Holland Scholarship and Netherlands Funding

What the Holland Scholarship is

The Holland Scholarship — now also presented as the NL Scholarship — is a scholarship for international students who want to study in the Netherlands. It is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science together with a number of Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences.

It is a one-time grant intended to help with the costs of your first year of study. Importantly, it is not a full-tuition scholarship; it is a partial contribution, so you should plan your overall budget accordingly.

• Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education plus participating institutions
• A one-time grant for the first year of study
• A partial contribution — not a full-tuition scholarship

Who is eligible

The Holland Scholarship is aimed at international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who are applying to a full-time bachelor's or master's programme at a participating Dutch institution, and who do not already hold a degree from a Dutch institution.

Each participating university sets its own specific conditions, fields of study and selection criteria within the programme, so the precise rules depend on where you apply. Confirm the current eligibility on the official Study in NL pages and on your chosen institution's scholarship page.

How to apply — through your institution

You do not apply for the Holland Scholarship through a central national portal. Instead, you apply directly through your chosen Dutch institution, which administers the scholarship and sets its own deadline and requirements.

That means your first step is to apply for a place on a programme, then follow that institution's instructions for the Holland Scholarship. Because each participating research university and university of applied sciences has its own deadline and field-of-study rules, check those carefully and apply on time.

• Apply through your chosen Dutch institution, not a central portal
• Each institution sets its own deadline and field rules
• Apply for your programme first, then follow the scholarship instructions

Other funding routes in the Netherlands

The Holland Scholarship is only one option. Many Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences offer their own scholarships and grants, and there are other schemes — including the Erasmus Mundus joint-master's scholarships — that international students in the Netherlands may be able to use.

Funding for study in the Netherlands is decentralised, so the best approach is to search the official Study in NL scholarship finder and each institution's own scholarship pages to see what you qualify for. Do not assume one institution's offer is available at another.

Verify the details and stay safe

No scholarship is guaranteed, and you should never pay an agent or website a fee to "secure" the Holland Scholarship or any Dutch grant; awards are decided through the institutions' own official processes. Apply only via the official Study in NL pages and your institution's official website.

This page is general information, not personalised advice. Amounts, eligibility and deadlines change between intakes and differ by institution, so always confirm the current details on the official sources before you act.