[Netherlands] Utrecht Excellence Scholarships

Eligible candidates: outstanding prospective students applying for one of the programmes listed below
Amount of scholarship: 1,500- 20,600 euro per year
Number of scholarships/year: approximately 55
Provided by: Utrecht University

Aim of the programme
The Utrecht Excellence Scholarship offers a number of outstanding prospective students the opportunity to pursue a degree in a selected number of fields at Utrecht University:

Bachelor's programmes:

• Economics
• Liberal Arts & Sciences at University College Utrecht

Master's programmes:

• Biomolecular Sciences
• Business Informatics
• Conflict Studies and Human Rights
• Drug Innovation
• International Economics and Business
• Linguistics: The Study of the Language Faculty
• Sociology and Social Research
• Sustainable Development
• Theoretical Physics

The scholarship programme is highly selective. Only candidates showing the highest achievement and promise may receive a scholarship.

Duration and number of scholarships

Selected students receive a scholarship for the duration of the degree programme, which is a maximum of two years for a Master's degree and three years for a Bachelor's degree. Approximately 55 scholarships are awarded each year. The scholarship will only be renewed for the second (and third) year if the student is making satisfactory progress towards the degree.

Amount of scholarship

Selected students are awarded a scholarship between 1,500 and 16,400 per year (Bachelor) or between 1,500 and 20,600 euro per year (Master). Students should be aware that the grant is not a full scholarship. It is necessary to find additional funding to be able to finance study and stay completely. As one of the requirements for being granted a residence permit in the Netherlands, students from abroad must prove to the IND (immigration and naturalisation office) that they have sufficient financial means.

Read more about the budget the University advises.

Eligibility criteria

The applicant must meet the eligibility criteria in order to be considered for this scholarship. The applicant should:

1. Not have the Dutch nationality;
2. Hold a non-Dutch secondary school diploma;
3. Have been admitted to one of the international Master's programmes of Utrecht University listed above, the Bachelor's programme in Economics or to University College Utrecht;
4. Hold a relevant Bachelor's degree (for a Master's programme) or secondary school diploma (for a Bachelor's programme), or an equivalent thereof;
5. Be able to comply with the conditions to obtain a Dutch visa (if applicable);

Failure to meet one or more of these criteria automatically means the student is not eligible for this scholarship.

Selection criteria

Eligible candidates are selected for a scholarship on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Their academic excellence and promise in the proposed field of study;
2. The academic quality and results of the preceding education, as evidenced, for example, by grades, test scores, publications, letters of recommendation;
3. The quality and relevance of the motivation letter (academic content, intercultural and communication skills, personal motivation);
4. The quality and feasibility of the financial plan in the application;
5. The quality of the application itself (completeness, accuracy, consistency).

Application

It is not possible to apply for the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship. The Selection Committee of the programme will select eligible candidates on the basis of the selection criteria mentioned above. The selected candidates will be offered an Utrecht Excellence Scholarship in May.

Please note! Students starting their programme in February are not eligible for the Utrecht Excellence Scholarships.

Funding
The funds for the scholarships come from the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship Fund, established by Utrecht University.

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