The Netherlands offers a variety of scholarships to attract talented students from outside the EU/EEA. These include national programs funded by the Dutch government and universities, as well as university-specific scholarships for outstanding applicants. In general, key programs include the NL Scholarship (formerly the Holland Scholarship), country-focused schemes like the Orange Tulip Scholarship, and prestigious excellence awards at Dutch universities. Most awards target full-time Bachelor’s or Master’s studies and require non‑EEA nationality. Funding typically covers tuition (fully or partially) and sometimes a stipend, but rarely full living expenses. Below we summarize the main scholarship types, detailing purpose, eligibility, coverage and any restrictions for each.

1. National/Government-Sponsored Scholarships

• NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship) – A joint initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Education and participating Dutch universities. Aimed at attracting talented non‑EEA students to Dutch Bachelor’s or Master’s programsstudyinnl.orgeur.nl. The NL Scholarship awards a one‑time grant of €5,000 in the first year (additional to, not in lieu of, tuition)studyinnl.org. Eligibility: you must be a non‑EEA national, applying to a full-time Bachelor’s or Master’s program at a participating Dutch university or university of applied sciences, and you must not already hold a Dutch degreestudyinnl.orgeur.nl. (Each institution may set additional criteria and select recipients based on merit.) The scholarship is not a full-tuition award; it provides only the €5k grant. Applicants should check the specific deadlines and requirements at each university, as institutions vary in how they allocate these fundsstudyinnl.orgeur.nl.

• Orange Tulip Scholarship (OTS) – An international scholarship framework managed by Nuffic (the Dutch internationalization agency). OTS is offered in partnership with Dutch universities, companies and governments, targeting students from certain emerging-market countries (so-called “Neso” countries such as Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Vietnam, etc.)en.wikipedia.org. Universities customize OTS awards by country or field to encourage study in areas of demand. Eligibility is country-specific, but generally applicants must be non‑EEA nationals from an eligible country, have outstanding academic records, and be admitted to a full-time Dutch Bachelor’s or Master’s programen.wikipedia.orguniplusglobal.com. Coverage: OTS typically covers part of the tuition fee onlyuniplusglobal.com. Importantly, living costs, travel and visa expenses are not covereduniplusglobal.com. (The exact award amount varies by scholarship provider – for example, OTS scholarships for India often award a few thousand euros toward tuition.) Students apply through the Dutch institution (or local Nuffic Neso office) once admitted.

2. Major University-Specific Scholarships

Many Dutch universities offer their own merit-based awards for international applicants. Below are some prominent examples (all target non‑EU/EEA students and require admission before applying):

• Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS) – University of Amsterdam (UvA). A merit scholarship for outstanding non‑EU/EEA students admitted to a UvA Master’s program. Purpose: attract top international talent to UvA. Eligibility: Non-EEA nationality; excellent academic record (typically top of class); conditional admission to a regular UvA Master’s (many fields)mastersportal.com. Scholarship covers full tuition plus a €5,000 stipend for the first yearmastersportal.com. (In practice, UvA announces specific award levels by faculty – e.g. in 2025–26 the Law Faculty offered one AMS of €22,500mastersportal.commastersportal.com.) The AMS is competitive and limited in number. Restrictions: Cannot hold another full scholarship; usually awarded for one year only (with possible renewal conditions).

• Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS) – Leiden University. Designed for top-ranked non‑EEA students entering Leiden Master’s programs (excluding humanities and certain law tracks)universiteitleiden.nl. Purpose: draw highly capable students in science, medicine, social sciences, law, etc. Eligibility: Non‑EEA/EFTA citizenship; applied and admitted to an eligible Leiden Master’s (September intake); outstanding academic record (typically top ~10% of your class)universiteitleiden.nl. Coverage: Partial tuition scholarships in five tiers – €10,000, €15,000, €17,500, €18,500 or €19,000 toward tuition costuniversiteitleiden.nl. The award is not full tuition; recipients must still cover remaining fees and living expenses. LExS may be renewed for a second year if applicable, but each student can only hold one full scholarship. Exclusions: Not available to students already holding a Leiden Master’s (with limited exceptions) or to those entering excluded programs (e.g. humanities, LLM law except advanced, etc.)universiteitleiden.nluniversiteitleiden.nl. (Applicants must apply by early-February for the September intake.)

• Justus & Louise van Effen Excellence Scholarships – TU Delft. A flagship scholarship at Delft University of Technology for outstanding international MSc applicants. Eligibility: Excellent applicants admitted to a 2-year regular (non-joint) TU Delft Master’s program (engineering, tech and science fields). Candidates are typically non-Dutch with a top GPA (e.g. top 10% of class)scholarshipsfuture.com. Coverage: Full tuition fee waiver plus a generous living stipend. For non‑EU/EFTA students this stipend is about €30,000 per yearscholarshipsfuture.com (for EU/EFTA students it is roughly €11,500/year). In total, scholars receive the tuition waiver and ~€60k over two years for non-EU/EFTA. (The award also grants access to a scholarship network and support activities.) The scholarship cannot be combined with certain other scholarships and is not open to joint-degree or short programsscholarshipsfuture.comscholarshipsfuture.com. Up to a fixed number are awarded each year (varying by faculty).

• Erasmus University NL Scholarship – Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). Part of the national NL Scholarship scheme, this award is co-funded by EUR and the Dutch governmenteur.nl. Eligibility: Same as NL Scholarship (non‑EEA nationality, full-time Bachelor’s or Master’s at EUR); excellence criterion (each faculty selects top applicants)eur.nl. Coverage: A one-time grant of €5,000, €10,000 or €15,000 given in the first yeareur.nl. (Exact amount is decided by the faculty based on merit.) This is a partial scholarship – it does not pay tuition in full, but helps toward fees. A student may only receive it once, and cannot hold multiple full scholarships concurrentlyeur.nleur.nl.

• University of Groningen Talent Grants – University of Groningen (RUG). Various Talent Grants are offered for select Master’s programs (often 1-year tracks) to outstanding non‑EU/EEA students. For example, RUG’s Theology faculty funds a Talent Grant for its 1-year M.A. in Theology & Religious Studies. Eligibility (for the Theology grant): Non-EU/EEA nationality, admitted to one of the specific Theology MA tracks; excellent bachelor’s grades; and not already holding a Dutch Master’srug.nl. Coverage: These grants typically provide a fixed sum toward tuition or living costs. In the example Theology grant, the award is €5,000 for the one-year programrug.nl. (It is paid in installments and recipients must still cover the rest of fees and living expenses.) Talent Grants are funded by individual faculties and have their own application processes (usually applied for after admission to the program). Other faculties at Groningen may offer similar grants (e.g. partial scholarships in law or energy studies), so students should check RUG’s scholarship pages for their field.

• Utrecht Excellence Scholarship (UES) – Utrecht University. A competitive scholarship for top international Master’s students at Utrecht. Eligibility: Non‑EU/EEA students (including UK post-Brexit) who rank among the top 10% of their graduating class and who apply for an eligible UU Master’s program starting in Septemberuu.nl. Students must have completed their prior education outside the Netherlands. Coverage: The UES can cover either the full tuition fee, or full tuition plus a living stipend (equal to the IND-defined required income for one year)uu.nl. In practice, some recipients get tuition only, while others receive an additional allowance for living costs in the first year. UES scholarships are renewable for a second year of a two-year Master’s program. (Note: due to budget constraints, Utrecht announced that no new UES awards will be offered for programs starting in the 2026–2027 academic yearuu.nl.)

Each of these scholarships has specific deadlines (typically in late autumn or winter for the following academic year) and requires a separate application or indication of interest. Applicants should consult the official scholarship webpages and admissions offices of each university well in advance. In all cases, recipients must demonstrate both academic excellence and meet the nationality and program criteria. Some awards (especially national ones like the NL Scholarship) cannot be combined with other full scholarships, and many only cover one year of study. Always check for cycle information – for example, the NL Scholarship is renewed annually (2025–26 applications are now openstudyinnl.org), whereas Utrecht’s UES will not accept new applications for the 2026–27 intake