Training

In addition to the many services we offer for international students, we also offer a Pre-Academic Training (PAT) for students who feel they need to refresh some of their mathematics, English or intercultural communication skills before they start their study programme. This gives students a ‘soft landing’ and gives them the best possible academic and social preparation for their studies. The PAT is organised in the last month of the summer vacation and finishes in time for students to join the university’s introduction week, INKOM.

 

Life of Brian Timeline - Student job

Student associations

A good way for international students to get to know people is to become a member of a student association. In Maastricht, there are not just social clubs but also a large number of study associations, sports clubs and clubs involving arts and culture. Each club has its own objectives, culture and activities. Many of them also focus on international activities or themes. The plans for an International Students Club – a multifunctional meeting place for international and internationally oriented students – are in full swing.

  Curious about what life is like in Maastricht? Visit our Life@UM pages

Services for exchange students

Incoming exchange students

Each year, more than a thousand exchange students come to Maastricht University for a study abroad period. Many of these exchange programmes are handled directly by the relevant faculty, but the Center for European Studies and Maastricht Summer school have open enrolment and short-stay programmes as well as a wide range of services and social events that help exchange students to integrate into life in Maastricht:  

  • Faculty exchange pages: Many of our exchange programmes are organised directly through the relevant faculty. As most of our degree programmes are offered in English, there are a wide variety of courses to choose from, making it easy for students to follow an exchange programme at one of our faculties.
  • Center for European Studies: The center has a number of open enrollment programmes as well as university-specific programmes.
  • Maastricht Summer School: MSS is a joint initiative of Maastricht University, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and Maastricht School of Management, which offers short courses during the summer months in a variety of fields and disciplines.
UM in the world

Outgoing exchange students

Many of our master’s and bachelor’s degrees have a required period of study or internship abroad. Other programmes often have room for a period abroad during an elective period. To support students who are going on an exchange, we offer a number of services:

  • International Relations Offices: Each faculty has an International Relations Office that will help students explore their options and make the necessary arrangements.
  • Language support: Students can take language courses at the university’s Language Centre to prepare for their stay abroad.
  • Scholarships for study and research abroad: We’ve compiled a list of scholarships that students can apply for when planning to study or conduct research abroad.

See where our School of Business & Economics students have gone, supported by the school's International Relations Office. 

Scholarships

UM in the world

Every academic year, more than 150 students pursue their studies at Maastricht University on a wide range of scholarships. We provide our prospective students with sufficient information about existing scholarships. We also continue to work to expand the number of scholarship agreements with our partners across the globe.

Also, for our UM students interested in a study or internship abroad, we offer a variety of scholarships and we actively encourage our students to make use of the existing opportunities.

Scholarships for incoming students

Various grants are available for international students who want to study in Maastricht. Examples of these scholarships are:

  • The UM NL High Potential scholarship:  This scholarship offers full scholarships to highly talented non-EU master students

     

  • UM faculty scholarships: These are offered by the six UM faculties for both bachelor's and master's students in their programmes.
  • In order to support refugee learners, the UM NL Euregion Refugee Scholarship programme offers 2 tuition waivers per academic year for talented refugee students from the Meuse-Rhine Euregion who have been admitted to a Master’s programme at UM.

At UM, we also facilitate a wide range of financial aid programmes in order to help our (prospective) students make well-informed decisions regarding their future. Note that we are one of the four Dutch institutions holding the U.S. Direct Loans (FAFSA) accreditation for students from the United States of America.

Please visit our Scholarships for incoming exchange students page for more information about these scholarships.

Scholarships for outgoing students

Students of Maastricht University who are interested in studying abroad have various options to apply for a scholarship. Two examples are:

  • Erasmus+ scholarship: This is intended for students in higher education who would like to study abroad for some time or do a traineeship abroad. This scholarship is available for students in all courses of study.
  • NL Scholarship: This scholarship is made available by the Dutch Ministry of Education Culture and Science together with Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences. It is meant for students who want to study, do research or an internship outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

Please visit our Scholarships for students going abroad page for more information about these scholarships.

Looking to the future: Encouraging international experience

International students

The mobility of our students is one of our key focus areas, particularly in collaboration with our international partner universities and networks. In many of our programmes, students are encouraged or even obliged to study abroad for a semester. But there are also other ways our students can gain international experience, and we plan to further explore and develop these options, including:

  • taking part in Research-Based Learning at a partner university (e.g. MaRBLe in the Worldwide Universities Network)
  • following an internship abroad
  • attending summer school or other short-term programmes offered by partner institutions all over the world 

In the coming years, more attention will also be paid to the concept of ‘virtual mobility’.