Cultuurfonds - Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten - Cultuurfonds Scholarship

What the Cultuurfonds scholarship gives you

You get a grant of up to 25,000 EUR to study or do research abroad after finishing a Dutch degree. The award covers up to half of your total budget. It pays for rent, living costs, tuition fees and one return trip. The scholarship runs for at least one full study year, starting in July, and you can also apply for a two-year master's programme. It comes from het Cultuurfonds (formerly the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds), which awards around 250 of these scholarships each year. The Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) points its students to it, but the money comes from the Cultuurfonds, not the university. Study materials and other costs abroad are not covered.

Who can apply

• Degree: You have finished, or are about to finish, a Dutch higher-education degree (an art academy, a conservatory or an academic programme). A foreign diploma counts if the Netherlands recognises it as equivalent.
• Where you go: You study or research abroad and live in the country where you study. It must lead to a master's title or be doctoral research. Art and music applicants apply for a full-time programme.
• Field of study: Open to all disciplines, from visual art, design, architecture, fashion, music, theatre, dance and film to academic subjects like applied mathematics, archaeology, international politics, medicine or history.
• Nationality or residence: You hold Dutch nationality, or you have lived in the Netherlands for at least 5 years.
• Grades: You have a grade average above 8, or can otherwise prove above-average performance.
• Timing: From July, your programme must still have at least one study year left. You may have already started, but there is no funding for time already spent.
• First time: You have not received a Cultuurfonds scholarship before.

How to apply

Apply through the Cultuurfonds online portal between 1 February and 1 April, with the final deadline at 23:59 on 1 April. Only complete applications are reviewed. An advisory committee assesses eligible applications at the end of May (visual art) or early June (music), and you hear the result in writing about three weeks later.

How realistic are your chances?

Around 250 scholarships go out each year, so the pool is large. But so is the demand: the Cultuurfonds says it receives more applications than the budget allows. Your grades and residency filter out many applicants, so a strong average above 8 plus a convincing motivation and portfolio genuinely matter. If you clearly meet the conditions and submit a complete, well-prepared file, your prospects are solid.