Applicants for this master’s programme must first fill in an application via Studielink, the online application tool for higher education in the Netherlands. After that you can apply directly to Maastricht University via the My UM portal.

Apply via Studielink

PLEASE NOTE: all students with a registered address in the Netherlands and a current Citizen Service Number (BSN) must have their own DigiD code in order to log on to Studielink.

To request an enrolment in Studielink, please take the following steps:

1. Apply for an account in Studielink. You will receive an email with your Studielink login details within minutes.
   
2. Login to Studielink, set a personal password, enter your personal data and select ‘new enrolment application’.
3. Select first the university and then the programme of your choice.
   
4. In the following steps you will need to fill in:
   • Diploma or diplomas which you have obtained or will obtain
   • Payment information such as bank account number from which your tuition fees will be paid. This information can only be changed via the university and not in Studielink so please give a bank account only when you are sure it will be used to pay the fees. If you are not sure, you can supply this information later. However, be careful not to forget it as it is essential for processing your payments and therefore your registration.
5. Finish by clicking ‘Send my enrolment application’.

Note: If you have entered an address in the Netherlands, Studielink will check this address against the Dutch municipal personal records database. If it matches, Studielink will send you a ‘verification code’ by post. Non-Dutch students will automatically be mailed the verification code. You have to submit this code in Studielink. It takes at least 5-7 working days before you receive this letter. However, you do not have to wait for it to continue the application procedure.

Apply and register via the My UM portal

Once you have submitted your application via Studielink, you will receive an email from Maastricht University containing login details for the My UM portal, where you can finish the application process. Please use Internet Explorer to fill in the application.

Make sure that you complete the application procedure once you have started it!
When you apply via Studielink but wait too long to send in the requested documents, your application will be put on hold, causing a delay in the procedure and some effort to solve it. If this nevertheless happens, contact the Student Service Centre via study@maastrichtuniversity.nl to have your application re-opened.

1. Go to the My UM portal and upload the required documents
2. Maastricht University will assess your application and make a decision.
   
3. You will receive an email to inform you if you are either admitted, conditionally admitted (e.g. when a document is still missing) or not admitted.
4. If you are admitted or conditionally admitted, you will receive the invoice of the tuition fees, also by email. Finish your registration by returning the signed invoice. You can either send it by post (Maastricht University, SSC-Registration Office, PO Box 616, 2100 MD Maastricht), or hand it in at the desk in the Visitors’ Centre. Please make sure that you have also entered the payment details in Studielink or your payment cannot be processed!

More information

For question about how to apply via Studielink, please consult the Studielink website

If you have other questions regarding the application process, you can send an email to: study@maastrichtuniversity.nl

The required documents for your application that can be uploaded via My UM are:

• a recent copy of your CV
• a copy of your passport
• a passport-size picture
• proof of proficiency in English (IELTS / TOEFL)
• two letters of reference, from current or former professors and/or employers
• copies of your degree(s) and lists of grades (If necessary translated in English by an official translation agency)
• a motivation letter which explains why you chose this programme and which convinces the Board of Admissions that you will complete the programme successfully
• a 400-word digital essay (in MS Word) on the topic that matches the specialization you would like to follow:
  • Social Policy Design and Financing: What is, in your opinion, the most important challenge for social protection policy in your country in the next five years?
  • Migration Studies: In your opinion, what are the key factors that governments should take into account when forming their immigration policy?
  • Trade and Developement Law: The WTO plays a central role in shaping trade at the international level. Whose interests does the WTO serve, and does it do so effectively?
  • Risk and Vulnerability: The news frequently report on natural and man-made hazards. What should the role of the government of your country be in dealing with such events?
  • Regional Integration and Multi-Level Governance: In many world regions, there is a growing practice of sharing competences between different levels of government (sub-national, national, regional, international). What challenges and opportunities does this present for your home country?
  • Institutions, Innovation and Development: Clusters such as Silicon Valley have often been identified as drivers of growth. What role should governments play in the stimulation of such clusters?

The certified copies of your degree(s) and grades and your original letters of recommendation will need to be sent to our postal address in addition to being uploaded digitally:

Maastricht University
Maastricht Graduate School of Governance
Attention: Admissions
P.O. Box 616
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands

The reference letters must be sent to us either as an original hardcopy by mail, or alternatively, they can be sent directly by your former or current professors/employers via email to info-governance@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Application deadlines

• Students who require a visa: 15 June every year
• Students who do not require a visa: 15 July every year

 The Visa Office wll assist you with your visa requirements.

The programme starts in September.