Utrecht Sylff Scholarships

Eligible candidates: outstanding graduates from

• University College Utrecht
• the English-taught Bachelor’s programme in Economics and Business Economics

Amount of scholarship: on average € 6,000 per year
Number of scholarships:     4
Provided by: Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF) Utrecht University

Aim of the programme

The Utrecht Sylff Scholarship offers a number of outstanding prospective graduates from University College Utrecht and the Bachelor’s programme in Economics and Business Economics the opportunity to pursue a Master’s programme in the field of Humanities, Social Sciences (including Economics) at Utrecht University. The scholarship programme is highly selective. Only the very best candidates are eligible for a Sylff grant. Candidates for the grant need to have potential leadership qualities.

Application

Graduates from University College Utrecht are invited to apply with the Dean of University College Utrecht, Prof. dr. R.F.J.M. van der Vaart (contact information below). Graduates from the Bachelor’s Economics and Business Economics are invited to apply with Prof. dr. C.J.M. Kool (contact information below).

Duration and number of scholarships

Selected students will receive a scholarship for a maximum period of 12 months. It is not possible to extend the grant.

Amount of scholarship

The average amount of the scholarship is €6 000, but awards are based on the comprehensive financial plan, which should demonstrate the extent of the need for additional funding. The Utrecht Sylff Scholarship is meant to make a significant contribution towards the costs of travel and living expenses while studying in Utrecht. It is necessary to find additional funding to be able to finance your study and stay completely. Scholarship holders will receive their grant in monthly instalments.

Eligibility criteria

The applicant must comply with the eligibility criteria in order to be considered for this scholarship. Failure to meet one or more of these criteria automatically leads to rejection of the application. The applicant should:

1. Be a student or recent graduate of one of the programmes mentioned above.
2. Hold a non-Dutch passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch system of study grants and loans (“Studiefinanciering”).
3. Have been admitted to one of the international Master’s programmes of Utrecht University in the field of Humanities or Social Sciences (including Economics).
4. Submit application documents that are accurate, complete and consistent (see application procedure).
5. Hold a relevant Bachelor’s degree.
6. Be able to comply with the conditions to obtain a Dutch residence permit (if applicable).

Selection criteria

Eligible candidates are selected for a scholarship on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Their academic excellence and promise in the proposed field of study.
2. The academic quality and concrete results of the preceding education, as evidenced, for example, by grades, test scores, publications, letters of recommendation.
3. The quality and relevance of the proposed study plan (academic content, academic and personal motivation).
4. The feasibility of the proposed study plan (language, intercultural and communication skills).
5. The quality and feasibility of the financial plan in the application.
6. The quality, relevance and feasibility of a proposed research plan for those applicants whose ambition is to continue with a PhD programme after completion of the Master's course. Evidence for this is, for example, a concrete innovative proposal, a recommendation by a prospective PhD-advisor, or even an offer of a PhD position, conditional upon the successful completion of the Master’s programme.
7. Their leadership qualities.
8. The quality of the application itself (level of completeness, accuracy, consistency).

Application procedure

Applications for a Utrecht Sylff Grant must include:

• The completed application form
• A passport photo
• An official transcript specifying the exams passed and grades obtained
• Curriculum Vitae mentioning extra curricular activities
• Clear statement of purpose for studying at Utrecht University, mentioning your personal and academic motivation and your future goals and ambitions (max 1.5 A4)
• Two academic references in English (at least one of these should be from a Faculty or Staff member of UCU or Utrecht University School of Economics)
• A comprehensive financial plan that shows the expected income from all sources and all costs (tuition, international travel in addition to the living expenses, standard Euro 9600 on a yearly basis), in order to provide insight in the additional funds needed from a scholarship in order to finance participation in the Master’s programme.

Selection procedure

A jury composed of professors will determine the order of priority of all the eligible candidates on the basis of the criteria above. Following the ranking proposed by the jury students will be nominated for the available grants. The grants are awarded for a specific Master's programme and starting date.

Submitting the application

Utrecht Sylff Scholarship applications from candidates for Master's programmes that start in September 2011 must be received before 1 March 2011.
Notification of the scholarship awards are expected in May.
Download the Sylff application form.

Applications (all documents in hard copy) should be sent to:

Applicants from UCU:                      Applicants from USE:
University College Utrecht                Utrecht School of Economics
Prof. dr. R.F.J.M. van der Vaart        Prof. dr. C.J.M. Kool
P.O. Box 80145                               Janskerkhof 12, Room 0.03
3508 TC Utrecht                              3512 BL Utrecht
The Netherlands                               The Netherlands

Further inquiries should be directed to the dean’s office by e-mail only, in order to ensure efficient response.