NL Scholarship 2026: Deadline, Eligibility, Benefits

The NL Scholarship, known as the Holland Scholarship until June 2023, is funded jointly by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and more than 40 Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences, with Nuffic playing an advisory and promotional role. It is open to students who hold a nationality from outside the European Economic Area and who are applying for a full-time bachelor's or master's programme at a participating Dutch institution. Applicants must not already hold a qualification from a Dutch educational institution and must meet the specific admission requirements of the programme and institution they are applying to. The scholarship pays EUR 5,000 as a one-time award in the first year of study; it is not a full-tuition or living-cost scholarship and is usually combined with the student's own funding or another award. Around 2,112 NL Scholarships are awarded across all participating institutions each academic year. There is no single national deadline: each institution runs its own selection process and sets its own closing date, generally in the months leading up to the September intake, after the national application window opens on 1 November of the preceding year. Applicants apply directly through the website of the specific Dutch institution and programme they wish to attend, not through a central Nuffic portal.