The Netherlands, a popular country in Western Europe, is an excellent place to pursue higher education. It has some of the world’s top schools and universities, providing world-class education and attracting international students. Besides the academic institutions and the quality of education, the country itself is a magnet due to its laid-back culture and high standard of living.
Its vibrant capital city, Amsterdam, is the first destination to wholly experience the Dutch culture. Cycling, taking a boat ride, and sightseeing in Dutch museums and architecture can be very stress-relieving for students. Immersing in its food culture, with cheese, beer, and healthy snacks, also makes the top of the to-do list while in the country. Lastly, the Dutch countryside offers a tranquil trip through its stunning landscapes, with windmills and tulips as the distinguishing sights.
At best, international students can study in the Netherlands for free. Paying less for education need not compromise the quality of education, as is the case in the Netherlands. Even more, international students have more money to spend exploring the country and enjoying its numerous sights and activities.
The Netherlands has a dense network of scholarships that can reduce your total study cost to almost zero when you combine tuition waivers, stipends, and smart budgeting. Programs like the NL Scholarship, university schemes such as the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, and fully funded offers like the NL High Potential Scholarship allow international students to cover both tuition and living costs. Real students like Duong Nguyen, Melina Coelho Garcia, João Pedro Rocha Oliveira, Alisha, and Afsana Mimi all used Dutch and university scholarships to study in the Netherlands with little to no out-of-pocket tuition.
In this article, we list down some tips you can explore if you’re planning to study in the Netherlands for free. If you’ve decided to study in this country, make sure to start your preparation as early as possible. We hope that these tips will help you with your studies!
How to Study in the Netherlands for Free with Scholarships: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Learn How Funding in the Netherlands Actually Works
Before you choose a program, understand how Dutch scholarships are structured. Many awards either waive tuition fully or partially, while others add lump-sum support for living expenses. For example, at University of Amsterdam, the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship can be large enough to wipe out almost the full tuition bill for high-achieving non-EU students, as seen in the journey of Melina Coelho Garcia, who combined an Amsterdam Merit Scholarship with an additional law school award to cover her Master’s in International Trade and Investment Law. Meanwhile, the government-backed NL Scholarship offers a €5,000–€10,000 one-time grant for non-EEA students at participating institutions, which can take care of a big part of your first-year costs, as it did for João Pedro Rocha Oliveira when he pursued his LL.M. at Tilburg University. When you read Dutch scholarship pages, always check whether they cover tuition only, tuition plus insurance/visa, or full tuition plus a monthly stipend. This will tell you exactly how close to “free” you can get and whether you still need savings or part-time work.
Step 2: Target Dutch Government and University Scholarships Strategically
Once you know the basic funding structure, build a shortlist of scholarships that match your degree level and profile. Start with national programs like the NL Scholarship, which is open to non-EEA students applying for full-time bachelor’s and master’s degrees at many Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences. Then look at university-level offers. For partial funding that still gets you close to free tuition, the Radboud University scholarship offerings are key: the Radboud Scholarship typically reduces your tuition to the EU rate and covers visa and insurance, and it can be combined with the NL Scholarship, as Kathryn did to fully cover a Master’s in Behavioral Science.
Step 3: Build the Academic and Language Profile Dutch Selectors Expect
Full or near-full funding in the Netherlands is very merit-based, so you need to look like the kind of student Dutch universities spotlight on their scholarship pages. Strong grades are almost non-negotiable. Melina Coelho Garcia finished her law degree in Brazil with a 9.7/10 GPA and a leadership role in a research group before winning the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship at the University of Amsterdam. João Pedro brought an 8.5/10 GPA plus tax-law research and work experience when applying for the NL Scholarship at Tilburg University, and Alisha had a 3.74/4.00 GPA and significant extracurriculars for her Radboud package. Competitive Dutch scholarships also expect clear academic direction and research or project experience. Afsana Mimi spent years strengthening her research profile in sociology, which later helped her win two fully funded master’s scholarships in the Netherlands, while Duong Nguyen combined a strong high school record with a clear interest in economics and data science, which fit perfectly with her program at Utrecht University. On the language side, many Dutch universities require an IELTS score around 6.5–7.0 overall, and real recipients often exceed this: Duong scored 7.5 and Alisha scored 8.0, strengthening their applications to Utrecht and Radboud. If your GPA or English scores are still average, use the time before the deadline to raise them; retaking IELTS/TOEFL or improving semester grades can make a real difference.
Step 4: Use Dutch Work and Visa Rules to Close Remaining Gaps
Even with strong scholarships, you may still need to cover some living expenses, and the Netherlands gives you several country-specific tools for that. Non-EU students with a study residence permit can usually work up to 16 hours per week during the academic year (or full-time in summer) as long as the employer obtains a work permit, which many scholarship students use for part-time campus jobs, tutoring, or hospitality work to cover rent or groceries. Universities are also surprisingly generous with emergency or supplemental support. In Duong’s case, when her part-time job vanished during COVID, Utrecht University gave her an extra €300 in short-term aid on top of her Utrecht Excellence Scholarship so she could continue paying rent. After graduation, the Dutch “orientation year” permit allows many non-EEA graduates to stay up to 12 months to search for highly-skilled work, which is a unique advantage if you want to turn your scholarship into a long-term career in Europe. Several Radboud, UvA, and Tilburg scholarship recipients now work in the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe, showing that a funded Dutch degree is not only a way to study for free, but also a launchpad to well-paid post-study opportunities.
If you follow the same path as scholarship recipients like Duong, Melina, João Pedro, Alisha, and Afsana—researching Dutch scholarships early, choosing scholarship-rich universities, building an excellent academic profile, and using Dutch work and visa rules wisely; you can realistically study in the Netherlands with most or even all of your costs covered.
Tuition-free Options for Bachelor’s Studies in the Netherlands
When it comes to affordable higher education, the Netherlands pretty much has it all. International students can start their undergraduate studies for free in the Netherlands by getting some scholarships. A scholarship provider worth considering is the NL Scholarship. The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science, along with Dutch research universities, finance this scholarship.
The Han University Scholarships target international students from countries outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA). These scholarships include the HAN Holland Scholarship and an Honors Scholarship for students who didn’t get a scholarship in their first year of studies.
Meanwhile, the University of Amsterdam also offers the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship for incoming undergraduate and graduate students from outside Europe. Accepted students need to maintain satisfactory study progress for the scholarship to continue in their subsequent years. These are just some scholarships for undergraduate students to study in the Netherlands for free.
Here are some of the students who were able to study a bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands for free!
- Duong Nguyen from Vietnam earned the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship at Utrecht University, a fully funded award covering full tuition and living expenses to study a Bachelor’s in Economics and Business Economics with a minor in Applied Data Science (R Language).
Here is what Bachelor’s Scholarship Recipients in the Netherlands Say:
“The scholarship fully covered the tuition fee and also living expenses.”
Duong Nguyen
“demonstrating your personality and traits is as important as having good grades.”
Duong Nguyen
Tuition-free Options for Master’s Studies in the Netherlands
The Netherlands also caters to prospective graduate students looking to lessen tuition costs through scholarships and subsidies. The Radboud University Scholarship Program attracts highly motivated and talented students from outside the EEA to complete an English-taught Master’s degree program at Radboud University. It’s a full scholarship that covers both the tuition costs and the living costs, as well as visa costs, residence permits, and health and liability insurance while staying in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, the Eric Bleumink Scholarships at the University of Groningen offer scholarships for students from selected countries who have outstanding academic performance. Besides the tuition costs, it covers the costs of international travel, books, subsistence, and health insurance.
The Justus and Louise Van Effen Scholarship at the Delft University of Technology includes full tuition fees per year for qualified students, as well as a contribution for living expenses. In addition, the scholarship provides students with membership to scholarship clubs, giving access to personal development seminars, workshops, and activities. Looking through these options, studying a master’s in the Netherlands for free is certainly not an impossible dream.
Here are some of the students who were able to study a master’s degree in the Netherlands for free!
Here is what Master’s Scholarship Recipients in the Netherlands Say:
“which provided full coverage of my tuition fees for the two-year duration of my Master’s in Sustainable Energy Technology.”
Aaradhya
“My advice to anyone applying to programs in the Netherlands is to start early and do your research thoroughly.”
Kathryn
“Applying for a scholarship and writing a motivation letter is mainly about knowing yourself and knowing how to tell your own story.”
Melina Coelho Garcia
Tuition-free Options for Ph.D. Studies in the Netherlands
The Ph.D. students in the Netherlands are typically employed as researchers at the university where they also study. However, students might still find themselves struggling to finance their research and studies. Fortunately, students have access to financing options and scholarships. The Erasmus University Rotterdam already covers the finances of its Ph.D. students.
However, if the students need additional funding for their research, they can send grant proposals through the university to other funding categories, such as the government, industrial organizations, or private companies.
The Ph.D. students at the University of Amsterdam are also employed as doctoral researchers and thus do not need to worry about tuition costs. Like the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the university assists students in finding additional funding for their fieldwork abroad. The university also went the extra mile by offering grants for doctoral graduates to pursue their academic careers. For international students in the Netherlands, getting accepted for a Ph.D. program means studying for free and getting additional support to widen their academic and career horizons.
Here are some of the students who were able to study a PhD degree in the Netherlands for free!
- Hilal from Turkey earned the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Industrial PhD Fellowship for a joint doctoral program between the University of Bonn and Amsterdam UMC, providing a fully funded package with living and mobility allowances plus research, training, and networking support to complete a PhD in Experimental Medicine that included research time in the Netherlands.
- May Myat Thwe from Myanmar is pursuing a fully funded PhD in Electrical Engineering (Cybersecurity for Power Systems) at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), with her PhD project financed by Horizon Europe PhD funding that covers PhD-related coursework, project activities, and conference participation in the Netherlands.
- Moses Ebere from Nigeria is doing a fully funded PhD in Cognitive Robotics at Delft University of Technology, supported through a salaried PhD employment contract that follows the Dutch “PhD as employee” model so he does not pay tuition while conducting his doctoral research in the Netherlands.
- Usman Awan from Pakistan earned the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) scholarship at Leiden University, providing a fully funded PhD package with a doctoral salary, mobility and family allowances, and full tuition support to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Sciences focused on liver-on-a-chip research in the Netherlands.
Here is what PhD Scholarship Recipients in the Netherlands Say:
“My Ph.D. is fully funded (this is common in the Netherlands as PhD are seen as employees on project contracts).”
Moses Ebere
“I studied intensively, reached out to potential supervisors, and carefully prepared my application materials to reflect my research interests and achievements.”
May Myat Thwe
FAQs: Studying in the Netherlands as an International Student
Can International Students Study in the Netherlands for Free?
International students can study in the Netherlands for free with the use of scholarships. Since the Netherlands doesn’t offer free tuition fees to foreign students, they will be required to pay the cost of their education. However, the tuition fees in the Netherlands are affordable. So, if you have a scholarship, your monetary award can cover the cost of your studies.
Additionally, please take note that other than tuition fees, you need to consider your accommodation, food, travel, and other expenses. To help you with this, you can search and apply for scholarships that cover certain expenses.
Contrary to popular belief, staying and studying in the Netherlands can be free for international students. Numerous universities in the country offer cheaper tuition costs compared to other schools in Europe. With some internet research, prospective students can even apply for scholarships, subsidies, and financial aid to pay for their education.
We hope this article on how to study in the Netherlands for free was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Study in the Netherlands and Available Programs for International Students pages for more information.
