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MPP Scholarship

The MPP Scholarship is intended for students from non-EU countries who want to study the Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development, a unique programme that is a collaboration between the United Nations University and Maastricht University. This scholarship is awarded to one MPP student per year, and covers the non-EU institutional tuition fee of €16,600. There is no age restriction to apply for this scholarship.

Who is eligible?
Duration of the MPP Scholarship
Amount of the MPP Scholarship
Application procedure
Selection procedure

“There are many students with the will, passion, and capacity to become agents of positive change that need just one opportunity to exploit their potential. For me, the MPP Scholarship is that opportunity that passes on the enthusiasm to work toward making this world a better place.”

Lammert Petter Perez, MPP Scholarship recipient

Who is eligible?

All candidates must meet the following requirements:

  • Hold nationality in a country outside the EU/EEA, the UK and Switzerland and meet the requirements for obtaining an entry visa and residence permit for the Netherlands
  • Have not previously studied outside of your home country
  • Have been admitted to the Masters in Public Policy and Human Development at UNU-MERIT/Maastricht University (which requires the payment of a handling fee of €100 [excluding bank costs] - refunded to you once you have started your studies)
  • Have a Bachelor or pre-Master degree 

Duration of the MPP Scholarship

12 months (the duration of one academic year of the Master's in Public Policy and Human Development)

Amount of the MPP Scholarship

The MPP Scholarship for the academic year 2024/25 covers the tuition fee of € 16,600* (paid to the recipient by the UM International Services Desk).

*This amount is subject to change year-to-year

Application procedure

Step 1: Complete your application (including payment of the application handling fee) for the Public Policy and Human Development Master's programme before 1 February 2024

For further details on how to register for this master programme, please see the website of Public Policy and Human Development. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a student ID number for UM. You will need a student number in order to complete and submit the Scholarship Application Form.

  • Please note: it is possible to apply for the master's programme and the scholarship simultaneously. However, you must be conditionally approved for admission to the master programme in order to be awarded a scholarship.
  • You are responsible for paying the application handling fee (which is required to process your documents and will be refunded to you once you have started your studies) before 1 February 2024 to be considered for this scholarship.

Step 2: Fill in the application form before 15 February 2024, for which you need to log in with your UM account
You can find the application form (applications are closed) here . Upload the following documents in .doc,.docx or PDF format, and submit your application. Please note that you will only be able to submit your application once, so please ensure that all of your documents and referee contact details are up-to-date.

  • Curriculum Vitae
    Your CV should be up-to-date; contain relevant information about your education and (job) experience; include proven previous extracurricular engagement with your previous (academic) organisation/high school and active citizenship in your community; and should not be longer than two A4 pages.
  • Letter of motivation
    Please use the template for the motivation letter. This template will focus on your motivation for the scholarship.
  • Proof of academic excellence
    Continuous good to excellent results during your prior (high school) education programmes, as demonstrated by your latest grade transcript.
  • Personal statement of financial needs
    Please explain why you would benefit from being awarded a scholarship and describe your personal circumstances such as financial difficulty, sole parent/caretaking responsibilities, medical condition, disability, refugee status, etcetera.

Selection procedure

Step 1: The UM International Services Desk checks if all applications are complete after 15 February 2024.

Step 2: The UM Scholarship Office forwards your application to the Public Policy and Human Development admission office.

Step 3: The Public Policy and Human Development admission office - in cooperation with the respective programme coordinator(s) - ranks your application based on the UM scholarship selection criteria and proposes a top-5 to the Public Policy Scholarship selection committee in late February 2024.

Step 4: The Public Policy and Human Development Scholarship selection committee (composed of the Public Policy and Human Development academic programme coordinator, a representative of the UM Scholarship Office, the UNU-MERIT Alumni Office and Board of Examiners) invites the top-3 applicants for an online interview, following which a decision is taken. In case you are not selected, you will be added to a reserve list in case the selected candidate(s) decline(s) the scholarship.

Step 5: The UM International Services Desk will inform all candidates of their application status in March 2024. Your status will be selected, waitlisted or rejected by the end of March 2024 at the latest. Waitlisted application statuses will be changed to selected or rejected by April 2024.

Step 6: You must sign and return the award letter to the UM International Services Desk to accept the scholarship.