Netherlands Scholarships for International Students 2027

Studying in the Netherlands can be expensive for international students. Radboud University shows that master’s courses can cost around €19,000 a year. This does not include rent or food.

Very few scholarships for 2027 have closed. The only one in Rotterdam has closed. Many have a deadline of 1 December 2026 – less than 4 weeks away. Most close between January and April 2027. A few deadlines have not been published.

These dates were checked in November 2026. Dates change from year to year, so always double-check the official website.

What Is Usually Included in Fully Funded Scholarships?

Tuition fees are covered or waived. This includes Maastricht, TU Delft, and 2 awards from Wageningen.
Monthly living expenses. Maastricht pays €1,550 a month.
Visa and insurance costs are covered. This includes Maastricht, Radboud, and 2 awards from Wageningen.
Travel or accommodation costs. Wageningen pays for travel to the Netherlands for Africa and Anne van den Ban. Maastricht will provide a room but no travel expenses.

Many scholarships in the Netherlands are only partially funded.

Scholarship Deadlines

Wageningen – Anne van den Ban Fund and Africa Scholarship Programme: Application deadline of 1 December 2026. Invitational.
Wageningen – Excellence Programme: Application deadline of 1 December 2026. Invitational. Winners are chosen by lottery.
Leiden University – Excellence Scholarship: Application deadline of 1 December 2026 on Leiden’s page. However, one portal shows 1 February 2027. Please check the official website.
TU Delft – Justus & Louise van Effen Excellence Scholarships: Application deadline of 1 December 2026 at 23:59 CET. Please check the official website. Old dates were still displayed when opening the page.
Groningen – Eric Bleumink Fellowship: Master’s application must be completed by 1 December. Nominal.
Maastricht – NL-High Potential Scholarship: Master’s file must be completed by 10 December 2026. Scholarship form deadline is 1 February 2027.
TU/e – Scholarship for Excellence: Application deadline of 1 January 2027 at 23:59 CET. Only for specific microchip-related courses.
Amsterdam – Merit Scholarship: Application deadline of 15 January 2027 (Law and Humanities) and 15 February 2027 (Social Sciences). Different dates apply to other faculties.
Radboud – Scholarship Programme: Application deadline of 31 January 2027 at 23:59 CET. File must be completed by 14 February 2027.
VU Amsterdam – Fellowship Programme and NL Scholarship: Application deadline of 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. VU recommends applying for its master’s programmes by 1 December 2026.
University of Twente – Scholarship: Application deadline of 1 April 2027 at 16:00 CET. Form available from 15 October 2026.
NL Scholarship: Different deadline for each university. Wageningen has a deadline of 1 May 2027.
Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship: The deadline has passed. Details for 2027/2028 have not been published. Please check the official website.

Upcoming or Soon to Be Open

1. Wageningen – Anne van den Ban Fund and Africa Scholarship Programme

Master’s scholarships. You cannot apply for these directly. Wageningen will invite candidates from its master’s applications.

Deadline: Master’s application must be completed by 1 December 2026. Africa award results will be announced in April, and Anne van den Ban Fund results in May 2027.

Coverage: 24 months of tuition fees, 24 months of living expenses (not stated on Wageningen’s page), travel to and from the Netherlands, visa costs, and health insurance.

Note: The Africa award requires candidates to have citizenship from an African country, a minimum GPA of 80%, and a First Class degree. Anne van den Ban Fund requires candidates to be from developing countries listed by Wageningen. Candidates must be unconditionally admitted and have their English test results and bachelor’s diploma uploaded by 1 December 2026.

2. Wageningen – Excellence Programme

Master’s scholarship. Finalists are chosen by lottery. You cannot apply directly.

Deadline: Master’s application must be completed by 1 December 2026. The award is given on 7 April 2027.

Coverage: 24 months of waived tuition fees. Partially funded. The revised tuition fee for the first year is around €16,500, which must be paid before 1 July 2027.

Note: Only candidates from 21 specific countries can win. These include Brazil and Japan. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 80% and be unconditionally admitted. Candidates cannot be from the EU/EFTA.

3. Leiden University – Excellence Scholarship (LExS)

Master’s scholarship. Available for full-time courses starting in September 2027.

Deadline: The deadline is 1 December 2026 (Leiden’s page). One scholarship portal shows 1 February 2027. Please check the official website. Late applications will not be read by Leiden. Results will be announced before the end of March 2027.

Coverage: Partially funded. 5 tiers are available: €10,000, €15,000, €17,500, €18,500, and €19,000. Leiden decides which tier you will receive.

Note: There are around 25 awards available at Leiden. Candidates must have a non-EEA/EFTA passport. Advanced LLM programmes and MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy are excluded. Regular LLM and MSc programmes at Leiden Law School are excluded. February courses are excluded. Proof of funds is still required for a visa.

4. TU Delft – Justus & Louise van Effen Excellence Scholarships

Master’s scholarship. Available for 2-year regular MSc courses.

Deadline: Guide sites show a deadline of 1 December 2026 at 23:59 CET. Dates on the official site were still showing 2024 dates when opening the page. Please check the official site. Winners will be contacted by the end of March 2027 (guide sites).

Coverage: Full tuition fees for each year. Living expenses are not shown on the readable page.

Note: 2 awards per faculty. Joint Education Programmes are not counted. Candidates must be conditionally admitted, complete the MSc application, submit the application form, and provide 2 references. Nothing can be added after submission.

5. Groningen – Eric Bleumink Fellowship

Master’s scholarship. Available for students from eligible countries.

Deadline: Master’s application must be completed by 1 December. Candidates must have an admission offer by February. Nominees will be contacted before 1 February.

Coverage: Tuition fees and a monthly stipend. There is a discrepancy in the amounts shown on guide sites. Please check the official site. No amounts were shown on the Groningen page.

Note: You cannot apply directly. You must be nominated by admissions staff. If you do not receive contact from Groningen by 1 February, you will not have been selected.

6. Maastricht University – NL-High Potential Scholarship

Master’s scholarship for eligible courses. One of the few scholarships that cover tuition and living expenses.

Deadline: Master’s file must be completed by 10 December 2026. The scholarship form closes on 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. Results will be received by early May 2027.

Coverage: Tuition fees, visa costs, health and liability insurance, and monthly living expenses of €1,550. The total is €20,150 for 13 months or €38,750 for 25 months. A room is provided until 16 July 2028. No travel expenses are covered.

Note: 18 awards are available. Around 2% of candidates will win. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 7.5/10, be on Maastricht’s list of courses, and be 35 or under on 1 September 2027. Candidates must have a non-EU/EEA/Switzerland/Suriname passport. Dual nationality with the EU/EEA is not allowed.

7. TU/e – Scholarship for Excellence

Master’s scholarship. Only available for specific microchip-related courses.

Deadline: 1 January 2027 at 23:59 CET. Selections will be confirmed by the end of March 2027.

Coverage: €7,500 per academic year. Partially funded. Non-EEA students still have to show proof of funds for a visa.

Note: Around 2% of candidates win. There are 15 awards for non-EEA students. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 7.5/10 and choose the scholarship option on their master’s application. A short motivation statement must be added. A minimum of 45 ECTS is required in year 2.

8. Amsterdam – Merit Scholarship (University of Amsterdam)

Master’s scholarship. Available for students from non-EU/EEA countries. Different deadlines apply to each faculty.

Deadline: The deadline is 15 January 2027 (Law and Humanities) and 15 February 2027 (Social Sciences). Other faculties have different deadlines. Please check your faculty.

Coverage: Different amounts are available for different faculties. Law had €25,900 for 2026/2027. The next amount has not been published. Science shows €26,125. Humanities have the Letje Lips award, with 4 awards of €23,500 and 1 of €40,000. Amounts can change. Please check the official site.

Note: Scholarship and admission are separate. Partially funded. Letje Lips is for students from a non-privileged background.

9. Radboud – Scholarship Programme

Master’s scholarship. Available for English-taught courses at Radboud University, Nijmegen.

Deadline: 31 January 2027 at 23:59 CET. The file must be completed by 14 February 2027. Results will be announced before mid-April 2027.

Coverage: Reduced tuition fees to €2,771 (amount to be confirmed). Visa, residence permit, and insurance are paid for. No living expenses are covered.

Note: A maximum of 26 awards are available. Candidates must have a non-EU/EEA passport and no previous degree from the Netherlands. They must be fully admitted, with 2 references and a CV uploaded. Erasmus Mundus and joint degrees are excluded.

10. VU Amsterdam – Fellowship Programme and NL Scholarship

Master’s scholarship. Available for students from non-EU/EEA countries.

Deadline: 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. VU recommends applying for master’s programmes by 1 December 2026. Results are expected in mid-March 2027.

Coverage: €5,000 for the first year (NL Scholarship). Around 20–25 awards (VU). The Fellowship amount was not shown on the readable page. Please check the official site.

Note: You can only apply once you have been conditionally admitted. Applying late to the master’s programme can mean you lose the scholarship.

11. University of Twente – Scholarship

Master’s scholarship. Available for students from non-EU/EEA countries.

Deadline: 1 April 2027 at 16:00 CET. The form is available from 15 October 2026. Results are expected in the first week of May 2027 (guide sites).

Coverage: €3,000–€22,000 for 1 year. It is not a full scholarship (Twente).

Note: The scholarship is separate from admission. You must be admitted and have a student number from Twente. It is not available to current Twente students, EU/EEA students, or Pre-Master students.

12. NL Scholarship

A €5,000 scholarship for non-EEA students starting a bachelor’s or master’s course. This is the only scholarship here that covers bachelor’s degrees.

Deadline: Different deadlines apply to each university. Wageningen has weekly invitations for eligible students from 1 February 2027. The deadline is 1 May 2027. Study in NL shows that 2027/2028 is open.

Coverage: €5,000 in the first year. Partially funded. It can only be claimed once.

Note: 10 research universities take part. These include Eindhoven, Maastricht, Radboud, Groningen, Twente, Utrecht, VU, and Wageningen. Amsterdam, Leiden, Delft, and Rotterdam are not included. Apply through the university. You cannot have a previous degree from the Netherlands.

Closed for 2027 – Plan for Next Year

13. Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Master’s scholarship. The deadline has passed. Details for 2027/2028 will be published in Autumn (page).

Deadline: The deadline has passed (Erasmus University page). Guide sites show 1 February 2027. Please check the official site. One faculty shows a deadline of 1 April for 2026/2027. It is likely to be in Spring next year.

Coverage: For 2026/2027, the Medical Center shows statutory tuition fees and €600 per month. Guide sites show €17,500 for 2027. Details for 2027/2028 have not been published. Please check the official site.

Note: Different application forms are used for each faculty. Statutory fees are the lower EU rates, so they may not cover full tuition fees. Some pages only show non-EEA students, while others show EEA students.

How to Find the Right Scholarship

Match Your Profile

Check your results. Maastricht and TU/e require a minimum GPA of 7.5/10. Wageningen’s Excellence Programme requires a minimum of 80%.
Check the subject. TU/e only accepts students in specific microchip-related courses. Delft requires a 2-year MSc.
Nearly all are for master’s degrees.

Country

Wageningen has different country lists for each scholarship. Check the list to avoid wasting time. Leiden requires a non-EEA/EFTA passport, with 2 exceptions.
Amsterdam, Leiden, Delft, and Rotterdam are not taking part in the NL Scholarship for 2027/2028.

Upcoming Deadlines

Several master’s scholarships have a deadline of 1 December 2026. Some require a full application.

Get references, transcripts, and English tests sorted now. Delft will not accept references after the deadline.

3 Common Mistakes That Can Ruin a Good Application

Believing Guide Sites Are Up to Date

Utrecht has cancelled its Excellence Scholarship for courses starting in 2026/2027. Some sites still show this. The Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship cannot be found on UvA’s pages. Always check the university page.

Incomplete File

Many scholarships require a full master’s file. Radboud and Wageningen will ignore incomplete files. Maastricht wants the full file by 10 December 2026.

Assuming Partial Scholarships Are Full

NL Scholarship is only €5,000. TU/e is only €7,500 per year. Leiden and TU/e still require proof of funds for a visa. Radboud does not cover living expenses.

Conclusion

The closest deadlines are Wageningen, Leiden, TU Delft, and Groningen, with a deadline of 1 December 2026. Maastricht has a deadline of 10 December 2026 for master’s applications. TU/e closes on 1 January 2027, and Amsterdam starts closing on 15 January 2027.

Email 2 professors today asking for references. Tell them you need the references by 20 November.