Alternative Scholarships: Beyond the NL Scholarship
EUR 5,000 is a start, but it's not enough. University-specific scholarships, international programmes and funding from other countries can fill the gap — or replace the NL Scholarship entirely with something far more generous.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
3 min read
Updated Oct 5, 2026
Nuffic closed its international offices and discontinued the Orange Tulip programme. It no longer exists, and any website still listing it is outdated. Some scholarships previously offered through OTS may still exist as university-specific programmes — check directly with the university.
Dutch Alternatives
The NL Scholarship covers about 11–28% of one year’s total costs. Here is where to find the rest. Dates are for September 2027 entry where universities have published them.
| Scholarship | Amount | Competition | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL Scholarship | EUR 5,000 (one-time) | Moderate | Often 1 Feb 2027 |
| Amsterdam Excellence | EUR 25,000/yr | Highly competitive | Typically 15 Jan |
| Leiden Excellence (LExS) | EUR 10,000–19,000 tuition grant | Highly competitive | 1 Dec 2026 |
| TU Delft (Justus & Louise van Effen) | Tuition + living-cost contribution | Extremely competitive | 1 Dec 2026 |
| Utrecht Excellence | Was tuition + EUR 12,000 | — | Discontinued from 2026–27 |
| MENA Programme | Short courses (fees, living, travel) | Extremely competitive | Rounds vary |
| Erasmus+ Mobility | EUR 350–500/mo stipend | Competitive | Via home university |
| DUO Finance (EU only) | Supplementary grant up to EUR 491.08/mo (2026) | Moderate | Ongoing |
Competition levels: moderate, competitive, highly competitive, extremely competitive. Leiden’s LExS has around 25 awards for over a thousand applicants.
International Alternatives
Full tuition, living, flights and insurance for a master’s or PhD in the U.S. (U.S. & 160+ countries). The gold standard.
Zero tuition at public universities plus a EUR 992/month stipend. Objectively a better financial deal than the Netherlands for most students.
Full tuition, EUR 1,400/month living, travel and insurance for joint degrees. Many consortia include Dutch universities.
Full tuition, living and flights for a one-year UK master’s. Around a 2–3% acceptance rate.
Full tuition, a stipend of about EUR 900/month and round-trip flights. World-class STEM research.
Combine Multiple Sources
The most financially successful students layer several sources. A realistic stack:
- 1NL Scholarship (EUR 5,000)
Apply regardless. It has the highest acceptance rate among Dutch scholarships.
- 2University-specific scholarship
Apply at every university at the same time, then choose the best package.
- 3Home-country funding
LPDP (Indonesia), CAPES (Brazil), state scholarships (India), CONACYT (Mexico) and others.
- 4Part-time work
EUR 200–500 a month (16 hours a week at EUR 13–15 an hour for non-EU students).
- 5Personal savings and family
The IND requires proof of about EUR 13,569 a year for your visa (EUR 1,130.77 a month in 2026).
The NL Scholarship usually allows combination. Some university scholarships prohibit stacking. Always read the fine print.
Funding Ladder
From smallest to largest, how Dutch and international scholarships compare.
- NL Scholarship — EUR 5K, once
- Leiden (partial) — EUR 10–19K tuition grant
- Amsterdam Excellence — EUR 25K a year
- TU Delft — tuition + living costs
- Erasmus Mundus — full (tuition + EUR 1,400 a month)
- Fulbright — full ride, everything covered
Utrecht Excellence (tuition + EUR 12K) used to sit between Amsterdam and Delft but has been discontinued; the MENA programme now funds short courses rather than full degrees.
Which Scholarship Fits You?
Answer four quick questions to get a personalised funding recommendation.
The Bottom Line
If you are committed to the Netherlands, apply for the NL Scholarship plus every university-specific scholarship you qualify for, plus home-country options. Budget realistically for the gap.
“Excellent at EUR 20,000+ a year minus EUR 5,000” is a very different proposition from “excellent at EUR 0 tuition.”
If you are flexible, seriously consider Germany (free tuition), Erasmus Mundus or Fulbright. The Netherlands has excellent education, but the numbers above matter.