Utrecht Excellence Scholarships – Faculty of Humanities

In times of globalisation of education and research and the internationalisation of the job market, it is important to create an international classroom within the Humanities’ studies. To achieve this, the Faculty of Humanities encourages excellent, international students to come and study in Utrecht.

But for many talented students outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) it is not financially possible to apply for a Master’s degree at Utrecht University. They cannot apply for a loan, do not have free access to the Dutch job market, and pay more tuition fees. To illustrate: studying a year at our faculty costs around 17,000 euros. The costs of living are not included in this amount. The Utrecht Excellence Scholarships were created to give those students the opportunity to study as well.

Contribute to a more international study climate

The arrival of young international talents to Utrecht helps the students themselves, but they also enrich the Faculty of Humanities in all respects and promotes an international study climate. Students need an international orientation in their study programme in order to fit into the complex, globalising job market.

By donating to this scholarship programme, you contribute to a brighter future for talented international students. Can we count on your help?

You can transfer your contribution to account number NL 40 ABNA 0428 040 470 indicating 'Friends GW-UES'. Or donate directly via Tikkie.

Help students like Rashmi, Pınar, Elena en Zeynep.

Rashmi Shetty from India, Research Master Religious Studies

"The UES Scholarship is the reason I could follow my passion to study religion"

“The UES-scholarship has allowed me to hone my skills to the best of my abilities. I grew up in a small coastal town in India, called Mangalore, which was rather notorious for religious conflicts. As a teenager, I idealistically decided that this is a problem I want to "solve". The RMA Religious Studies programme allows me to focus on religion as a 'lived experience' and understand contemporary theories and problems surrounding the phenomenon of religion, and potentially apply them to complex, real-world problems of religious co-existence and difference.”

Pınar Türer from Istanbul, Research Master Gender Studies

“Thanks to UES I met with others who had similar aspirations and who have supported me and challenged me with their brilliance”

"I aspired to pursue an academic career that would prioritize making an impact on the lives of those who experience social and economic injustices and violence, including women, LGBTQI+ people, people of color, ethnic minorities. Being able to become a student in the Gender Studies program allowed me to grow confident in, and even more passionate about the path I have drafted for myself. None of this would have been possible if I did not receive the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship and I will always be grateful for this opportunity. It pushed me to grow as a socially and politically aware and responsible person; it taught me so much about myself.”

Elena Savinova from Rusland, Research Master Linguistics

"I am very grateful to UES for the opportunity to grow professionally in the field I wish to connect my life with"

“During my bachelor’s in Fundamental and Computational Linguistics I developed a strong interest in psycholinguistics: the field that is concerned with psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, comprehend and produce language. Reading the key research papers written by Dutch linguists in this field, I dreamed about studying in the Netherlands myself. The Research Master's in Linguistics in Utrecht is an important step for my future academic career development and I am very grateful to UES for the opportunity to grow professionally in the field I wish to connect my life with. Without it, I would not have been able to pursue my dream.”

Zeynep Naz Inansal from Istanbul, Research Master Media, Art and Performance Studies

“I will be forever grateful for this opportunity that helped me grow as a person”

"After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television, I worked for three years in various positions in the film industry in Istanbul, Turkey. Having the dream of an academic career in mind, I was full of self-doubt, questioning every job I took and each decision I made. When I received the news that I got the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship, allowing me to pursue a Research Master’s degree in Media, Art and Performance Studies, everything fell into place. That was the day I stopped questioning my choices, as all of them have led me to this wonderful point. Thanks to this scholarship, I was able to develop my academic interests further, get out of my comfort zone, experiment with topics and theories that I never knew existed and work with brilliant people. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity that helped me grow as a person."