Erasmus Trustfonds - EMPO Scholarship (EMPO Beurzen Fonds)

EMPO Scholarship (EMPO Beurzen Fonds)

You get a needs-based grant to study the two-year Educatieve Master Primair Onderwijs (EMPO). This master's programme at Erasmus University Rotterdam trains primary-school teachers for the big city. The exact amount is not published. It is worked out to fit your financial situation and runs for the length of the master's, up to two years, as long as you stay enrolled and take part. The money comes from the Erasmus Trustfonds, a fund that supports education and research at the university. On top of the scholarship, every EMPO student gets a placement allowance for their time teaching in a school: 185 EUR per month in the first year and 250 EUR per month in the second, paid directly by the placement school. You also pay only half the standard tuition fee in both years.

Who can apply

• Programme: You are admitted to the EMPO master's at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
• New students only: You are newly admitted. If you are already partway through the programme, you cannot apply.
• Financial need: You need financial help and can prove it with documents.
• Other funding first: You have already used the government and university funding available to you.
• Language: The programme is taught in Dutch and studied full time, so you must be able to follow it in Dutch.

How to apply

Apply by email to the EMPO office before 1 July in the year before your studies start. Your admission to the EMPO programme must be finalised before the scholarship can be confirmed. Send your study application on time: the deadline is 1 June for EEA students and 1 May for non-EEA students.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is cut narrowly. Only newly admitted EMPO students who can prove genuine financial need qualify, so few people compete for it. If you fit that specific programme and can document your need clearly, your prospects are good. A well-evidenced case for hardship, showing you have already used up other funding, matters most here.