Kicking off the new year, two of the most popular scholarships from the Netherlands are opening up applications for graduate and undergraduate students. 

Studeren in Nederland (StuNed), a scholarship program for those who want to continue their studies in the Netherlands, is offering a masters degree scholarship opportunity, kompas.com reported on Tuesday.  

StuNed offers a full scholarship that covers tuition, living cost and travel expenses. The scholarship is also offered for fresh graduates, as long as the applicants already have a letter of acceptance (LoA) from their university of choice. 

StuNed is a bilateral scholarship program established in 2000 and has produced more than 4,000 alumni from various fields of study. 

Those interested are encouraged to apply, as the StuNed application process will end on Mar.15. More info can be obtained on nesoindonesia.or.id/beasiswa/stuned. Successful applicants will be able to start classes at their desired universities in September.

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Another scholarship offered by the Netherlands is the Orange Tulip Scholarship. Applicants need no LoA to apply for this scholarship. The application process for this scholarship will end Feb.1. More info about the Orange Tulip Scholarship can be obtained at http://www.nesoindonesia.or.id/beasiswa/orange-tulip-scholarship.

Coordinator of the Nuffic Neso Indonesia scholarship team, Indy Hardono said at the Holland Scholarship Day on Saturday, “Your motivation should be clearly outlined in the personal statement letter so that it gives a good reason for the scholarship giver on why you are worthy to be awarded the scholarship.”

Indy said the personal statement must be written carefully. The applicant must be able to paint a clear picture of him/herself in the statement.

“If the applicant only wants to get a masters degree because he has a high GPA from a famous university, or only want to go deeper into the studies already taken in the graduate school, the reasoning is not strong enough,” Indy added. 

The Holland Scholarship Day was held for the sixth time on Jan. 21 at the Erasmus Huis, Jakarta. The event, which was held by the Netherland Education Support Office (Nuffic Nesso) Indonesia, aimed to introduce a variety of scholarships for students looking to continue their studies in the Netherlands. 

Other scholarships presented at the event included the LPDP and Bappenas scholarship. (asw)