Selection procedure
You can apply between 1 October 2025 and 1 May 2026.
All applicants go through the same selection procedure, and all applicants are ranked together. Your ranking is determined by your performance, not by when you applied. Make sure to check our admission requirements before you apply.
Once you have independently completed the first phase of the selection procedure (see below), we will review your portfolio within a month. If you rank high enough, you will be invited to the following available Selection Friday for the phase 2. The selection consists of two phases:
Phase 1 – Online portfolio
After registering in Studielink - the standard platform for all Dutch universities - you’ll gain access to our online portal, where you can upload all required documents. You’ll complete a portfolio at your own pace, including:
- Your academic records from the past two years: your secondary education diploma and the full transcripts from your final two school years. If you have not yet received your diploma, submit your two most recent and complete transcripts instead.
- Certificates or evidence of relevant experience and skills.
- A self-reflection assignment.
- A short video in which you tell who you are and what motivates you to work in the hospitality sector and study at HMSM.
Based on the portfolio assessment*, approximately half of the applicants will be selected to participate in phase 2.
* We assess your portfolio by looking at the relevance and complexity of key subjects, your academic progress, and verified additional elements— such as hospitality work experience, time abroad, extra languages, and special achievements. Referrals and your motivation video also contribute to your overall portfolio score. More details will be available directly on the application portal.
Phase 2 - Selection Friday
Phase 2 will take place on the HMSM campus in Maastricht (or online in exceptional cases) and includes the following components:
- A test to assess your numeracy skills.
- A group assignment in which you work together on an innovative business challenge.
- An individual interview where you present the outcome of the business challenge, and reflect on it with the assessors. We also assess whether there's a good match between your motivation, potential, the study programme, and HMSM.
Based on the results of this phase, we create the final ranking.
Phase 2 selection dates:
2025: 21 November; 5 December; 19 December;
2026: 16 January; 6 February (additional dates will be communicated at a later stage)
Final ranking and admission
- If you are among the top 20% of applicants, you will receive a conditional offer within two weeks after Selection Friday.
- If you are among the next top 10% of applicants, you will receive notification of your conditional offer at the end of June. Conditional offers for the remaining applicants will be issued between June and September, depending on available places.
- Would you prefer to start in September? Then make sure you register on time, as this intake fills up quickly and is based on a first-come, first-served basis.
What are your chances?
Most of the applicants we admit have a number of key characteristics in common:
- They achieve good results at school, particularly in subjects such as mathematics, economics and/or hospitality-related subjects, and have an international mindset, including mastering at least a third language.
- They are usually strong in working with numbers.
- They have often already reported relevant experience, for example through a part-time job, internship or extracurricular activities.
- They demonstrate strong motivation: they can clearly articulate why they chose the Hotel Management programme at HMSM, how it aligns with their career goals in the hospitality sector, and how the study programme prepares them for the global industry.
These are some common examples, but we welcome diverse profiles as long as you meet the basic admission requirements.
Apply
Do you meet the admission requirements for our hotel school? And have you enrolled via Studielink? (note: Studielink will indicate that additional requirements apply to our study programme. This refers to the selection). Then you will receive an invitation for the selection procedure. We have two intake moments each academic year, one in September and one in February.
Deadline
For a start in September 2026 and February 2027, all candidates can apply between 1 October 2025 – 1 May 2026.
Important to know
- You can only participate in the selection process once per academic year (cohort). Admission is only valid for the following academic year. Therefore, only register if you can start our programme in that academic year.
- Did you fail your final high school exam? You will only be admitted to the programme if you pass your final exam. If you do not obtain your diploma, unfortunately, you will lose your right to admission. You can, however, reapply for the selection process the following year.
