The MENA Scholarship Programme (MSP) is a Dutch government scholarship that pays for working professionals to attend short courses in the Netherlands. It is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Shiraka programme and managed by Nuffic. It is not a degree scholarship, and it is not meant for students. If you are hunting for a funded master's, this is the wrong programme.
Pakistani readers should know one thing before reading further: Pakistan is not among the participating countries. The scheme is built for people living and working in selected Middle East and North African countries. That still makes it relevant to a specific group of readers, which we cover below. You can see the full scholarship details on our listing as well.
The MSP in one table
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Funding | Fully funded |
| Level | Short course (professional training, not a degree) |
| Host country | Netherlands |
| Funder and manager | Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, managed by Nuffic |
| Age range | 20 to 45 |
| Awards | About 20 per participating country each year, 50% reserved for women |
| Last listed round | Opened 1 April 2025, deadline 20 May 2025 (varies by institution) |
| Official site | Study in NL: MENA Scholarship Programme |
The dates above belong to the 2025 round. Treat them as a guide to the usual rhythm of the programme and confirm the current round's dates on the official portal before you plan anything.
Which countries the MSP is open to, and where that leaves Pakistanis
The participating countries listed are Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Syria and Tunisia. Sudan was excluded from the 2025 round.
The eligibility rule is phrased around where you live and work: applicants must be living and working in a participating MENA country. Plenty of Pakistani professionals work in Oman, for example. The source does not say whether nationality matters on top of residence, so if you are a Pakistani citizen based in one of these countries, check eligibility for your nationality directly with Nuffic or the Dutch institution before you put time into an application. If you live and work in Pakistan, you are not eligible, and you are better off looking at all Netherlands scholarships instead.
Why the 20 to 45 age band and the "working professional" rule decide everything
The MSP is aimed at what it calls young professional impact makers. That translates into hard requirements, and missing any one of them ends the application:
- You must be between 20 and 45 years old.
- You must hold at least a BSc-level degree or equivalent.
- You must have relevant working experience.
- You must work in a priority area that fits your country's approach.
- You must be proficient in English or French, depending on the course.
- Your employer must sign a statement with you.
- Civil servants in certain countries may also need a signed government statement.
The programme says plainly that applications from students will not be considered. Being enrolled in a degree and doing an internship on the side does not count. The whole design assumes you have a job and an organisation to go back to.
Priority themes: the filter most applicants underestimate
Each participating country has its own set of priority themes, and applications outside those themes are not eligible. The full list of fields across the programme is broad:
- Water management, coastal zone protection and maritime infrastructure
- Renewable energy, environment and waste management
- Agriculture and food processing
- Small and medium enterprise development, youth entrepreneurship, economic development and logistics
- Safety and security, rule of law, human rights and local governance
- Journalism
- Migration cooperation
The catch is that this is the combined list. Your country will only have some of these. A water engineer in one country may be inside the priority areas while a water engineer in another country is not. Check your own country's themes on the official site first, then pick a course, not the other way round.
What "fully funded" means for a short course
The MSP is described as fully funded. The listed coverage includes full tuition for the short course and full funding for the study programme in the Netherlands. Beyond money, it includes capacity building and professional development training, access to international alumni networks, and knowledge transfer opportunities for your home organisation.
The source does not break down individual items such as flights, accommodation or a daily allowance. Do not assume any specific item is included until you have read the current conditions on the official MSP page. Ask the Dutch institution as well, since they handle admission and will know what participants usually receive.
How competitive the MSP is
With roughly 20 awards per participating country per year, this is a small scheme. Half of the scholarships in each country are reserved for female applicants, which is meant to keep gender balance. For women in eligible fields this improves the odds somewhat. For men, it means competing for around half of an already small pool.
The programme also funds tailor-made training for groups of professionals or staff from a single organisation, designed together with Dutch knowledge providers. If several people in your organisation need the same training, ask your management whether a group request makes more sense than individual applications.
The paperwork you need to gather
The document list is short, but two items depend on other people, which is where delays happen:
- An employer statement, signed by both you and your employer.
- A government statement, if you are a civil servant in one of the countries where this applies.
- Academic admission documents from the Dutch institution.
- A motivation statement covering the priority themes and how you will transfer the knowledge to your organisation.
The government statement is the slowest piece. Obtaining one can take 4 to 8 weeks, so civil servants should start on it well before the round opens. For a general sense of how to organise scholarship paperwork, our documents checklist for international scholarships is a useful companion.
The two-stage application: institution first, Nuffic second
You do not apply to Nuffic directly at the start. The order matters:
- Contact the Dutch education institution running the course you want, and confirm its admission requirements and deadlines.
- Apply for academic admission directly through that institution.
- If you are admitted, the institution sends you a link to Nuffic's online application system.
- Submit the scholarship application through the Nuffic portal.
- Wait for the results, which are typically announced 3 to 4 months after the application round closes.
Step 3 is the one that catches people out. Without academic admission you never receive the link, so you cannot apply for the scholarship at all. If the institution is slow, your whole application is slow.
Why the 20 May date may not be your real deadline
In the 2025 round, the application window opened on 1 April 2025 and the general deadline was 20 May 2025. Some institutions set earlier internal deadlines, for example 6 May or 16 May. That gap exists because the institution needs time to process your admission and issue the Nuffic link before the scholarship round closes.
So your real deadline is whatever your chosen institution says, and it can be weeks before the headline date. Results then take 3 to 4 months, which means you should not plan time off work around a specific course date until you have the outcome.
Where applicants go wrong
From the way the programme is set up, a few mistakes are easy to predict:
- Picking an interesting course first and only later discovering its theme is not a priority for their country.
- Leaving the employer statement to the last week. Your employer has to sign it, and your manager may need to get approval from someone above them.
- Writing a motivation statement about personal career growth. The programme cares about how your organisation benefits when you return, so be concrete about what you will change or teach.
- Contacting the institution only after the round opens. Reach out before, and apply for admission as early as possible so the Nuffic link arrives in time.
- Applying while still a student, which is an automatic rejection.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for the MSP from Pakistan?
Not if you live and work in Pakistan. Applicants must be living and working in a participating MENA country, and Pakistan is not on that list. Pakistanis based in a participating country should check eligibility for their nationality with the official programme before applying.
Can students apply?
No. The programme is designed for working professionals, and applications from students will not be considered.
Is there an age limit?
Yes. Applicants must be 20 to 45 years old.
How many scholarships are given?
Approximately 20 per participating country each year, with 50% of each country's awards reserved for female applicants.
Is the MSP open to any field?
No. You must work in one of the priority areas defined for your home country. Applications outside those themes are not eligible.
When will I hear back?
Results are typically announced 3 to 4 months after the application round closes.
For current round dates, country themes and conditions, check the official MSP page on Study in NL and our full MENA Scholarship Programme listing.