Utrecht University Excellence Scholarships in the Netherlands for Masters Studies

Deadline: 31st January, 2021

Utrecht University encourages all students to develop their unique talents to the maximum extent possible. The university also offers a number of specialised programmes for highly talented and motivated students, including the Young Innovators programme and the Graduate Honours Interdisciplinary Seminars. Students who wish to participate in these programmes must meet stringent admission requirements.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for an Utrecht Excellence Scholarship, the following criteria must be met:

• Belong to the top 10% of your graduating class:
  an official document issued by your university that proves you are among the top 10% of your graduating class, such as a statement signed and stamped by your University, a reference letter, a class ranking certificate, etc.
• Not hold an EU/EEA passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch system of study grants and loans;
• Have completed your secondary school and/or Bachelor degree outside the Netherlands;
• Have applied for an international master’s programme with a start date of 1 September, 2021. Not all programmes participate, please check www.uu.nl/masters > master’s programme > Tuition fees and financial support to see if the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship is mentioned as a scholarship opportunity;
• Be able to comply with the conditions to obtain a Dutch visa/residence permit.

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

Scholarship Amount

The Utrecht Excellence scholarship can be awarded as:

• tuition fees
  or
• tuition fees plus 11.000 euro living expenses

As the grant is not automatically a full scholarship, it may be necessary to find additional funding to be able to finance your studies and stay completely. Students requiring a residence permit in the Netherlands must prove to the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Office) that they have sufficient financial means. Read more about the budget the University advises.

Number of Scholarships

20-25 scholarships will be available for 2021-2022, distributed across the 6 Graduate Schools.

The scholarship is awarded for the duration of the degree programme, which is one or two years, depending on the degree programme. The scholarship will only be renewed for the second year if the student is making satisfactory progress towards the degree.

Deadline

Prospective students who wish to be considered for the scholarship must apply before 31 January 2021 (23:59 CET), after which the application portal will be closed. Your application for a scholarship will only be processed if you have submitted an application for a Master’s programme as well. Please note that in some cases you may need to apply before 1 December; check the ‘When to apply’ section under Admission and application of your master’s programme.

Selection Criteria

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

1. Academic excellence and promise in the proposed field of study;
2. The academic quality and results of preceding qualifications, as evidenced by proof of belonging to the top 10% of the class, grades, test scores, a writing sample, letters of recommendation;
3. The quality and relevance of the motivation letter for the Master’s programme (academic content, intercultural and communication skills, personal motivation);
4. The quality of the application for the Master’s programme itself (completeness, accuracy, consistency).

How to Apply

After submitting an application for the Master’s programme, non-EU/EEA students will have the option to submit an application for an Utrecht Excellence Scholarship from 1 November.

You will need to upload the following document:

• Proof of belonging to the top 10% of your graduating class:
  an official document issued by your university that proves you are among the top 10% of your graduating class, such as a statement signed and stamped by your University, a reference letter, a class ranking certificate, etc.

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

1. Submit an application for a Master’s programme; if you do not do this first, your UES application will simply be deleted.
2. After submitting an application for a Master’s programme, you can go to Osiris Online Application.
3. Log in with your Osiris username and password.
4. Click ‘on the link ‘New application’.
5. Answer the UES questions and upload the requested document(s).
6. Submit your application.

You will not be informed whether you have been awarded the scholarship prior to the scholarship deadline and not before you have been (un)conditionally admitted to the programme.

Funding

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

For more details on this scholarship opportunity, visit the official website here.