Getting started

NL Scholarship Deadlines & Timeline 2027–28

Q: Can applying late leave you without a Dutch student visa in time?

Yes. Apply in April, get admitted in June, start the visa in July, and with the MVV taking 6 weeks there is no visa by September. Some students defer an entire year. If you are non-EU, treat the real deadline as 2–3 months before the official one.

Q: Can the numerus fixus 15 January deadline be extended?

No. It is set by Dutch law, with no extensions. Students who did not know their programme was capped lose their chance for that academic year. Always check on Studyfinder.nl.

Q: Are programme and scholarship deadlines the same?

Not always. At some universities, the NL Scholarship deadline falls before the programme admission deadline. Always check both dates separately.

Q: Can you rely on older blog posts for deadline dates?

No. Blog posts from earlier years may list dates that have changed — Leiden’s LExS, for example, now closes on 1 December. The Holland Scholarship was renamed the NL Scholarship in June 2023. Always verify on the university’s current admissions page.

Q: Should you wait for your language test score before preparing anything?

No. You can research, draft your motivation letter and prepare documents in parallel. Only the final submission typically requires the score.

There is no national NL Scholarship deadline. For September 2027 starts, each university sets its own date — many close on 1 February 2027 — and excellence awards close as early as 1 December 2026.

ScholarshipUnion Editorial 4 min read Updated Oct 5, 2026

Official status

Study in NL’s NL Scholarship page still documents the 2026–2027 participating institutions; applications for that year opened on 1 November 2025. Each institution sets its own deadline, and the 2027–2028 national list is not yet published there. Universities have started posting 2027–28 dates: VU Amsterdam takes applications from 1 November 2026 to 1 February 2027 (23:59 CET), while Utrecht University closed on 1 February for 2026–27 and has not yet posted its 2027–28 date. Check your own university — do not treat any single national deadline as official.

Key Dates at a Glance

When	What	Note
Oct–Nov 2026	NL Scholarship opens	Applications begin at participating universities (VU: 1 November 2026).
1 Dec 2026	Early excellence deadlines	TU Delft and Leiden (LExS) scholarships; Groningen’s Eric Bleumink nomination route.
15 Jan 2027	Numerus fixus	Hard deadline for capped bachelor’s programmes. No exceptions.
1 Feb–Apr 2027	NL Scholarship closes	Varies by university. Many close 1 February.
Jan–Apr 2027	Non-EU admissions	Most programmes for the September intake.
1 May 2027	EU admissions	Typical deadline. No visa needed.
3–8 weeks	Visa processing	Apply immediately after admission.

Month-by-Month Timeline for September 2027

The months below follow the typical cycle pattern, updated with the 2027–28 dates universities have already published. Everything else is university-specific.

1
September 2026
Research programmes
Browse StudyFinder and research programmes.
2
October 2026
Test and shortlist
Take IELTS/TOEFL and shortlist 2–3 universities.
3
November 2026
NL Scholarship opens
Applications open at participating universities (VU from 1 November). Register on Studielink.
4
December 2026
Early scholarship deadlines
TU Delft (Justus & Louise van Effen) and Leiden (LExS) close on 1 December 2026, along with other early university scholarships.
5
January 2027
Numerus fixus
15 January: numerus fixus deadline. The Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship has typically closed in mid-January.
6
February 2027
Major NL deadlines
1 February 2027: many NL Scholarship deadlines, including VU Amsterdam. Utrecht used 1 February for 2026–27.
7
March 2027
Final deadlines, first decisions
Final NL Scholarship deadlines at some institutions. Decisions start arriving (VU expects results mid-March).
8
April 2027
Accept offers
Accept offers and begin the visa process. Utrecht gave 2026–27 results by mid-April.
9
May–June 2027
Visa and housing
MVV processing and the housing search.
10
July–August 2027
Final prep
Collect your visa and finish preparations.
11
September 2027
Arrive in the Netherlands
Arrive and start your programme.

NL Scholarship Timeline

Based on the 2026–27 pattern, with 2027–28 dates where universities have published them.

October–November: applications open at participating universities (1 November 2025 for 2026–27; VU opens 1 November 2026)
1 February: many universities close NL Scholarship applications (1 February 2027 at VU; Utrecht used 1 February for 2026–27)
1 March: additional universities close
1 April: latest NL Scholarship deadlines
March–May: scholarship decisions communicated by email

You must apply for your programme first (or at the same time) before the NL Scholarship. At VU Amsterdam, for example, you must already be conditionally admitted before you can apply. Each university sets its own deadline.

University-Specific Scholarship Deadlines

Scholarship	Deadline	Value
TU Delft Justus & Louise van Effen	1 Dec 2026	Full tuition + living-cost contribution
Leiden Excellence (LExS)	1 Dec 2026	€10,000–19,000 tuition grant
Groningen Eric Bleumink	Master’s application by 1 Dec 2026	Fully funded. Faculty-nominated; nominees told before 1 February.
Amsterdam Excellence (UvA)	Typically 15 Jan	Up to €25,000/year
VU Fellowship Programme (VUFP)	1 Feb 2027	Tuition waiver; same application covers the NL Scholarship
Utrecht Excellence	Discontinued	Formerly full tuition + €12k living; not offered from 2026–27
Erasmus University (various)	Dec–Apr	Check each school individually

Non-EU Visa Timeline

1
Get your admission offer
Aim for March/April at the latest for a September start.
2
University submits the MVV application
On your behalf to the IND. Processing: 3–8 weeks.
3
Collect the visa from the Dutch embassy
In your home country. May require an appointment.

Treat the real deadline as 2–3 months before the official one.

Students who wait until June to get admitted often miss the September start entirely because of visa processing delays.

Common Deadline Mistakes

Apply in April, get admitted in June, start the visa in July, and with the MVV taking 6 weeks there is no visa by September. Some students defer an entire year. If you are non-EU, treat the real deadline as 2–3 months before the official one.

It is set by Dutch law, with no extensions. Students who did not know their programme was capped lose their chance for that academic year. Always check on Studyfinder.nl.

In Amsterdam, Utrecht and Leiden, rooms are fully booked by June. Start looking the moment you have an admission offer, or even before.

At some universities, the NL Scholarship deadline falls before the programme admission deadline. Always check both dates separately.

Blog posts from earlier years may list dates that have changed — Leiden’s LExS, for example, now closes on 1 December. The Holland Scholarship was renamed the NL Scholarship in June 2023. Always verify on the university’s current admissions page.

You can research, draft your motivation letter and prepare documents in parallel. Only the final submission typically requires the score.