If you have already started your studies at AUC, then in order for your application for an ASF Scholarship to be considered:

• You must be currently enrolled as a student at AUC. 
• There has to have been an unanticipated, sudden and drastic change (all three criteria) in your family's financial circumstances since the most recent ASF deadline (1 November 2024).
• Your family income has to be below the threshold as explained below.

Family income threshold

Your family income must be below a certain amount for you to be eligible for an ASF Scholarship.

• Your family income is defined as the total annual income before tax deductions of both of your parents/guardians. This includes non-taxable income such as benefits or pensions.
• If you are not Dutch and not eligible for Dutch student finance (studiefinancering), the family income threshold is EUR 77,000.
• If you are Dutch and/or eligible for Dutch student finance (studiefinancering), the additional grant from DUO is used to measure your family income. You must receive or be eligible for the maximum additional grant (aanvullende beurs) from DUO.

You will need to send financial documents about your family income with your scholarship application. Only the total amount of your family income will be revealed to the Selection Committee members, and only to them. They will not see your financial documents. These will be used strictly internally and only to verify the information provided. 

1. Application deadlines (current students only)

Late applications cannot be accepted, so please make sure you meet the deadline.

2. Selection (April-May)

• The ASF Selection Committee meets in April to consider all eligible applications.
• You will be notified in early May if you have been selected.
• No correspondence with the ASF Selection Committee or ASF Board about the selection is accepted.

3. Accepting a scholarship offer (June)

• To accept your scholarship offer, you must sign an acceptance form and return this before the deadline (usually in June).
• We may request that you provide some documentation proving you meet the conditions to receive the scholarship (e.g. copy of the confirmation from DUO that you are eligible for or will receive the maximum additional grant).

4. Scholarship payment starts (mid-September)

• Payment of your scholarship starts in mid-September. You can find more information in the Scholarship amounts and payment section. 

ASF Scholarships are awarded based on merit and financial need.

Selection criteria

The ASF Selection Committee uses the following criteria to select the applicants to be recommended for a scholarship - make sure you cover all of these in your letter of motivation for your application:

Your merit

• Academic merit, as indicated by your school results (if you are a first year) and performance (GPA) at AUC. If you want to communicate anything more to the Selection Committee about your academic ability and performance, make sure to include this in your letter of motivation. If you feel your recent grades are not representative of your academic ability, for example, you can explain in your letter of motivation why you believe you will perform well going forward at AUC.
• Strong motivation to complete your liberal arts and sciences degree at AUC.
• Extracurricular accomplishments and activities. Not only your individual accomplishments but also your contributions to the community or society. The ASF Selection Committee will be looking for their relevance to AUC and your (potential) leadership profile and skills.

Your financial need

• The severity of your financial need. Why is it important that you receive a scholarship? Make sure you explain clearly how your family’s financial circumstances have changed, and why you have not applied for a scholarship before.

Priorities for selection

• Standard ASF Scholarships are awarded to both Dutch and international students, but your application is likely to be considered first if you are a refugee, or if you completed your secondary education in the Netherlands and are the first generation in your family to go to university and/or you have a migration background. Full-ride scholarships are only awarded to students paying the non-statutory tuition fee (usually students from non-EEA countries), and only a very small number can be awarded each year. Priority will be given to new (incoming) first-years, so it is very unlikely that a current student can be awarded a full-ride scholarship.
• ASF Scholarships are awarded to Science, Social Sciences and Humanities majors, but applications from Science majors are considered first (as AUC aims for 50% Science majors).

Scholarship amounts

From September 2025, there are two levels for new ASF Scholarships:

• Standard: EUR 4000 (for Dutch and international students)
• Full-ride: EUR 26000 (for “non-EEA” students only*)
  *”Non-EEA” refers to those students who will pay the non-statutory tuition fee for AUC (instellingscollegegeld). These are usually students from non-EEA countries

Partial scholarships are also sometimes awarded.

The standard ASF Scholarship is intended to help cover some of the costs of studying at AUC.

The full-ride ASF Scholarship is intended to be sufficient to cover all of the costs of studying at AUC, including tuition fees. Only a very small number of full-ride scholarships can be awarded each year. Priority will be given to new (incoming) first-years, so it is very unlikely that a current student can be awarded a full-ride scholarship.

To compare the scholarship levels with the costs of studying at AUC, please follow the link to fees and costs.

Payment of ASF Scholarships

ASF Scholarships are paid directly to students in 10 instalments per year (one instalment per month, with no payments in July and August). You will need to have a Dutch bank account in your own name in order to receive scholarship instalments. Furthermore, you will be responsible for paying your AUC tuition fees yourself. The ASF cannot automatically pay your tuition fees for you.

Receiving an ASF Scholarship

To start receiving an ASF Scholarship as a current student:

• You must be fully enrolled at Amsterdam University College. A standard or full-ride ASF Scholarship cannot be transferred to another academic year or another academic programme.
• You must have satisfied all visa and residence permit requirements, if applicable.
• You must have provided documentation, if requested, to confirm your merit and financial need.
• You cannot receive another scholarship from elsewhere for the same period of study as a full-ride ASF Scholarship.
• You cannot receive a full-ride scholarship from elsewhere for the same period of study as a standard ASF Scholarship.
• If you have been awarded another scholarship, you must declare this to the ASF by sending an email so that it can be assessed if you will need to choose between the scholarships or if you can receive both.

Conditions for maintaining an ASF Scholarship

We have high expectations of ASF Scholarship holders. You will be expected to maintain good academic standing during your time at AUC, with good grades and no credit deficit, or you could risk losing your scholarship. You will be evaluated after each year of study at AUC, and your ASF Scholarship will be awarded automatically for another year if you:

• have successfully passed your first year (positive BSA decision or dispensation) [for current first-year students]
• are on track to graduate within three years/six semesters in total
• are maintaining a GPA of at least 7.0 or above (and preferably with a GPA > 8.0)
• can prove that your basis for financial need has not changed

If you do not meet one or more of these conditions, you will be offered an opportunity to submit a motivated request for renewal in which you can explain any extenuating circumstances. Your tutor will also be contacted and their advice/recommendation sought before a decision on renewal is taken. No renewal is possible in case of a negative BSA decision.

Other important conditions

• ASF Scholarships are not, in principle, awarded beyond the three years/six semesters within which AUC students are expected to graduate. If you do not graduate within three years, you will be offered an opportunity to submit a motivated request for an extension of your scholarship for a seventh semester, but there is no guarantee that this can be granted. Your tutor will also be contacted, and their advice/recommendation sought, before a decision on extension is taken.
• If you are receiving an ASF Scholarship and you decide to (or have to) end your studies at AUC without graduating, your ASF Scholarship will be terminated. You will be expected to reimburse the AUC Scholarship Fund in full for the ASF Scholarship payments you have already received.
• ASF Scholarship holders are important ambassadors for AUC and the Scholarship Fund. You will be expected to participate in activities with ASF sponsors and other AUC contacts, including the AUC alumni network, and to cooperate in the promotion of the ASF. If you unreasonably refuse to participate in such activities, this can put the continuation of your ASF Scholarship at risk.

If you have any questions about the information above, please first consult the AUC Scholarship Fund FAQs. If you cannot find the answer in the FAQs, please contact the ASF using the link below.