Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science with Dutch universities
NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship)
A partial scholarship funded jointly by the Dutch government and more than 30 research universities and universities of applied sciences. It pays EUR 5,000 in your first year and is awarded by the institution you're admitted to, so the rules and deadlines differ from one university to the next.
Application round
For the 2027/28 intake, deadlines are set by each institution: University of Groningen and Utrecht University close on 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET (05:59 on 2 February in Thailand), while the University of Twente form opened on 15 October 2026 and closes on 1 April 2027 at 16:00 CET. Check the page of the university you apply to.
The IELTS requirement
There's no national IELTS score for the NL Scholarship: your university's admission requirement is what counts, typically IELTS 6.5 for a master's (University of Twente, for example, asks for Academic IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.0 in speaking). Several universities accept a conditional admission letter with the scholarship application, so you can sometimes sit the test after the scholarship deadline, but you need the score to turn the offer unconditional before you enrol.
Where is your IELTS score now?
Your university sets the IELTS score for this scholarship. Take the free level test to get an estimated band for each skill before you apply.
What it covers
- EUR 5,000, paid once in the first year of study
- It's a contribution to your costs, not a tuition waiver; some universities add their own top-ups (Utrecht offers EUR 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000)
- No living allowance, insurance or travel
Who can apply
- Non-EEA nationality; Thai citizens qualify
- Starting a full-time bachelor's or master's at a participating Dutch institution
- You don't already hold a degree from a Dutch institution
- You meet the admission requirements of your programme, and often an academic cut-off (Twente asks for a GPA of 7.5/10, roughly the top 5 to 10% of your class)
- Each institution decides which programmes take part, so check its NL Scholarship page
Key facts
- Provider
- Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science with Dutch universities
- Where you study
- Netherlands
- Study level
- Bachelor's, Master's
- Funding
- Partly funded
- Application round
- Open now; the deadline depends on the course or institution (see below)
Already know your score?
Build an IELTS plan for this scholarship
We've preselected 6.5, a typical requirement for this scholarship's courses. Check your own course and press Next to keep it, or choose a different score.
Step 1 of 6
What band do you need?
Your overall IELTS target.
We checked these details against the provider's official page on November 1, 2026. Rules and dates change every round, so confirm them there before you apply.
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