First-Generation Fund

• Students whose parents did not go to university and are studying at Utrecht University can apply for a grant. According to the criteria, you are then considered a first-generation student.
• You can apply for a contribution for various types of assistance, such as a laptop, training in teaching skills, or study or research stays abroad.
• You can only apply for a one-off financial contribution for a specific educational purpose, such as an internship, course, workshop or exchange programme. The First Generation Fund does not provide contributions towards tuition fees or other structural costs.
• You can submit your application via the Utrecht University Fund's grant portal.

Ensure you have the following documents ready before submitting an application in the portal. 

1. Proof of enrolment at UU this academic year
2. A good motivation letter, which at least describes the answer to the following questions:
   1. What do you need the support for and why can't you finance this yourself?
   2. You are the first person in your family to go to university. What challenges and opportunities do you face?
   3. What would help you as a first-generation student during the course of your study?
3. In your letter, please also clearly answer the following two questions:
   1. In some cases, we want to get advice from the student deans on official UU and government (DUO) regulations. In that case, we would like to share the file with them. Do you give permission for this?
   2. Are you interested to participate in University Pioneers, yes/no?
4. A budget that explains the amount you contribute yourself or obtain in another way and what budget you apply for from the First Generation Fund. A budget consists of a column of income and a column of costs. Make sure both of these are as complete as possible. Download a sample budget for an internship or semester abroad (for now only in Dutch available).

You can apply for this fund three times a year.

• Round 1: 12 January - 6 February 2026
• Round 3: 13 April - 9 May 2026
• Round 5: 14 September - 9 October 2026

Submit your application via the application portal.

The Boschuysen Foundation has made high-quality, refurbished laptops available to the First Generation Fund for first-generation students at Utrecht University. Would you like to apply for a contribution towards a new laptop? Then do not do so via the application portal as described below, but send an email to ufonds@uu.nl. Your application will be treated confidentially. Do include a motivation letter and proof of enrolment at UU.

The steering committee of the First Generation Fund and student counsellors at Utrecht University will advise on the assessment of the applications. For example, they will check whether there are other arrangements you could use and whether the university already has other requests for support. Applications are processed on a quarterly basis. The aim is to decide on submitted applications within one to three months of receipt.

In case you are awarded a grant, we will ask whether you:

• Are open to share (anonymously) an experience as a first generation student (how did you experience studying so far?) and tell about the purchase (why you needed it and what it brought you). You may express this in max 5 sentences;
• Provide proof of purchase.