The glass-walled European Parliament Paul Henri-Spaak building facade in Brussels.

Netherlands Dutch institutions set their own NL Scholarship deadlines for the September intake, commonly 1 February or 1 May. Fontys does not publish a standing date on its scholarship page — write to the Fontys School running your programme for the current cycle's deadline

NL Scholarship at Fontys University of Applied Sciences

The NL Scholarship — the renamed Holland Scholarship — is a national scheme co-funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the participating institution, and Fontys University of Applied Sciences takes part. It is worth EUR 5,000, about LKR 1.73 million, paid in the first year of study only. Do not read it as a tuition waiver: it is a one-off contribution against a bill you will keep paying in years two, three and four. Fontys is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, teaching around 45,000 students across Eindhoven, Tilburg, Venlo and other southern campuses, and Eindhoven in particular sits inside the Brainport technology region. Two constraints matter more than the headline number. First, this is genuinely restricted by nationality in your favour — it is for non-EEA students, so Sri Lankan citizens are exactly the target group, and EU applicants cannot take it. Second, and more limiting, only certain Fontys programmes participate. At bachelor's level Fontys lists Marketing Management (Digital Business Concepts), Dance Arts in Context, Music at the conservatory, and Circus and Performance Art; at master's level Architecture, Performing Public Space, Urbanism and Music, all Tilburg-based. If your target programme is not on that list, the NL Scholarship is not available to you at Fontys, whatever a general scholarship-aggregator page suggests. You also cannot hold a prior degree from a Dutch institution. Applications go directly to the Fontys School running your programme, separately from your Studielink application — missing that second step is the most common way applicants lose the award.

Fontys University of Applied Sciences

University-funded

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Value

EUR 5,000 (LKR ~1.73M)

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Duration

First year of study only

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Restricted To

Non-EEA nationals

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Non-EEA Nationality — Sri Lanka Qualifies

The NL Scholarship exists to attract students from outside the European Economic Area. A Sri Lankan citizen applying from Sri Lanka is squarely in the intended group; EEA nationals cannot apply.

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Only Certain Fontys Programmes Take Part

Participation is programme-by-programme, not university-wide. Fontys lists a short set of bachelor's programmes (Marketing Management – Digital Business Concepts, Dance Arts in Context, Music, Circus and Performance Art) and master's programmes (Architecture, Performing Public Space, Urbanism, Music). Check your exact programme page before planning around this.

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No Prior Dutch Degree

You must not already hold a degree from a Dutch educational institution. This is a first-entry award for students new to Dutch higher education.

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Full-Time Study Only

The award applies to full-time bachelor's or master's enrolment. Part-time and short-course students are outside the scheme.

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Programme-Specific Selection on Top of Admission

Meeting the admission requirements is not enough — each participating Fontys School applies its own additional selection criteria for the scholarship. Ask what those are for your programme; for the arts and conservatory routes they usually involve an audition or portfolio.

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Check that your programme participates

Open the Fontys page for your exact degree and confirm it appears on the NL Scholarship list. If it does not, ask the school directly whether any other funding attaches to it rather than assuming.

Apply for admission through Studielink

Dutch admission runs through the national Studielink system, plus the Fontys application steps. Get your Sri Lankan transcripts, school-leaving certificates and English evidence ready early; Fontys typically expects IELTS around 6.0 for bachelor's and 6.5 for master's, but confirm the level on your programme page.

Submit a separate scholarship application to the Fontys School

The NL Scholarship application is made directly to the Fontys School running your programme and is separate from the Studielink procedure. Ask for written confirmation that your scholarship application has been received.

Budget for years two and beyond

The EUR 5,000 lands once. Dutch universities of applied sciences charge non-EEA students an institutional rate well above the statutory fee that EU students pay, so work out the full multi-year cost in rupees before you accept. Get the exact per-year figure for your programme in writing.

Arrange your Dutch entry permit

Fontys applies for your provisional residence permit and residence permit as your recognised sponsor — you do not queue at a visa office in the usual way, but you must meet the Dutch government's proof-of-funds requirement for the year and pay the fees on time. Factor the scholarship into that evidence.

Why Fontys?

Fontys is one of the biggest universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, with campuses across the south of the country and a strong applied, project-based teaching culture. Its Eindhoven presence puts students inside Brainport, the technology cluster built around ASML, Philips and a dense supplier base, while the Tilburg campuses carry the arts, music, circus and urbanism programmes that dominate the NL Scholarship list. Dutch degrees are widely taught in English and the country's orientation year permit lets non-EU graduates stay to look for work after finishing, which is a large part of the Netherlands' appeal for Sri Lankan students.