Scholarship Guides NL Scholarship (Holland Scholarship): How to Apply
Netherlands · Application Guide
The NL Scholarship (formerly the Holland Scholarship) is the Netherlands' national scholarship for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), and for Dutch students who want to study abroad. It supports a full-time bachelor's or master's at a participating Dutch institution. There is no central application portal. You apply for the scholarship directly to the university you are applying to, and each university runs its own selection and deadlines.
Administered by: The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, administered by Nuffic
Written by Zain Aqdas, Founder and lead researcher, Scholarships AtlasLast updated 3 September 2026
Not every Dutch institution participates, and each sets its own number of awards and deadlines. Review the current NL Scholarship participant list on the Nuffic website and shortlist universities that offer it for your field.
Register for your program via Studielink (the official Dutch application portal) and complete the university's admission application with the required documents (diplomas, transcripts, English test, motivation).
Follow the university's scholarship application instructions. Some institutions include the scholarship request in the admission application, others use a separate form. Submit before the university's scholarship deadline (commonly around February for the autumn intake; confirm per institution).
The university selects its NL Scholarship recipients from eligible, admitted applicants based on academic merit and motivation. Award decisions are communicated with the admission outcome or shortly after.
After enrollment, the university pays the one-off EUR 5,000, typically in the first academic year.
Dates move every year — always confirm on the official portal before planning around them.