We list 6 masters Scholarships for Nigerian Students in the Netherlands, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 3 of them are fully funded. 2 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants. Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
United Kingdom
30
Australia
20
China
11
United States
11
Canada
8
Sweden
8
Belgium
7
Italy
7
Japan
7
Switzerland
7
United Arab Emirates
7
Netherlands
Russia
6
Germany
5
New Zealand
5
Saudi Arabia
5
Thailand
5
Brazil
4
Ireland
4
Turkey
4
Denmark
3
France
3
Singapore
3
Austria
2
Norway
2
Qatar
2
Written from the 6 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 6 masters scholarships in the Netherlands open to Nigerian students. Every award on it is at masters level, and every one is hosted by a Dutch institution. The providers are the University of Groningen, Maastricht University, the University of Twente, Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and RSM Erasmus University.
Six is a small number, and that is worth knowing before you start. The Netherlands does not run one large national scholarship scheme for international masters students the way some countries do. What exists is mostly university-level funding, offered by individual institutions, with each one setting its own rules, its own form and its own closing date. That is the shape of this list.
Of the 6 awards, 3 are labelled fully funded and 1 is labelled partially funded. Two do not state their funding level on the award itself, so this page says nothing about what those two cover.
Where the awards do name a benefit in their own text, the counts are these:
Read those as what the award text says, not as a promise. A tuition-only award leaves you to find the rest. In the Netherlands that rest is not small: you will need proof of funds for your residence permit, and you will need to pay for your own flights, your own documents and your own settling-in costs before any stipend arrives. If an award names living costs, check whether it also names insurance, because those are often listed separately.
The six awards are spread across seven subject areas, which means most of them sit in a single field rather than a broad faculty.
Business and Management is the only field with more than one award. If your intended programme falls outside these areas, this particular list will not serve you, and you should look at the wider set of Netherlands awards on the site.
Two of the six awards state that Nigerians may apply. Of those two, neither names Nigeria or the region as a restriction — both are open on nationality, which is the cleaner position to be in. For the other four, eligibility is not stated on the award as we hold it, so you cannot tell from the listing alone whether nationality is a factor. You will have to open the award page and read the criteria.
That is the honest picture. Two confirmed, four to verify. Do not assume an award is closed to you because it does not mention Nigeria, and do not assume it is open for the same reason. Check.
You come to this list holding a first degree or an HND — B.Sc, B.A, B.Eng, LLB, MBBS or HND. These are taught and research masters, so the entry point is a completed undergraduate programme.
Awards usually state a minimum class of degree. Where an award says “upper second”, that corresponds to Second Class Upper (2:1) on a Nigerian transcript. If you hold a 2:2, read each award's wording carefully rather than assuming you are out; some state a class, some state a class “or equivalent”, and some say nothing at all. Whether an HND is accepted for a particular masters programme is decided by each university, not by us and not by the scholarship body.
The requirements the awards state in their own text break down like this:
Two things follow from this. First, work experience appears as often as recommendation letters, so this is not a list aimed only at fresh graduates. Second, only one award states an English test requirement, but that does not mean the others waive it — it means the award text does not mention it. Dutch universities set their own English requirements, and a Nigerian degree taught in English is sometimes accepted in place of a test. That decision belongs to the university, so confirm it with the admissions office before you pay for a test you may not need.
The recommendation letters are worth planning for early. In Nigeria that usually means approaching lecturers who taught you, giving them your CV and your statement of purpose, and following up in person. Allow weeks, not days.
Three of the six awards carry a date. Three are still open. Three are undated and three recur. The busiest months are December, February and June, one award closing in each.
Three awards close soonest, and these are the ones to work on first:
The University of Twente award runs in rounds, with the first opening on 15 October and closing on 1 February. The Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LexS) closes on 1 February for programmes starting 1 September. The Erasmus University MBA Scholarship says only “see details”, so its date is on the award page.
Masters programmes in the Netherlands generally begin in September, and scholarship deadlines sit months before that. A December or February closing date is not early — it is the normal rhythm, and it lands in the same period you are chasing transcripts.
Start with the three dated awards above. They are the ones where the clock is running and where you can see the deadline without opening anything else.
Then work through the practical order that actually gets an application submitted:
One more figure worth holding. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics recorded 162 Nigerian students in the Netherlands in 2019, ranking the country 48th as a destination for Nigerian students. That is a small community. It means the Netherlands is not a crowded route, and it also means you are unlikely to find a large informal network already there to guide you. Plan as though you are doing this on your own paperwork, because in most cases you will be.
Are you a Nigerian student dreaming of studying in the heart of Europe? The Netherlands, with its globally ranked universities, innovative research environment, and multicultural society, offers exceptional scholarship opportunities for students worldwide. Whether you're pursuing a master's degree or an MBA, the Dutch government and universities offer fully funded and partially funded scholarships to help you unlock your academic potential.
In this comprehensive guide, we explore the top scholarships in the Netherlands for international students for the academic year 2026-2027. These scholarships not only cover tuition fees but also provide monthly stipends, health insurance, travel allowance, and more.
Let’s discover how you can study at prestigious Dutch institutions like TU Delft, Erasmus University, University of Groningen, Maastricht University, Utrecht University, and others—with little to no financial burden.
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2019.
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