If you are applying to or studying at NHL Stenden, you may be eligible for a scholarship. NHL Stenden offers 2 different scholarships for non-EU/EEA bachelor students.
NL scholarship
The NL scholarship (incoming students) is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. The scholarship is a one-time financial contribution towards the costs of study. The NL scholarship is for talented international undergraduate students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to obtain their Bachelor’s degree at our university.
About the NL scholarship
The NL scholarship exclusively applies to the Dutch NHL Stenden campuses. The scholarship consists of a one-payment of €5,000. Selected students will receive the scholarship in the first year of their studies, after arrival in the Netherlands, in November 2025. The NL scholarship cannot be used to reduce the tuition fee. Please bear in mind that the NL scholarship only partially covers the costs of the first year of study. Therefore, it is important that you have a full understanding of tuition fees and the costs of living involved when studying in the Netherlands.
Criteria NL scholarship:
- Your nationality is non-EEA.
- You are admitted to one of the full-time Bachelor programmes, starting September 2025.
- You received a Letter of Acceptance from NHL Stenden.
You have a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or you are an English native speaker.
You do not have a degree from another educational institution in The Netherlands.
You have to actively study at NHL Stenden, participate in classes and all projects in The Netherlands.
Please note that programmes may set specific requirements. You can find these on the NHL Stenden course overview.
- The grant is awarded in the first year and can only be received once.
Application process:
- Application for the NL scholarship 2024-2025 is open from 1 December 2024 up to and including 30 April 2025.
- If you wish to be eligible for the scholarship you first have to be admitted to the programme itself. For information on how to get enrolled, please check the NHL Stenden application procedure.
- Admitted students can apply for the NL scholarship via the online application form by clicking on ‘Apply now’.
- Send an audio recording to io@nhlstenden.com (between 30-60 seconds) explaining why you want to study at NHL Stenden.
- You will be informed about the result of our selection end of May 2025 at the latest.
- Information regarding acceptance of the scholarship, procedure of payment and award ceremony will be sent to you after selection.
Additional information:
If you have any questions about the NL scholarship please contact io@nhlstenden.com.
NHL Stenden Excellency Scholarship
The NHL Stenden Excellency scholarship is a performance-based scholarship. This means that you cannot apply for it before starting your studies. It will be granted to our best-performing non-EU/EEA full-time registered Bachelor students during their first and second year at NHL Stenden.
About the NHL Stenden Excellency Scholarship
The NHL Stenden Excellency scholarship is a performance-based financial award, which is granted to our best-performing non-EU/EEA full-time Bachelor students. If you are in the top 40 at the end of your first or second year at NHL Stenden, you will be awarded a scholarship of €2,000. This is based on the number of ECTS (study points) you have acquired in the previous year at NHL Stenden. If you do exceptionally well two years in a row, you may be awarded a maximum of €4,000 over the course of your studies at NHL Stenden. The Excellency scholarship is available for students starting their study in September or February and for those who have already earned themselves a NL scholarship.
Please note, that the Excellency scholarship is not an entry scholarship.
How do you qualify?
- You are a full-time registered Bachelor student at NHL Stenden.
- Your nationality is non-EEA.
- You started your studies in or after academic year 2023-2024 and you have earned at least 54 ECTS (study points) during either your first or second year of study at NHL Stenden.
- The 40 best-performing students per academic year (only year 1 and/or year 2) will be granted a scholarship.
- If more than 40 students qualify annually, only those with the highest amount of ECTS (60, 59, 58, etc.) will be selected.
- You have to actively study at NHL Stenden, participate in classes and all projects in The Netherlands.
Application information
- Application for the Excellency Scholarship is open from:
September intake (2023 or 2024): 01 June 2025– 01 September 2025.
February intake (2023 or 2024): 01 December 2025 – 01 March 2026. - Students selected by NHL Stenden will be informed personally. The amount awarded will be paid to selected students during the first period of the subsequent academic year.
- Information regarding acceptance of the scholarship, procedure of payment and award ceremony will be sent to you after selection.
- The NHL Stenden Excellency scholarship is not awarded as a tuition fee waiver.
How to apply?
During the application period, you can apply via this link. Please note that outside the application period the link is not accessible.
In the application form we ask you to upload a letter of motivation (max 300 words). Please include the following information in the letter:
- Introduction of yourself
- Your experiences in the current academic year in your study programme
- Description of your professional and personal ambitions, both during your study period and beyond
Additional information
If you have any questions about the NHL Stenden Excellency Scholarship, please contact io@nhlstenden.com.
