Utrecht Excellence Scholarships 2025 for International Students to Study Masters in Netherlands

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About Utrecht Excellence Scholarships

The Utrecht Excellence Scholarship (UES) is a highly selective programme for talented international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA = the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) who wish to study for a master’s degree at Utrecht University. 

• School: Utrecht University

Benefits of Utrecht Excellence Scholarships

The Utrecht Excellence scholarship can be awarded as:

• the tuition fee, or
• the tuition fee plus the income required for a period of one year linked to a residence permit for study as determined by the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service).

The scholarship can be renewed for the second year of two-year master’s programmes.

 

Utrecht Excellence Scholarships Requirements

To be eligible for a Utrecht Excellence Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must belong to the top 10% of your graduating class.
• You must not hold an EU/EEA passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch study grant and loan system.
• You must have completed your secondary school and/or bachelor’s degree outside the Netherlands.
• You must have applied for an international master’s programme with a start date of 1 September 2025. Not all programmes participate. Please check Master’s programme > Tuition fees and financial support to see if the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship is mentioned as a scholarship opportunity.

Selection criteria

Eligible candidates will be selected for a scholarship based on the following criteria:

• Academic quality and promise in the proposed field of study, as evidenced by your master’s application. 
• Academic excellence, as evidenced by proof of belonging to the top 10% of your graduating class (class ranking certificate, GPA with grade distribution summary, statement/reference letter signed and stamped by your university).
• The quality and relevance of your motivation letter for the master’s programme (academic content, intercultural and communication skills, personal motivation).
• The quality of the application for the master’s programme itself (completeness, accuracy, consistency).

Application Date and Process

After submitting an application (or applications) for a UES eligible master’s programme before the stated deadline, non-EU/EEA students will have the opportunity to submit an application for one Utrecht Excellence Scholarship from 1 November 2024. You will see the UES application(s) in your OSIRIS Online Application account dashboard. Click view/edit for the UES linked (related process) to the programme you wish to apply for, upload the requested proof of belonging to the top 10% of your class, answer the questions and submit the application. 

Their application portal is open for an extended period, and we encourage you to submit your application early. By applying in advance, you allow enough time for your documents to be reviewed and, if necessary, to make corrections or add missing information.
Please note: If you submit your application between 27 January and 1 February, any incomplete or incorrect information cannot be updated or supplemented. We recommend submitting as soon as possible to ensure a smooth review process.

Application Deadline

01 February, 2025

Scholarship Application Portal

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