Utrecht vs. Maastricht?

I'm going to study abroad next year and am deciding between university college in utrect v university college in maastrict. it's hard to discern a huge difference academically between the websites, but i would love feedback about these cities or colleges. looking for a city that would be welcoming and interesting to spend time in for someone who enjoys the city life and nature.

Both town are large (Dutch standards). Both universities are well established.
Maastricht is a bit more isolated, being "so far' south, that it feels more Belgium than Dutch. there is a strong catholic influence in traditions ("mardi gras", good tasty food...) utrecht in definitely more "Dutch".
Utrecht is closer to amsterdam and the Dutch life. Masstricht is closer to Belgium, France and is more relaxed.
I prefer Maastricht (the town is beautiful and the atmosphere suits me better).
Good luck.

Stay in Utrecht, it is bigger than Maastricht.
The people in Holland treats very good students from another countries....

Utrecht is a bit bigger but both probably have about the same amount of "stuff to do". Utrecht is right in the center of the Netherlands with all three major cities less than an hour away by train. (Utrecht is #4, about 230.000 inhabitants, the fastest growing city in the country).

Maastricht has about half the population of Utrecht and is waaaaaay down in the south, it will take you hours to get to one of the large Dutch cities so an evening in Amsterdam is pretty much out. However, you are in a narrow strip of the Netherlands right in between Germany and Belgium and almost halfway to France. Maastricht is a very nice city with at least as much history as Utrecht.

If you like to go out in the country, I'd choose Maastricht, near the Ardennes in Belgium and the Eifel in Germany. If you like citylife/the beach, I'd choose Utrecht near Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam.

Both are pretty great (I went to college in both Utrecht and Maastricht). Utrecht is at the centre of the country, Maastricht at the very edge. Nature-wise, Maastricht wins. City wise it's Utrecht.

I don't think you can lose really.

I am from a small town just outside utrecht, and we have it all here, we are in the center of holland and so it's easy and quick to go to other places, we have the biggest train station here, nice metro city with nice restaurants, clubs and shops, you can get a second hand bike cause we dutch do everything by bike, take it for a ride , we have loads of lakes around utrecht, loads of forests as well, a trainride away from amsterdam and rotterdam for cultural visits and a quick train ride to the beach as well, really, utrecht is a great place to be at.

good luck with your study

I am a little biased as I studied abroad in Maastricht, but I think Maastricht is the way to go. As everyone says, it is farther away from some things, but it is not difficult to travel by train anywhere. Maastricht is a quaint, beautiful town with very nice people. Also, at the University most of the people attending are international students so you will meet a lot of people. You will not, however learn as much traditional Dutch culture. Maastricht is in the South, and since it is between Belgium and Germany they both influence the city. Maastricht also has a lot of ancient (being a Roman city) and recent (EU) history, so there is a lot to learn about the city. There are also caves to explore with ancient cave paintings! I hope this insight helps. If you go, head to The Shamrock for a drink!