The Dutch government’s new scholarship programme, designed to attract non-EU university students to the Netherlands, has opened applications for the 2016-2017 academic year.

A new scholarship programme

The Holland Scholarship, announced mid-2014, aims to attract talented foreign students to study a Bacheler’s or Master’s programme at Dutch universities.

Financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, in collaboration with Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences (hogescholen), the scholarship also provides funding for Dutch students to study abroad.

The chance of a lifetime

The scholarship for international students has a value of 5.000 euros, and is awarded during their first year to help cover study costs.

Applications for the 2016-2017 academic year opened at the start of November and the deadline is February 1 or May 1, 2016 (depending on the course).

1.536 scholarships are granted each academic year with roughly half going to international students coming to the Netherlands and the other half going to Dutch students to study abroad. In the first round of 2015, 768 scholarships were awarded to international students.

Holland scholarships have an emphasis on talent and the specific selection criteria depends on the Dutch institution where the student is applying, as it is the institutions that make the selection.

Application critera

To be eligible for the Holland Scholarship you need to satisfy the following criteria:

› Your nationality is non-EEA (European Economic Area), so you are not from any EU member country or from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway.

› You are applying for a full-time Bachelor’s or Master’s programme at a participating Dutch higher education institution.

› You fulfil the specific course requirements at your chosen institution. You can find these requirements on the website of your chosen university.

› You do not already have a degree from an education institution in the Netherlands.

Application process

Applications must be made directly to the university where you want to study. The basic process is as follows:

1. Research and select a Dutch higher education institution and Bachelor’s or Master’s programme using the Studyfinder website.

2. Make sure your chosen higher education institution is involved in the Holland scholarship by checking if they are one of the participating research universities or participating universities of applied sciences.

3. Check your chosen university’s website to make sure your chosen programme can be covered by the Holland Scholarship.

4. Ensure you meet the application requirements for both the Holland Scholarship and your chosen programme.

5. Prepare your application according to the guidelines of your chosen university.

6. Apply for the study programme and the Holland Scholarship directly at your chosen university before February 1 or May 1, 2016 (depending on the course).

7. Contact your chosen university if you have any questions.

8. After the application deadline your institution will contact you to inform you if your scholarship application was successful.

To find out more about scholarships in the Netherlands, check our tuition fees, funding and scholarships page.