The Utrecht Excellence Scholarship offers a number of outstanding prospective students the opportunity to pursue a Master’s degree in a selected number of fields at Utrecht University.

Utrecht Excellence Scholarships

Course level: Master’s

Fields of study: Any program offered by the 6 graduate schools of the University

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

Institution and country: Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Sponsor: Utrecht University alumni

Number of awards: 20-25 scholarships will be available for 2021-2022, distributed across the 6 Graduate Schools of the University

Scholarship inclusions:

The Utrecht Excellence scholarship can be awarded either as:

  • tuition fees, OR
  • tuition fees plus the required income linked to a residence permit for study as set by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, for one year.

In a 2-years Master’s program, the scholarship can be renewed for the second year.

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.

Eligibility criteria for the Utrecht Excellence Scholarships:

  • 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 program with a start date of 1 September 2021. Not all programs participate, please check www.uu.nl/masters > master’s program > 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.

Application deadline: 31 January 2022 (23:59 CET)

How to apply for the Utrecht Excellence Scholarships:

After submitting an application for the Master’s program, non-EU/EEA students will have the option to submit an application for a Utrecht Excellence Scholarship from 1 November 2021.

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 program 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 program, 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.

Eligible candidates are selected for a scholarship on the basis of 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 overview, statement/reference letter signed and stamped by your University);
  • The quality and relevance of the 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).

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 program.

Other useful links:

Utrecht Excellence Scholarships