Utrecht Excellence Scholarships

In brief

Aim of the programme

The Utrecht Excellence Scholarship offers a number of highly talented prospective students the opportunity to pursue a degree in a selected number of fields at Utrecht University:
International bachelor’s programmes:

• Economics and Business Economics
• Global Sustainability Science
• Liberal Arts and Sciences at University College Utrecht (different procedures apply to UCU applicants, please see the University College Utrecht website)
• Philosophy, Politics and Economics (different procedures apply to PPE applicants, please see Philosophy, Politics and Economics website more information)

The scholarship programme is highly selective: only candidates who show the highest achievement and promise are eligible for a scholarship.

Duration and number of scholarships

Selected students will receive a scholarship for the duration of the degree programme. This is a maximum of three years for bachelor’s degrees. Approximately nine scholarships are awarded each year (approximately two for the bachelor’s in Economics and Business Economics, one for Global Sustainability Science, one for Philosophy, Politics and Economics and five for Liberal Arts and Sciences at University College Utrecht). The scholarship will only be renewed for the second (and third) year if the student makes satisfactory progress towards the degree. More information about study progress monitoring. 

Scholarship amount

Selected students will be awarded a scholarship ranging from €5,000 to €17,000 (depending on the programme) per year. However, students should be aware that the grant is not necessarily a full scholarship and that it may be necessary to find additional funding to fully finance their study and living costs. As one of the requirements to be granted a residence permit for the Netherlands, students from abroad must prove to the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) that they have sufficient financial means in addition to the tuition fee.

Eligibility criteria

The applicant must meet the eligibility criteria to be considered for this scholarship. The applicant should:

• not hold a Dutch or EU/EEA passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch study grant and loan system.
• possess a non-Dutch secondary school certificate.
• have been admitted to the bachelor’s programme in Economics and Business Economics, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Global Sustainability Science or to University College Utrecht.
• hold a relevant secondary school qualification certificate (for a bachelor’s programme) or equivalent.
• be able to comply with the conditions that must be met to obtain a Dutch visa.

Failure to meet one or more of these criteria automatically means the student is not eligible for this scholarship.

Selection criteria

Eligible candidates will be selected for a scholarship based on the following criteria:

• Their academic excellence and promise in the proposed field of study.
• Their academic quality and results of their previous education, as evidenced by grades and test scores etc.
• The quality of the application itself (completeness, accuracy, consistency).

Application

After submitting an application (or applications) for a UES eligible bachelor’s programme before the stated deadline, non-EU/EEA students will have the opportunity to submit an application for one Utrecht Excellence Scholarship from 1 November 2023. You will see the UES application(s) in your OSIRIS Online Application account dashboard. Click view/edit for the UES linked (related process) to the programme you wish to apply for, upload the personal statement form, answer the questions and submit the application. The selected candidates will be offered an Utrecht Excellence Scholarship at the latest in May.
Please note that students starting their programme in February are not eligible for the Utrecht Excellence Scholarships.

Deadline

While it is not possible to apply for the scholarship, the selection committees review the application files for possible nominees. Prospective bachelor’s students in Economics and Business Economics, Global Sustainability Science and Philosophy, Politics and Economics who wish to be considered for the scholarship should apply for admission before 1 February 23:59 CET. Different procedures apply for Liberal Arts and Sciences at University College Utrecht. Please see the University College Utrecht website for information about applying.

Funding

The funds for the scholarships come from the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship Fund, established by Utrecht University, and contributions from Utrecht University alumni.