NL Scholarship

The NL Scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences. The scholarship is intended for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA = the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) who wish to study for a master’s degree in the Netherlands.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for an NL Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria: 

  • You must not hold an EU/EEA passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch study grant and loan system.
  • You must not be eligible for statutory tuition fees.
  • You must never have been enrolled at an educational institution in the Netherlands (if you only took part in an exchange programme in the Netherlands, this does not make you ineligible).
  • You must have applied for an international master’s programme at Utrecht University with a start date of 1 September 2026. Not all programmes participate. Please check the ‘Tuition fees and financial support’ information on the page of the master's programme you are interested in to see if the NL Scholarship is mentioned as a scholarship opportunity.

​​​​​​Scholarship amount

The available scholarship amounts are €5,000, €10,000 and €15,000. You will receive this in the first year of your studies, even if you are enrolled in a two year programme.

Deadline

Prospective students who wish to be considered for the scholarship must apply before 1 February 23:59 CET. The application portal will close at this time. Selection will only start after the deadline. We aim to publish the results by mid-April. 
Our application portal is open for an extended period, and we encourage you to submit your application early. By applying in advance, you allow enough time for your documents to be reviewed and, if necessary, to make corrections or add missing information.
Please note: If you submit your application between 27 January and 1 February, any incomplete or incorrect information cannot be updated or supplemented. We recommend submitting as soon as possible to ensure a smooth review process.
 

Selection criteria

Your application will be assessed based on the following criteria:

  • Academic background as demonstrated in your application for the master’s programme.
  • Your motivation, which should explain the relevance of your time in the Netherlands and at Utrecht University to your future goals.
  • The quality and feasibility of your financial plan. You must demonstrate that you can cover the remaining costs by filling out the  Statement of Financial Resources (pdf, 71 kB). Please note: The Statement of Financial Resources allows applicants to demonstrate how they plan to fund their studies at Utrecht University, as scholarships cover only part of the total costs. You may include personal savings or any other funding sources. Applicants are expected to show a realistic financial plan that covers the full nominal duration of the Master’s programme.

How to Apply

If you wish to apply for a NL Scholarship, please follow the steps below: 

  1. Submit an application for an NL Scholarship–eligible MA programme.
  2. Log in to your OSIRIS Online Application account.
  3. Under your dashboard, locate “NL Scholarship.”
  4. Click “View/Edit” for the NL Scholarship linked to your chosen programme.
  5. Locate the NL Scholarship application form.
  6. Answer all required questions and submit your application. 
 NL Scholarship Flyer (pdf, 221 kB)