The Netherlands is not only a beautiful European country but also a dream destination for those wishing to study abroad. In this article, we will look at a list of scholarships in Netherlands universities that international students can get without necessarily taking the IELTS test.
What we will cover?
#1.University of Amsterdam Scholarships
Scholarship Type: Merit-based
Offered By: Govt of Netherlands
Institutions: The University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Type: Fully-Funded one-time scholarship
Degree Program: Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Scholarship Amount: €2,000 to €25,000, € 5,000 (Holland scholarship)
Deadline: 15th Jan 2023
The University of Amsterdam is one of the top universities in the Netherlands that offer good-quality education to international students. To qualify for the University of Amsterdam scholarship, you need to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Fortunately, IELTS is not a requirement and you can submit TOELF scores or Cambridge CPE/CAE marks as a substitute.
This fully-funded scholarship is attractive for students that want to study abroad and possess excellent grades. It also targets international students from non-EU/European Economic Area. Several faculties in the University offer scholarships for master’s students and they include:
- Medicine
- Social Sciences
- Law
- Humanities
- Communication
- Psychology
- Science
- Economics and Business
The scholarship amount ranges from €2,000 to €25,000, with the Holland scholarship awarding € 5,000 to foreign students for the first year of study. Students can also apply for the fully-funded Erasmus short course.
Application for this scholarship is simple since it’s online. Eligible students should submit their applications to the Admissions Offices of the Graduate Schools. The deadline for the University of Amsterdam Scholarship 2022-2023 is Jan 2023.
#2.Radboud University Scholarships
Scholarship Type: Merit-based
Offered By: Govt of Netherlands
Institutions: Radboud University
Type: Fully-Funded one-time scholarship
Degree Program: Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Scholarship Amount: €14,000
Deadline: 28th February 2023
Radboud University allows admission for its students without taking IELTS. Instead, it offers an alternative for submitting scores for Cambridge CPE, CAE, or even TOELF. You can also apply for a scholarship if you have an IB diploma or if you can provide proof of previous English schooling.
The University’s Master’s Degree scholarship program is selectively offered to talented and highly motivated non-EEA students. In total, 26 scholarships are available for the years 2023 and 2024. The involved faculties include:
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Faculty of Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies
- Nijmegen School of Management
The scholarship covers the costs of a residence permit, the visa, and health and liability insurance while staying in the country. It also helps to lower the tuition fee by €14,000. To apply, you need to send an application for admission to a scholarship Master’s program.
This can be done in the OSIRIS application system where you will be requested to upload a curriculum vitae and two reference letters.
Eligibility for this scholarship includes:
- Holder of a non-EU/EEA passport
- Holder or seek to obtain a Bachelor’s degree outside the Netherlands
- Not qualified for lower EEA/EU tuition fee because of other reasons
- Complied with requirements for getting a visa to the Netherlands
- Comply with the requirements for English language proficiency for the applied Master’s program
- Fully enrolled in the Master’s English Master’s degree program set to begin on 1 September 2023
- Admitted as a full-time student for the Master’s degree program and the academic year for the scholarship awarded
#3.University of Leiden Scholarships
Scholarship Type: Merit-based
Offered By: Govt of Netherlands
Institutions: University of Leiden
Type: Fully-Funded one-time scholarship
Degree Program: Bachelor’s degree
Scholarship Amount: €970 (monthly), €5,000 (Holland scholarship)
Deadline: January 23rd for Holland Scholarship
This scholarship is a chance to study in the Netherlands without taking the IELTS test. This includes those that have already completed the IB diploma courses in English or reside in an English-speaking nation. It also works if you have Cambridge CPE/CEA results or TOELF scores.
University of Leiden Scholarships is available to domestic, foreign, as well as international students. The University forms part of the Erasmus scholarship program which is for short-term courses like training and research. In the case of Holland scholarship, it is available to students that want funding to study English-taught Bachelor’s degree in an institution in Holland.
#4.University of Twente Scholarships
Scholarship Type: Merit-based
Offered By: Govt of Netherlands
Institutions: University of Twente
Type: Fully-Funded one-time scholarship
Degree Program: Graduate (MSc)
Scholarship Amount: € 3,000-€ 22,000
Deadline: January 1st, 2022
The University of Twente is offering scholarships for excellent students who have met other application requirements. Like all Netherland scholarships in this list, the students are exempted from IELTS and are offered the alternative of submitting Cambridge CPE or CAE scores. You can also apply for admission with TOEFL scores.
Excellent students from both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA are welcome to apply to this scholarship program, which ends on 1st June 2022. In order to apply, one must:
- Obtain an admission letter
- Gain admission to one of the qualifying University of Twente Master program
- Comply with the requirements for getting an entry visa to the Netherlands
- Have a student number
- Meet the alternative English language proficiency requirements
For the one-year program, students are set to receive € 3,000-€ 22,000 in stipends. However, those that apply for a two-year program will get an additional amount of between € 3,000 and € 22,000, having achieved an average grade of 7 and 50% or more of European Credits after the third quartile of the first year.
#5.The Erasmus University Scholarships
Scholarship Type: Merit-based
Offered By: Govt of Netherlands
Institutions: The Erasmus University
Type: Fully-Funded one-time scholarship
Degree Program: Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Scholarship Amount: Varies, € 10,000 or € 5,000, € 10,000, or € 15,000 for Holland scholarship
Deadline: 1st July 2023
Financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, a scholarship by Erasmus University is another way to study in the Netherlands without IELTS. This program is offered to postgraduate international students from countries that don’t belong to the European Economic Area (EEA).
To qualify, you will need to provide proof from your home country that your study program is available in English. You also need to have been selected for either of the following programmes:
- Bachelor of International Economics and Business Economics
- Bachelor of International Econometrics and Operations Research
- Double Bachelor BSc2 in Econometrics and Economics
Instead of taking IELTS, you can instead provide TOEFL, CAE, CPE, or Duolingo scores. Erasmus University Scholarship amounts to around € 10,000, with € 5,000 being used as the tuition fee and the other half being given to the student in 10 monthly payments.
The Holland scholarship, which is sustained by the Dutch ministry provides funds from € 5,000, € 10,000, and € 15,000 to foreign master’s students. Those pursuing a Master’s degree are eligible for the ISS Hardship Fund.
When applying for this scholarship, you will need several documents such as:
- Certified copy of your academic transcript (The recent one)
- Motivation letter
- Certified statement of your obtained GPA from your educational institution
- Financial statement
- Budget plan
#6.Saxion University Scholarships
Scholarship Type: Merit-based
Offered By: Govt of Netherlands
Institutions: Saxion University
Type: Partial or fully funded
Degree Program: Bachelor or Masters
Scholarship Amount: € 2,500-€ 5,000 (Varies with scholarship)
Deadline: July 1st, 2023
International students are open to applying for a master’s or bachelor’s degree program at Saxion University. A requirement is that applicants meet IELTS 7.0 or higher to qualify for the scholarship programs. However, this may not be necessary if you can submit CPA/CAE or TOELF results or prove that you took English-based bachelor’s or master’s studies.
Following this, you will be required to provide a signed and stamped official declaration from your university indicating that English was the language of instruction for your previous program. The scholarship programmes for students applying for the academic year 2022-2023 include:
- Saxion Talent Scholarship (STS)
- Holland Scholarship (HS)
- Saxion Excellence Scholarship (SES)
- Orange Tulip Scholarship (OTS)
- Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP)
- StuNed Scholarships
Funds given to selected applicants vary with the type of scholarship. For instance, the Holland Scholarship and Orange Tulip Scholarship award € 5,000 while Saxion Talent Scholarship and Saxion Excellent Scholarship give € 2,500 to applicants. Basically, the bursaries can be partially or fully funded.
#7.Vrije University (VU) Scholarships
Scholarship Type: Merit-based
Offered By: Govt of Netherlands
Institutions: Vrije University
Type: Fully-funded one-time scholarship
Degree Program: Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Scholarship Amount: € 500-€ 10,000
Deadline: 1st October 2023
Applicants who submit their TOELF, CPE/CAE results will still be accepted for English-taught Bachelor’s degree program at Vrije University. Instead of taking the IELTS test, you can also take the institution’s test to determine your English proficiency.
International students have the opportunity to apply for one of the following undergraduate scholarships at Vrije University:
- Holland Scholarship- This is for non-EU/EEA students and the scholarship amount is € 5,000.
- Education Future International Scholarship- The eligibility criteria for this scholarship is Indian nationality with an Indian passport. Applicants are given between 2 lacs and 10 lacs Indian Rupees.
- Vuvereniging Scholarships for International Students- This is for foreign students from all nationalities and selected applicants are awarded € 500.
Vrije University also offers postgraduate programs for international students. They include:
- VU Fellowship Programme- This programme is for bright students that intend to take a full-time Master’s degree programme. It caters to tuition fees.
- Holland Scholarship Programme- For non-EEA nationals and must not come from Switzerland or Suriname. One is also eligible after applying for VU Fellowship Programme Scholarship and will receive € 5,000.
- NN Future Matters Scholarship- This is for students from selected countries, and the scholarship amount is € 5,000.
Conclusion
By applying for these Netherlands scholarships, international students can benefit from funding and skip IELTS to demonstrate English competency. Before applying, ensure that you go through the eligibility requirements to improve your chances of success.
