TU Delft Excellence Scholarships are a group of awards, not one single scholarship. Delft University of Technology runs several excellence and faculty-specific schemes for international students starting a Master of Science (MSc) there, and the money comes in the same basic shape: a full tuition fee waiver plus a contribution toward living expenses. If you are a Pakistani engineering, physics or computing graduate with strong marks, this is one of the few routes into a top technical MSc in Europe where the tuition bill can disappear entirely. You can see the full scholarship details on our listing before reading on.
The catch is the timing. The scholarship application rides on top of your MSc application and has to be complete on the same day. Most students who lose out do so because they treat it as something to sort out after admission. It does not work that way at Delft.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Level | Master's (2-year regular MSc programmes) |
| Funding | Full tuition fee waiver plus a contribution toward living expenses |
| Minimum GPA | 80 percent or higher of the scale maximum in your bachelor's |
| Last listed deadline | 1 December 2025 (confirm the current cycle on the official site) |
| Opening date | Varies, confirm on the official site |
| Official site | TU Delft scholarships page |
Several schemes under one name
Delft uses these scholarships to attract talented, motivated international students into its MSc programmes. Alongside the general excellence awards, some departments run their own tracks. The two named examples are QuTech, the quantum research department, and the Microelectronics department. These target students with excellent academic records who want to work in fields such as quantum technology or electrical engineering.
The fields linked to these scholarships are:
- Quantum Information Science and Technology
- Applied Physics
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Embedded Systems
- Microelectronics
My honest read: this suits a student who already knows which Delft MSc they want and whose bachelor's record is near the top of the class. If you are still choosing between five countries and three disciplines, you will struggle to prepare a focused application in time. Before you apply, check whether your chosen MSc has its own specific scholarship track, because that decides which scheme you are actually competing in.
What full tuition and a living contribution mean in practice
Successful candidates get their tuition fees covered in full, based on statutory or institutional rates, for each year of the MSc. On top of that comes a contribution toward living expenses for the two years of the programme.
Read the word "contribution" carefully. The source describes the award as fully funded, but the living expense part is described as a contribution, and no fixed monthly amount is given. Do not assume it will cover all of your rent, food and insurance in the Netherlands. Plan for the possibility that you will need some of your own funds, and check the exact amount for your scheme on the official TU Delft scholarships page. If you are preparing a visa file, our guide to bank statements and proof of funds explains how Pakistani students usually document the gap.
Some extras come with certain tracks:
- The chance to do your MSc project inside one of the university's leading research departments.
- Access to specialised research roadmaps in quantum computing.
- At QuTech, a potential offer of a PhD position for students who score a 9 (90%) or higher on their MSc thesis project.
That last point is a genuine attraction for anyone aiming at a research career. Note the wording, though: it is a potential PhD position, tied to a very high thesis grade. Treat it as a door that may open, not a promise.
The 80 percent GPA bar and the other conditions
To be considered you must:
- Be an international student.
- Be admitted, or conditionally admitted, to a 2-year regular TU Delft MSc programme.
- Have a cumulative GPA of 80 percent or higher of the scale maximum in your bachelor's degree.
- Not be receiving any other scholarship at the same time.
- Submit all scholarship documents at the same time as your MSc application.
Pakistani applicants fall under the international student category, so nationality alone does not shut you out. Still, read the rules of the specific faculty track you are targeting, since each scheme is run separately.
The GPA rule is where many Pakistani students need to do some arithmetic. The threshold is 80 percent of the maximum on your own grading scale, whether your university uses CGPA or percentages. Confirm how Delft reads your particular transcript rather than relying on a rough conversion of your own. If you are close to the line, be realistic: the selection is highly competitive, and meeting the minimum does not mean you are a strong candidate.
The source also says preference is often given to external students and to underrepresented groups in science and engineering. "External" here means students who did not take their bachelor's at TU Delft, which works in favour of applicants from Pakistan.
The "no other scholarship" rule matters too. If you are holding another award, or planning to accept one, you need to sort out which one you will actually take before you commit.
Four documents, one upload
The document list is short:
- The Scholarship Application Form.
- Two reference letters.
- An English language certificate (required for non-EU/EFTA students, so Pakistani applicants should expect to need one).
- Your MSc application documents.
The short list is misleading, because everything has to land together. No additional documents can be uploaded after submission. If one reference letter is late, or your English test result is not back yet, you cannot top up the file later. For general preparation of transcripts and degree copies, our documents checklist for international scholarships covers the paperwork Pakistani students usually gather.
Reference letters can be handled in two ways. You can upload them yourself as a PDF during the application, or you can request them from your referees through the portal's automated invitation system. The invitation route is usually the better choice, because the request goes straight to your referees, but only if you send it early enough for busy professors to reply.
Applying through the MSc portal
There is no separate scholarship portal. The process runs like this:
- Complete your MSc application through the TU Delft portal.
- Upload the completed Scholarship Application Form.
- Upload your two reference letters, or request them from referees through the automated invitation system.
- Upload your English language certificate if it is required.
- Submit everything at once before the deadline.
The university reviews your MSc application first. Only once you are admitted are you considered for a scholarship. So a weak MSc application sinks the scholarship too, however good your scholarship form is.
Why the first deadline is the only one that counts
The most recent listed deadline was 1 December 2025, and the opening date for each cycle varies. Confirm the exact dates for the next intake on the official portal rather than assuming they repeat each year.
Delft's own guidance is that the first deadline is leading. If you miss it, your scholarship application will not be considered, even if the MSc programme itself still accepts applications later. Do not wait for an admission decision before sending scholarship documents. They go in with the MSc application or not at all.
Results come out at different times depending on the scheme. For the last cycle, the listed notification windows were:
- QuTech (Applied Sciences): mid-March to early June 2026.
- QuTech (EEMCS) and Microelectronics: April 2026.
That is a long wait. If your plans depend on this funding, keep a backup option alive until you hear back.
Where Pakistani applicants usually slip
Most rejections in schemes like this come from avoidable process errors, not weak candidates. Watch for these:
- Leaving the English test too late. If the certificate is not ready when you submit, you cannot add it afterwards.
- Asking referees in the final week. Send the portal invitations early and follow up politely.
- Applying with a GPA just under 80 percent and hoping it will be overlooked. It is a stated requirement.
- Ignoring the faculty-specific tracks. A student aiming at quantum or microelectronics should check whether a QuTech or Microelectronics scheme applies to their programme.
- Submitting the MSc application first and planning to add the scholarship form later. That option does not exist.
If you are new to applying abroad, our scholarships guide for Pakistani students gives a wider view of how to plan a cycle, and you can compare this award with all Netherlands scholarships we cover.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TU Delft Excellence Scholarship fully funded?
It covers full tuition and gives a contribution toward living expenses for two years. Because the living part is a contribution with no fixed amount stated, check the exact figure for your scheme on the official site and plan for extra costs.
Can Pakistani students apply?
Yes. The scholarships are for international students admitted or conditionally admitted to a 2-year regular TU Delft MSc. Check the rules of the specific faculty track you are targeting.
What happens if I miss the scholarship deadline?
Your scholarship application will not be considered. The first deadline is the one that matters, even if MSc admissions stay open longer.
Can I send scholarship documents after my MSc application?
No. All scholarship documents must be submitted at once with your MSc application, and nothing extra can be uploaded after submission.
How do reference letters work?
You need two. Upload them as PDFs during your application, or request them from referees through the portal's invitation system.
Does the scholarship lead to a PhD?
Not automatically. At QuTech, students who score a 9 (90%) or higher on their MSc thesis may be offered a PhD position.
Before you apply, check the current dates and rules on the official TU Delft scholarships page and review the full scholarship details on our listing.