The Netherlands has become known as “Europe’s Startup Hub” by 2026, offering scholarships that focus on business administration, innovation, and digital transformation. International entrepreneurs can get full-ride excellence awards and special university grants for the 2026–2027 school year. These grants are meant to help students become founders.
1. Best “Full-Ride” Excellence Scholarships
These are the best programmes in the Netherlands. They pay for all of your tuition and give you a large monthly living allowance.
NL-High Potential Scholarship from Maastricht University
- The prize is €38,750 for programmes that last 25 months or €20,150 for programmes that last 13 months. This includes full tuition, a monthly allowance of €1,550, health insurance, and visa fees.
- Why for Entrepreneurs: The MSc in International Business: Entrepreneurship & SME Management is perfect for you. The scholarship values “active citizenship” and “extracurricular engagement,” which are two important traits of a founder.
- Applications for the 2027 cycle usually open in October 2026 and close on February 1, 2027.
- You must be younger than 35 and not be from the EU or EEA.
Erasmus University Rotterdam’s Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship
- The Prize: Up to €17,500, which includes a full tuition waiver and a monthly living allowance of €1,200.
- Entrepreneurship Focus: This is for Master’s students at the Erasmus School of Economics or the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). RSM is famous around the world for its “nurturing” startup culture and ecosystem for entrepreneurs.
- Cycle for 2027: Applications for the 2027/2028 intake should open in late 2026.
2. Scholarships for technical and innovative students
If you want to start a business in Deep Tech or Engineering, the technical universities (TU) have special funding for new ideas.
TU Delft Justus and Louise van Effen are great.
- The prize: full tuition plus some money for living costs.
- Why TU Delft is good for entrepreneurs: YES!Delft is one of the best tech incubators in Europe. This scholarship is often for students who are studying Strategic Product Design or Management of Technology.
- Cycle for 2027: Most applications are due in December 2026, and the programme starts in September 2027.
- Requirement: A cumulative GPA of 80% or higher from a well-known university in another country.
Kipaji and the University of Twente Scholarship (UTS)
- The Prize: €3,000 to €22,000 for one year.
- Target: Students in Business Administration or Business Information Technology who are interested in new, IT-based business models.
- Deadlines for 2026:
- Round 2: Applications are due by May 1, 2026.
- Kipaji Bonus: An extra scholarship just for talented students from developing countries (available for 2026 recipients).
3. The NL Scholarship, which used to be called the Holland Scholarship
This is a one-time grant for international students who live outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
- The Prize: A flat €5,000 grant given to you in your first year of study.
- Availability: Most Dutch research universities (Leiden, Utrecht, Groningen) and universities of applied sciences offer this.
- Most universities have a final application deadline of May 1, 2026, for students who want to start in September.
4. How to Get Around IELTS for the Netherlands in 2026
Dutch universities are very strict about English, but they work very well. But you can skip formal tests by doing the following:
- Medium of Instruction (MOI): If you got your last degree completely in English (like in Nigeria, South Africa, or India), many Dutch universities, like Twente and Maastricht, will accept an official MOI letter from your Registrar.
- Professional Waiver: If you have three or more years of senior entrepreneurial experience in an English-speaking business setting and are applying for a “Post-Experience” Master’s or MBA, some schools may not require you to take the test after an interview.
- Several Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences now accept the Duolingo English Test (DET) as a $59 alternative to IELTS for the 2026/2027 cycle.
5. Important Timeline for 2026 and 2027
- The last day to apply for the NL Scholarship and University of Twente (Round 2) for 2026 is May 1, 2026.
- The Maastricht High Potential and TU Delft Excellence portals will open in October 2026.
- The deadline for high-value technical scholarships at TU Delft is December 2026.
- The Maastricht and Erasmus Trustfonds 2027 intake ends on February 1, 2027.
Final Thoughts
The Maastricht NL-High Potential is the best way for entrepreneurs to get full-ride funding in 2027. The TU Delft Excellence award gives you the best access to world-class incubators if you want to work in a tech startup. Put your Innovation Vision at the top of your application because Dutch committees prefer candidates who want to stay in the Netherlands to start “Knowledge-Economy” businesses.
