About the NL Scholarship
The NL Scholarship (formerly known as Holland Scholarship) is meant for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their Master’s degree in the Netherlands. The scholarship gives excellent students the opportunity to study at Radboud University.
This NL Scholarship (NLS) is co-financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Radboud University.
Scope of the programme
The scholarship amounts to €5,000. The grant is awarded for 1 year and can only be received once. You will receive this in the first year of your study programme. Please note that this is not a full scholarship. The costs of living and studying in the Netherlands are not covered by the scholarship.
A maximum of 12 scholarships will be available at Radboud University for the academic year 2026-2027 for English taught Master's programmes at the following faculties: Faculty of Arts (1), Faculty of Law (1), Nijmegen School of Management (2), Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies (1), Faculty of Science (4), Faculty of Social Sciences (3).
Radboud Scholarship Programme
The NL Scholarship (NLS) will always be combined with the Radboud Scholarship Programme (RSP). This means that students applying for the NLS must also apply for the RSP. You can be awarded both the NLS and RSP, or just the RSP. You cannot be awarded just the NLS.
- Type
- Scholarship
- Eligible countries or regions
- All non-EU/non-EEA countries
- Maximum financing
- €5,000
- Coverage of scholarship
- Partial scholarship
- Faculty involved
- Faculty of Law, Nijmegen School of Management, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Social Sciences
Conditions
All English-taught Master’s programmes are eligible for the NL Scholarship (with the exception of Erasmus Mundus Master's programmes and joint-degree Master's programmes).
You will only be eligible to apply for a NL Scholarship if you:
- Hold a non-EU/non-EEA passport.
- Are not eligible for the lower EU/EEA tuition fee for other reasons.
- Have (will obtain) a Bachelor's degree achieved outside the Netherlands, have no degrees achieved in the Netherlands and did not receive any previous education in the Netherlands (exchange programmes excluded, provided that they are part of the Bachelor's degree achieved outside the Netherlands).
- Meet the English language proficiency requirement for the Master's programme of your choice.
- Have been fully admitted to the English-taught Master's programme starting 1 September 2026 as stated in the formal letter of admission.
- Have applied for the Radboud Scholarship Programme for 2026-2027, starting 1 September 2026.
- Are able to comply with the conditions for obtaining a visa for the Netherlands.
- Are enrolled at Radboud University as a full-time student for the academic year and Master's programme for which the scholarship will be awarded.
How to apply
You can apply by indicating during your application procedure for a Master's programme in the OSIRIS Application system that you wish to apply for a NL Scholarship.
The selection for the scholarship and the admission to the Master's programme are two separate processes: admission to the programme does not imply selection for NLS.
Deadline
You must have submitted your application in the online OSIRIS Application system on 31 January 2026 23:59 CEST at the latest. Then, your OSIRIS Application will be checked by Radboud University’s Student Admissions office and sent back to you for payment of the handling fee, as well as for any documents in your application that may be incorrect, illegible, or missing. You need to resubmit your application as soon as possible.
Then, your application needs to be complete by 14 February 2026 23:59 CEST at the latest. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered for the scholarship selection. We recommend you hand in your proof of English proficiency before the deadline of 14 February 2026 as well.
You will be informed about the final decision by the Student Life and International Mobility department with respect to your application for a Radboud Scholarship around mid-April 2026 (date subject to change).
Selection procedure
The selection of the scholarship recipients will be based on the following criteria:
Academic excellence
- Outstanding study results in your present field of study, for example through grades, test scores, publications.
- Relevancy of your previous degree to the Master’s programme.
- The ranking of the university where you obtained your previous degree(s).
Ambition
- The quality and relevance of your motivation letter for the Master’s programme.
- Show promise, based on previous achievements, performances and work in the relevant field of study.
- Life experience and/or extracurricular activities such as internships or volunteering.
All students applying for the Radboud Scholarship will be individually considered by the selection committee of the faculty they apply to. This selection is based on the criteria as mentioned above.
More information and contact
Join us for the online Scholarship Q&A’s where you can ask all your questions about the Radboud scholarships. You can simply join us by following this Microsoft Teams link. (if needed: Meeting ID: 323 331 772 330 2, passcode: 7fG256YB)
Q&A’s are on the following dates:
19 November 2025 10:00-11:00am CET
03 December 2025 16:00-17:00pm CET
17 December 2025 10:00-11:00am CET
05 January 2026 16:00-17:00pm CET
21 January 2026 10:00-11:00am CET
Our Communications department will also organize a webinar on scholarships, for which you can register here:
11 December 2025 11:00-11:45am CET
For more information about the scholarship programme, you may contact Student Life and International Mobility via scholarships [at] ru.nl (scholarships[at]ru[dot]nl). Please do not use this email address to apply for a scholarship.
This scholarship is funded by the Profiling Fund of Radboud University. As such, the scholarship’s requirements are in accordance with the Profiling Fund’s regulations.
