NL Scholarship (Holland Scholarship) for Bachelor's Students

Recipients receive a one-off payment of €5,000 during the first year of their studies. This is explicitly not a full-tuition scholarship, but rather a meaningful contribution toward tuition or living costs that can make the difference in affordability for a bachelor's degree in the Netherlands, where non-EEA tuition fees are otherwise substantially higher than the domestic/EU rate.

For the 2026-2027 academic year, 11 research universities and 24 universities of applied sciences participate in the programme, including institutions such as Eindhoven University of Technology, Maastricht University, Utrecht University, VU Amsterdam, and Wageningen University & Research, giving applicants a wide choice of participating bachelor's programmes across virtually every discipline.

Applicants must hold non-EEA nationality, have applied for a full-time bachelor's (or master's) programme at one of the participating institutions, meet that institution's specific NL Scholarship eligibility criteria, and not already hold a degree from a Dutch educational institution. Applications for the 2026-2027 cycle opened November 1, 2025, with each participating university setting its own specific closing date.

Because the NL Scholarship is applied for directly through each participating institution rather than a single centralized portal, students should identify their target university and programme first, then check that institution's specific NL Scholarship page for exact deadlines, required documents, and any additional selection criteria (such as academic merit or a motivation statement).