Foundation Programme

The Foundation Programme is for motivated international students who want to do a bachelor’s programme at Maastricht University but still need to meet the admission requirements. The Foundation Programme will provide you with intensive training in academic skills, courses relevant to your chosen bachelor’s programme, and English language skills (depending on your level).

Outside of the classroom, the Foundation Programme offers support and organises events that will help you make new friends and adjust to life in the Netherlands. The yearlong training provides you with a unique international classroom experience specially designed for a bachelor’s at Maastricht University, the most international university in the Netherlands.

Fast facts

• Helps international students meet admission requirements for UM bachelor’s programmes
• In small scale groups using the Problem Based Learning method
• 1+3 years = a bachelor’s degree
• Full-time programme, taught in English
• Programme fees: € 14,000 or € 12,000 (depending on English entry level)
• Deadline: 1st of June

Preparation for studying and living abroad

The switch from high school to university education can be challenging - especially when you are planning to study abroad. To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in your study, you should prepare properly for this challenge. In the Foundation Programme, you will be able to familiarise yourself with a new culture and adjust to a new style of learning. The intensive education and training that you will receive during this programme will make you eligible for your chosen bachelor’s programme. It will help you be able to ‘hit the ground running’ and get the most out of your university education.

The one-year, full-time Foundation Programme consists of four parts:

• Content courses
• Academic skills training
• English language training
• Cultural and social events

Why the Foundation Programme?

There are many reasons to enroll in the Foundation Programme, such as familiarizing yourself with the culture and a new style of learning, to becoming eligible for the bachelor's programme of your choice. In addition, the Foundation Programme offers additional support to help you with some of the challenges that come with living abroad, for instance: applying for a visa, looking for housing and taking out insurance.

The Foundation Programme will help you get started

The switch from high school to university education can be challenging, especially when you are planning to study abroad. To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in your study, you should prepare properly for this challenge.

In the Foundation Programme, you will be able to familiarise yourself with a new culture and adjust to a new style of learning. It will help you be able to ‘hit the ground running’ and get the most out of your university education.

We will train and test you in a variety of ways to prepare you for the future bachelor’s exams, we will introduce basic academic study skills and we will do all of this in the Problem-based Learning system that characterises Maastricht University.

The Foundation Programme staff and mentors offer additional support with practical issues to help you settle in Maastricht. Before you arrive, we will apply for your visa (if you need one) and will provide you with information about housing options. Once you have arrived in Maastricht you will join our introduction period and we will assist you in all the things you need to know as a new international student in Maastricht.

Other practical matters, such as banking, transportation and insurance will be taken care of during the first week of the Foundation Programme with the support of the Foundation Programme staff.

The Foundation Programme trains you for the bachelor’s programme of your choice. Your particular study programme will vary depending on your entry level of English, your entry-level of mathematics and your chosen future bachelor's programme.

Once you have successfully passed the programme, you will be eligible for the Maastricht University bachelor’s programme we prepared you for.

Please note that some bachelor's programmes still require an additional application after graduating from the Foundation Programme. As part of the Foundation Programme, we will also assist you in this application procedure.

So far we have placed 100% of our graduates in the bachelor's programme of their choice.

Become eligible for a bachelor's programme

Successfully passing all parts of the Foundation Programme makes you eligible for the Maastricht University bachelor's programme you applied for.

All the Foundation Programme graduates were offered a place in the programme of their choice, even though some bachelor's programmes have an additional selection procedure and do not automatically place eligible students.

• 75% of all Foundation Programme students finished the programme successfully
• 100% of our graduates were accepted into a bachelor's programme

If a student should fail the Foundation Programme, we help them look for a suitable study alternative. We have been able to assist several students in finding an alternative study location after the Foundation Programme.

1+3 years = a bachelor's degree

Successfully passing the one-year Foundation Programme will make you eligible for a bachelor's study at UM. The bachelor's programmes last three years. This means you can obtain a bachelor's degree within four years. Master's programmes take one or two years additionally.

Your future

Successfully passing the one-year Foundation Programme will make you eligible for a bachelor's study at UM. A bachelor's programme at Maastricht University is a perfect setup for a master's programme or a career.

A preparatory programme designed for the following Maastricht University bachelor’s degrees

• Arts and Culture

• Digital Society

• European Studies

• European Law School

• Global Studies

• Economics and Business Economics

• European Public Health

• Maastricht Science Programme

• University College Venlo

• Business Analytics

• Data Science and Artifical Intelligence

• Econometrics and Operations Research

Are you looking forward to an exciting career in the Netherlands? After you have obtained a bachelor's or master's diploma from Maastricht University you will be eligible for an orientation year whereby your residence permit for the Netherlands is extended for a maximum of one year. You can use this orientation year to find a job in the Netherlands. Graduates who then find employment within this orientation year will be eligible for a residence permit.

Knowledge and skills are highly valued in the Netherlands and opportunities in fast-growing industries and academic institutions are waiting for you. Maastricht University alumni have among the highest employability ratings of all Dutch universities.