NL Scholarship (Formerly Holland Scholarship): Complete Guide

Updated: August 23, 2026 | Reading time: 5 min | Written by: StudyTribune Team

The scholarship formerly known as the “Holland Scholarship” is now officially called the NL Scholarship — same programme, same funding, just a rebrand you should know about before you search for the wrong name. Funded jointly by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and participating Dutch universities, it provides a genuinely accessible first-year grant for non-EEA students starting a Bachelor’s or Master’s in the Netherlands.

What Is the NL Scholarship (Formerly Holland Scholarship)?

The NL Scholarship is a one-time award for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who are starting a full-time Bachelor’s or Master’s degree at a participating Dutch research university or university of applied sciences. It’s funded jointly by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science alongside the participating institutions themselves — which is why coverage, exact amounts, and deadlines vary by university rather than following one single national standard.

Eligibility

• Non-EEA nationality — EU/EEA nationals, Swiss nationals, and (specifically) Surinamese nationals are not eligible
• Applying for a full-time Bachelor’s or Master’s programme at a participating Dutch institution
• Must not already hold a degree from a Dutch educational institution
• Meeting the specific admission and language requirements of your chosen programme, which vary by institution

What It Covers

• A one-time grant of €5,000 during your first year of study — at most participating institutions
• Some universities offer higher tiers: Utrecht University, for example, has offered €5,000, €10,000, or €15,000 depending on the specific scholarship tier within its NL Scholarship allocation
• The grant applies only to your first year — you’ll need separate funding for subsequent years
• Cannot be combined with other Dutch government-funded scholarships or tuition fee waivers, though it may be combinable with university-specific scholarships or external funding depending on your institution’s own policy

Which Universities Participate

Multiple major Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences take part, including the University of Amsterdam, TU Delft, Leiden University, and Erasmus University Rotterdam, among many others. The full list of participating institutions changes slightly each cycle, so confirm the current list directly on the official Study in NL (Nuffic) website before finalizing your university choice.

Key Dates

Applications for the 2026-27 intake opened November 1, 2025. There’s no single national deadline — each participating university sets its own, typically falling somewhere between February 1 and May 1 for a given cycle. If you’re reading this after May 2026, that cycle’s deadlines have largely passed; based on this pattern, expect the next intake to open around November 2026, though you should confirm your specific target university’s exact date directly rather than assuming a repeat.

How to Apply: Step by Step

1. Choose your target Dutch university and confirm it participates in the NL Scholarship for your intended programme.
2. Apply for admission to your chosen Bachelor’s or Master’s programme first — the scholarship application is generally submitted through, or alongside, your university admission application, not as a fully separate national process.
3. Check your specific university’s NL Scholarship page for its exact deadline, required documents, and whether a separate motivation statement is needed.
4. Prepare your documents — valid passport or national ID proving non-EEA nationality, certified academic transcripts and diplomas, a motivation letter (required by some universities specifically for the scholarship), and proof of meeting your programme’s language requirements.
5. Submit before your university’s specific deadline. Since these vary by institution, track each one individually if you’re applying to more than one Dutch university.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Searching only for “Holland Scholarship” and missing current information under its new name. Both terms refer to the same programme, but the official name is now NL Scholarship — search both to make sure you’re seeing current information.
• Assuming there’s one national deadline. There isn’t — each participating university sets its own, and missing your specific institution’s date means missing this scholarship for that cycle.
• Expecting it to cover more than your first year. It’s explicitly a one-time, first-year-only grant — plan your funding for subsequent years separately.
• Assuming it stacks with other Dutch government funding. It cannot be combined with other Dutch government-funded scholarships or fee waivers, though university-specific or external funding may still be combinable.

FAQs

Related Reading

Strengthen your application with our guides to writing a recommendation letter for a scholarship and a personal statement for scholarship applications. If IELTS is a concern, our guide to scholarships in the Netherlands without IELTS covers alternative English-proficiency routes at Dutch universities.

The NL Scholarship remains one of the more accessible first-year grants for studying in the Netherlands — just search under its current name, and confirm your specific target university’s deadline directly, since there’s no single date that applies across the country.