Picture two students applying to the same Dutch master’s program: one has an IELTS 7.0, the other has never sat the test but spent three years earning a bachelor’s degree taught entirely in English. In the Netherlands, both of them are frequently treated the same. That’s the quiet reality behind the country’s reputation as Europe’s most English-friendly non-native-speaking destination — over 2,100 English-taught programs, and a scholarship system that often cares more about where your English came from than which test proved it.

A Country Built Around English-Taught Degrees

The Netherlands doesn’t run a single flagship “no-IELTS” government scholarship the way some countries do — instead, its accessibility comes from the sheer density of English-medium instruction and a widespread institutional habit of accepting a Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter in place of a fresh test. TU Delft’s own scholarship guidance puts it plainly: if your prior education was not in English, you need a certificate; the implication being that if it was, you may not.

Where the MOI Route Actually Works

Rather than one central policy, each Dutch university decides its own accepted English-proficiency list — TOEFL, Cambridge Certificates, Duolingo, and MOI letters all appear across different institutions’ pages, sometimes alongside IELTS and sometimes explicitly instead of it. Before you assume a waiver applies to you, check your specific program’s page, since Dutch universities set this at the faculty level rather than university-wide.

Before shortlisting scholarships, it’s worth understanding your study in Netherlands financial aid picture in full — a partial scholarship still leaves a residence permit’s proof-of-funds requirement and mandatory health insurance to plan for, both covered in Section 4.

2. Requirements to Waive IELTS for Dutch Universities and Residence Permits

University/Scholarship Admission vs. Dutch Residence Permit Requirements

The Dutch residence permit for study process, handled through the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service), assesses your admission letter, proof of financial means, and health insurance — it does not independently mandate an English test. The language-proficiency requirement is set entirely by your university and chosen program, so once that’s satisfied through IELTS, an MOI letter, or an accepted alternative, there’s no separate test required specifically for the residence permit itself.

How to Get an Official MOI Letter

Request this directly from your previous institution’s registrar, on official letterhead, confirming your degree was delivered wholly in English. Several university scholarship pages — including TU Delft’s — phrase the requirement as conditional (“if your previous education was not in English”), meaning this document functions as a genuine substitute rather than a supplementary extra.

Alternative Accepted Tests and Certificates (TOEFL, Duolingo, Cambridge, MOI)

  • Commonly accepted alongside IELTS: TOEFL iBT, Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), and Duolingo English Test
  • MOI/prior-education route: A certificate confirming your bachelor’s or secondary education was delivered wholly in English
  • University-specific policy: Requirements are set per faculty, so a Master’s in Economics at one university may accept a different test list than a Master’s in Law at the same institution

Always confirm the exact accepted list on your specific program’s official page before assuming a general “Dutch universities don’t need IELTS” rule applies to your case.

3. List of Netherlands Scholarships Without IELTS

3.1 NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship)

Coverage: €5,000, paid in the first year of study | Degree Level: Bachelor’s & Master’s | English Requirement: Set entirely by the participating institution you apply to; the scholarship itself does not administer a separate English test.
🔗 Official site: studyinnl.org/finances/nl-scholarship

Jointly financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Dutch higher education institutions, the NL Scholarship (rebranded from “Holland Scholarship” in 2024) has awarded over 10,000 scholarships to international students since 2015. Because the scholarship itself sets no language policy of its own — deferring entirely to each participating university’s admission requirements — an applicant who satisfies their target institution’s English requirement through an MOI letter or accepted alternative test remains fully eligible, with no additional scholarship-specific hurdle layered on top.

3.2 TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Coverage: Justus & Louise van Effen Scholarship (Full Tuition + Stipend); TU Delft Global Initiative Scholarship Fund (targeted at Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia) | Degree Level: Master’s | English Requirement: IELTS/TOEFL standard applies, but an English proficiency certificate is only required if your previous education was not conducted in English.
🔗 Official site: tudelft.nl/en/education/study-programme-orientation/practical-matters/scholarships

One of Europe’s leading technical universities, TU Delft layers its flagship van Effen Scholarship with regional funds targeting students from lower-income countries, all assessed through a single scholarship application submitted alongside your MSc admission. TU Delft’s own scholarship documentation frames the English requirement conditionally — “if you are from a non-English speaking country or your previous education was not in English, you need to provide a valid English proficiency certificate” — meaning applicants whose prior degree was already delivered in English can reasonably request an exemption rather than sitting a fresh test.

3.3 Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarship

Coverage: €30,000–€34,000 total (Full Tuition Waiver + Monthly Stipend) | Degree Level: Master’s | English Requirement: Standard proficiency required (typically TOEFL or IELTS), verified once during your Master’s program admission rather than separately for the scholarship.
🔗 Official site: maastrichtuniversity.nl/support/your-studies-begin/coming-maastricht-university-abroad/um-scholarships-students-abroad

Combining Maastricht’s own institutional scholarship fund with NL Scholarship money, this program offers roughly 18-24 full scholarships annually to highly talented non-EU students admitted to a Maastricht Master’s program. Because scholarship consideration is triggered automatically once you register for an eligible Master’s program via Studielink, applicants who cleared Maastricht’s admission requirement through an MOI letter or accepted alternative face no separate English test specifically tied to the scholarship application itself.

3.4 University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam Merit Scholarship)

Coverage: Tuition fee + €5,000 additional allowance (Master’s, one year, non-renewable) or up to €25,900 (Law) | Degree Level: Bachelor’s & Master’s | English Requirement: Multiple certifications accepted, including Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (190+ points) or Certificate of Proficiency in English, not IELTS exclusively.
🔗 Official site: uva.nl/en/education/fees-and-funding/masters-scholarships-and-loans/scholarships-and-loans.html

The University of Amsterdam awards the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS) directly through each Graduate School’s own admissions office, with eligibility criteria and deadlines varying by faculty rather than a single university-wide process. Because UvA’s accepted test list spans Cambridge English qualifications alongside TOEFL and IELTS, applicants with a Cambridge Certificate — or any of the university’s other listed alternatives — remain on equal footing for the scholarship regardless of which specific test cleared their English requirement.

3.5 Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS)

Coverage: €10,000, €15,000, or full non-statutory tuition difference (varies by faculty) | Degree Level: Master’s | English Requirement: Standard Leiden admission policy per program; selection criteria focus on academic excellence rather than which specific English test was used.
🔗 Official site: universiteitleiden.nl/en/scholarships/sea/leiden-university-excellence-scholarship-lexs

Leiden’s flagship non-EEA scholarship is awarded purely on academic merit — prior grades, class ranking, and program fit — with the university’s own guidance confirming eligibility hinges on “excellent study results relevant to the program,” not a specific standardized test score. Because the scholarship application happens through the same online system as your Master’s admission, applicants who satisfied Leiden’s English requirement through an MOI letter or an accepted alternative test carry that clearance directly into the LExS selection process without an extra language check.

3.6 Erasmus University Rotterdam Scholarships

Coverage: €5,000–€15,000 (NL Scholarship, faculty-dependent); RSM Non-EEA Scholarship of Excellence (up to €23,106); Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship (€17,500) | Degree Level: Bachelor’s & Master’s | English Requirement: Standard EUR admission policy per faculty; multiple accepted test types beyond IELTS.
🔗 Official site: eur.nl/en/education/practical-matters/financial-matters/scholarships-grants/prospective-students-rotterdam/holland-scholarship-prospective

Erasmus University Rotterdam runs one of the Netherlands’ most layered scholarship structures, stacking the NL Scholarship with faculty-specific awards like the RSM Non-EEA Scholarship of Excellence and the broader Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship, each with its own deadline and eligibility profile. Because each faculty — from the Rotterdam School of Management to the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management — sets its own English-proficiency policy independently, applicants should check their specific program’s requirements page rather than assuming a single university-wide test rule applies across all of EUR’s scholarship tracks.

3.7 Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMD)

Coverage: €1,400/month stipend, tuition, travel allowance (up to €33,600 total per student) | Degree Level: Master’s (studied across 2+ European countries, frequently including Dutch partner universities) | English Requirement: Standard consortium policy applies; applicants from English-medium academic backgrounds are frequently exempt from a formal test.
🔗 Official site: eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en

Erasmus Mundus funds joint Master’s degrees delivered by consortia spanning multiple European countries, with Dutch institutions — including several TU Delft and Erasmus University-linked programs — participating in a meaningful share of the catalogue’s 200+ programmes. Several EMJMD consortia explicitly list exemptions for “nationals of English-speaking countries or graduates from universities where the medium of instruction is exclusively English,” giving genuine MOI-route applicants a documented path in — though because each consortium sets its own exact policy, always confirm the specific program page in the official catalogue before assuming your exemption applies.

4. Step-by-Step Application Strategy for 2027

How to Request an MOI Letter From Your University Registrar

  1. Email your previous institution’s registrar at least 8 weeks before your earliest deadline
  2. Request an official letter on headed paper confirming your degree was delivered wholly in English
  3. Check your target university’s specific scholarship page for wording like “if your previous education was not in English” — this conditional phrasing signals a genuine MOI exemption rather than a strict IELTS mandate
  4. Submit this alongside your standard admission application, since most Dutch scholarship applications are folded directly into the Master’s admission process rather than run separately

Application Timelines: NL Scholarship vs. Institutional Scholarships

NL Scholarship deadlines are set by each participating institution individually rather than centrally, so check your specific university’s own scholarship page for the exact date rather than assuming a single nationwide deadline. Most institutional scholarships (Maastricht, Leiden, UvA, TU Delft) run on a 1 February deadline tied to the September intake, with results typically published by mid-May — though always verify against your specific faculty’s page, since exceptions exist.

Beyond the scholarship itself, budget for costs that none of these programs typically cover in full: mandatory Dutch health insurance, the proof-of-funds documentation required for your residence permit, and a low-fee international transfer service such as Wise for moving remaining funds without heavy bank markups. Understanding your full study in Netherlands financial aid picture — not just the scholarship’s headline value — is what actually determines whether the offer is liveable.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Will the IND grant a Dutch residence permit without IELTS?
Yes, in the vast majority of cases. The Dutch residence permit process assesses your admission letter, proof of financial means, and health insurance — not an independent English test score. The language-proficiency requirement is set entirely by your university and chosen program, so once that’s satisfied through IELTS, an MOI letter, or an accepted alternative, there is no separate test required specifically for the residence permit itself.

Is an MOI letter cheaper and faster than IELTS for 2027?
Yes, in almost every case where it’s accepted. An MOI letter is typically issued free of charge by your previous institution’s registrar within a couple of weeks, compared to the cost and scheduling required for IELTS. The trade-off is that MOI acceptance is decided program by program, and phrasing varies — some universities state it conditionally (like TU Delft), while others simply list it as one of several accepted proof types, so confirm your specific target program’s exact wording before assuming it clears you.

6. Conclusion & Checklist

  • [ ] Confirm whether your specific faculty (not just the general university policy) phrases its English requirement conditionally on your prior education’s teaching language
  • [ ] Request your MOI letter early, on official letterhead, confirming your prior degree was delivered wholly in English
  • [ ] Check whether your target scholarship is folded directly into the Master’s admission application, since most Dutch scholarships don’t require a separate form
  • [ ] Note that scholarship programs change year to year in the Netherlands (some, like Utrecht’s Excellence Scholarship, have recently been discontinued) — always verify current availability directly on the official page
  • [ ] Budget for Dutch health insurance and residence permit proof-of-funds requirements separately from your tuition scholarship
  • [ ] Re-verify every scholarship’s current deadline and language policy directly on the official link before applying

7. Disclaimer

“Without IELTS” does not mean without any proof of English proficiency. Every scholarship on this list still requires some form of documented qualification — whether that’s an MOI letter, IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo, or a Cambridge English certificate. Which requirement applies depends entirely on your chosen program’s own admission policy, set at the faculty level rather than university-wide — the Netherlands’ residence permit process does not add a separate national English test requirement on top of this, but it does require its own financial and health insurance documentation. Always confirm the exact accepted route directly on the university’s official page before applying, as policies and scholarship availability change between admissions cycles.

Scholarships Without IELTS