Maastricht University

General information

• Location: Maastricht, the Netherlands. The university is spread over several locations in the city, and some programmes are also offered in Venlo.
• Founded: 1976 – a relatively young university, but with a very strong international orientation.
• Language of instruction: a large proportion of bachelor's programmes are taught entirely in English, which makes Maastricht particularly suitable for international students.
• Teaching model: Maastricht is known for Problem-Based Learning (PBL) – learning in small groups, working on practical cases and active student participation instead of mainly classical lectures.
• Main fields: Business & Economics, Data Science & AI, Computer Science, Engineering, Psychology, Medicine & Health, Law, European Studies, Social Sciences, Sustainability and Liberal Arts. The university offers around 27 bachelor's programmes in 6 faculties.
• Size: around 22,900 students, of whom approximately 61% are international, representing more than 120 nationalities.
• Length of a bachelor's degree: usually 3 years, 180 ECTS
• Fees for EU/EEA students: for the standard bachelor's programmes in 2027/28 the statutory tuition fee is €2,771 a year. Some small-scale intensive programmes such as University College Maastricht, the Maastricht Science Programme and Global Studies are more expensive – €4,595 for EU/EEA in 2027/28.

Deadlines

• 1 May – the usual deadline for EU/EEA applicants for most programmes; it depends on the specific programme
• 15 January – for numerus fixus programmes, which have a limited number of places

Applying: through Studielink, after which the documents are completed in Maastricht University's portal.

Requirements when applying from Bulgaria:

• the Bulgarian diploma is checked for equivalence to the Dutch VWO level;
• some programmes have additional requirements in mathematics, biology, chemistry or physics;
• for English-taught programmes the relevant level of English must be met.

Interesting English-taught bachelor's programmes

• International Business
• Economics and Business Economics
• Business Analytics
• Business Engineering
• Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science
• Circular Engineering
• European Studies
• European Law School
• Psychology
• Global Studies
• European Public Health
• Maastricht Science Programme
• University College Maastricht

Programmes – bachelor's

Computer Science

• Duration: 3 years, 6 semesters, 180 ECTS
• Location: Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht
• Start: in September
• Language: English
• Degree: Bachelor of Science (BSc)
• Fee for EU/EEA students: the standard statutory tuition fee is around €2,771 a year for 2027/28
• Deadline: for EU/EEA applicants the typical deadline is 1 May; applications go through Studielink

Requirements when applying from Bulgaria:

• a Bulgarian secondary school diploma assessed as equivalent to the Dutch VWO level;
• a sufficiently good background in mathematics;
• the university may ask for additional proof or an exam in mathematics if the diploma does not cover the required level.

Teaching: the programme uses the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model. That means less passive listening to lectures and more work in small groups, problem solving, practical projects and discussions.

Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

• Duration: 3 years, 6 semesters, 180 ECTS
• Location: Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht
• Start: only in September
• Language: entirely in English
• Degree: Bachelor of Science (BSc)
• Fee for EU/EEA students: for the 2027/28 academic year – €2,771 a year, provided the student qualifies for the statutory tuition fee
• Deadline: 1 May 2027, 23:59 CET for a September 2027 start. By that date both the application in Studielink and the required admission documents in MyApplication must have been submitted.

Requirements when applying from Bulgaria:

• the Bulgarian diploma must be assessed as equivalent to the Dutch VWO level;
• a sufficiently high level in mathematics, equivalent to Dutch VWO Mathematics B, is compulsory;
• if the mathematics in the diploma is not sufficient, the university may identify a mathematics deficiency, which must be cleared before enrolment;
• the English language requirements must also be met.

Psychology

• Duration: 3 years, 6 semesters, 180 ECTS
• Location: Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht
• Start: only in September
• Language: two separate versions – English and Dutch; you can apply for both at the same time
• Degree: Bachelor of Science (BSc)
• Fee for EU/EEA students: €2,771 a year for 2027/28
• Deadline: 15 January 2027, 23:59 CET for a September 2027 start. This earlier deadline is due to numerus fixus.

Requirements when applying from Bulgaria:

• the diploma must be recognised as equivalent to the Dutch VWO;
• the applicant must meet the English language requirements for the English track;
• there is no automatic admission even when the academic conditions are met, because there is a selection procedure.

Important: the bachelor's degree in Psychology on its own is not automatically enough to work as a clinical psychologist. The usual route is a subsequent master's degree.