NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship)

The NL Scholarship is the national scholarship for non-EEA students who start a full-time bachelor’s or master’s programme at a participating Dutch research university or university of applied sciences. It is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science together with the institutions, and administered by Nuffic. It helps with living costs; it does not replace tuition fees.

You need a non-EEA nationality, an application for a full-time bachelor’s or master’s programme at a participating institution, and no earlier degree from a Dutch institution. You apply through the institution you are applying to, not centrally, and each institution sets its own closing date and extra criteria. As of October 2026 the Study in NL page says applications for the 2026–2027 academic year opened on 1 November 2025; check your institution’s page for the cycle you are targeting.

A one-time €5,000 contribution, paid in the first year of study

Apply for admission first, then follow the NL Scholarship instructions on your chosen institution’s website. Several institutions fold it into their own scholarship (for example the VU Fellowship Programme and the Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarship).