Scholarship FAQ

If granted a scholarship, candidate complies with the scholarship rules and regulations, one of which is that upon termination of the scholarship you will return to your own country.

A Nuffic scholarship for an in-person course is a partial scholarship and covers your tuition fee, international and domestic travel costs to/from and in the Netherlands, accommodation in the Netherlands for the duration of the course, medical insurance, and two meals a day. Visa costs can only be reimbursed on show of the receipt and up to a maximum amount. Maximum reimbursement for:

• OKP: up to € 80
• MENA: up to € 30,-

For an online course, your Nuffic scholarship will only cover your tuition fee. It will NOT cover equipment or internet coverage for the course.

If you would like to apply for a (partial) Nuffic scholarship through the Orange Knowledge Programme or MENA Scholarship Programme, you need to first register at RNTC website here. If RNTC notifies you that you are eligible for a scholarship, you can finalize your scholarship application with Nuffic (through the Delta system). If you are eligible, you will receive more details in a separate email..

No, Nuffic scholarships are only available for courses of 2 weeks or longer.

Yes, as a RNTC Alumni you can register and apply again for the Nuffic scholarship program.

You will have to meet the Nuffic scholarship program criteria that can be found on our website.
For OKP scholarships make sure to check the OKP Country Focus document and other information on the Nuffic OKP website. 
For MSP scholarships make sure to check the MSP Country Focus document and other information on the Nuffic MSP website. 

If you are shortlisted for a scholarship for a RNTC course, the Netherlands Embassy in your country will evaluate your application not only on its own merit, but also on how it fits with the embassy's country focus as described in this document. In both of the above scenarios, the Netherlands Embassy in your country will assess your application based on its relevance for the country.

They will specifically be looking at:

• The degree to which you, the applicant, fit the target group
• How well you are able to implement the newly acquired knowledge in your daily work
• The extent to which the knowledge and skills gained will contribute to the development of the country
• How well you have described your plan to use the skills learned and how easily they can be implemented at your place of work

You will be required to motivate your application with a letter, which will be evaluated by RNTC, Nuffic and the Netherlands Embassy in your country should you be shortlisted. Your letter of motivation weighs heavily in the selection procedure. Make it count!

The questions that are asked in your Nuffic application are:

• What is the social issue or problem you want to address in your country?
• How will this course enable you to address this issue?
• How will you address this issue from your position within your organisation?

• Put a lot of effort into writing your letter of motivation. This motivation will be evaluated by RNTC, Nuffic and the Netherlands embassy in your country and weighs heavily in the selection procedure.
• Be creative, clear and focus on the actual social problem to be solved.
• Focus as much as possible on the social impact when you will return from the course and will bring into practice what you have learned at RNTC. Do not focus (too much) on your own personal gain
• How will your community benefit from your new acquired knowledge and how will your knowledges be part of the solution for the social issue in your country!
• Be extensive in your plan of activities, show what you plan to do in the set timeline.
• Check the country focus document with the priority themes for your country. Your application and Employer’s Statement should be aligned with the country focus and priority themes. The Netherlands Embassy will take a close look at this.
• Fill in all the required documents exactly as specified by Nuffic. If you do not follow their exact instructions, Nuffic will simply reject your application no matter how good a candidate you are. Use the Nuffic Employer's Statement provided and make sure you complete the form. Use an official letterhead, get the signature of your employer/superior and make sure the document is stamped by your organization. If a government statement is required for your country, please use the Government Statement format provided by Nuffic.
• Read the RNTC instructions carefully and follow them exactly. If anything unclear you can of course reach out to us for assistance.

The questions that are asked in your Nuffic application are:

• What is the issue or problem you want to address in your country?
• How will this course enable you to address this issue?
• How will you address this issue with your position within your organisation?

Use only the Employer's Statement format provided by Nuffic and make sure you fill our both pages. Use an official letterhead, make sure your employer/superior has signed the document and that it is stamped by your organisation. If a government statement is required for your country, make sure to use the Government Statement format provided by Nuffic.

Government Statement MSP
Government Statement OKP

Both scholarship programmes explicitly encourage women to apply.

If you applied before and were considered eligible by both RNTC and Nuffic, but were not awarded a scholarship, it’s definitely worth trying again! It is also worth applying again if you were not considered eligible, but your situation has changed, and you now meet all of the criteria. If you had your heart set on a particular course and you don’t want to wait to re-apply for a scholarship, there is always the possibility to register on your own costs or paid by your organisation. 

English is the working language of our courses. If you come from a country where English is the official / national language or if English was the language in which you undertook higher education, your spoken and written English will be sufficient, and proof of proficiency will not be required. In all other cases, we may ask for a certified statement from a recognized authority establishing your proficiency in spoken and written English. The required level of your command of English should be equivalent to a TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based), 79-80 (internet-based) or 213 (computer-based), and 6 for IELTS. In case of any doubt, we may want to conduct a telephone/Skype interview with you. 

You don’t need a reference number, just leave the field empty / blank.

Please select ‘small business’ here. Do not select ‘media’ or ‘large business,’ because then you will be regarded as the employee of a commercial or private company with sufficient funds of its own to cover the costs of your training.

Many applications are rejected because the employer’s statement was not complete, so please be sure to read the following tips carefully. T

1. On the first page, your employer must declare that your salary will continue to be paid; your position at the company will be kept open; that you will not be assigned any tasks during the scholarship period; and that they are available to answer any questions regarding your application. Be as factual and transparent as possible. Do not leave room for confusion.

2. On the second page, your employer needs to provide a plan on how the knowledge you’ll acquire during your course at RNTC will be implemented when you return to your home country. It is very important that this be as detailed as possible. Use this as an opportunity to dream big within a realistic space – how is studying with us going to affect real change in your workplace, business community and society at large?

Nuffic or your local Netherlands Embassy may contact your employer to verify your employment, so make sure that your employer's contact details are included and accurate.

Requirements Employer's statement:

• Only use attached Employer's Statement template
• Remove the Nuffic logo and adapt with the organization's logo and letterhead
• A recommendation letter is not an Employer's Statement
• An Employer's Statement is:
  • At least two pages
  • Signed by your superior
  • Stamped
  • Provided with daytime contact details, including phone and mobile number of your employer. The Dutch Embassy might contact them to verify your employment. Your application will be marked as ineligible if your Employer cannot be reached
  • Align the Employer's Statement with your country focus as the Dutch embassy uses these criteria for selection
• Freelancers need to provide a complete Employer's Statement too:
  • You are allowed to draw up and sign the Statement yourself
  • Add your own logo and letterhead to the statement
  • Add your track record or portfolio and recommendation(s) from a client to the statement and upload it as one file
  • All of the above requirements are applicable

You can download the format here

Yes, freelancers are most welcome! 

You will have to write and submit the employer’s statement yourself, but please make sure that it meets all the criteria that Nuffic has specified in the Employer’s Statement. This includes the use of an official letterhead and the addition of an official stamp with your or your company’s name on it, next to your signature.

You can download the format here

The Delta application system should send you an email confirmation after you have uploaded your application. RNTC will also review your Delta application and will send you a confirmation if your Delta application is complete. If not complete, you will receive new instructions from RNTC to complete your Delta application.

RNTC shortlists a number of applicants for a scholarship. If you are shortlisted, your application will then be considered by the relevant Netherlands Embassy for your country. The final decision on whether to award you a scholarship is not taken by RNTC but by the Netherlands Embassy. They make the decision, based on the (development) priorities they have established and publicized. Your motivation letter and employer's statement will weigh heavily in the selection process.

If you have been shortlisted for a scholarship, RNTC will inform you. All those who were shortlisted for a Nuffic scholarships will then be informed whether or not they have been nominated as a scholarship recipient no later than three months after the scholarship deadline. As soon as RNTC knows that you have been awarded a scholarship, we will contact you to start preparations for you to come to the Netherlands to attend the course.

Please follow the instructions below to save a Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) document into PDF format.

• If you have Microsoft Office version 2007 or later, you can click on File/Save as. A ‘save as’ screen will pop up, click on the drop-down box ‘save as,’ and choose ‘PDF’.
• If you have an earlier version of Microsoft Office, follow the instructions below on how to save other files in PDF format.
• PDF printer: It is possible that you already have a PDF printer installed on your computer. In this case you can ‘print’ your document to PDF. To do this: click File / Print and then choose the (Adobe) PDF printer instead of your default printer in the print Menu. (Do not use quick print, as the system will then choose the default printer automatically. Instead use the full print function in your software).
• Local desktop software: It is possible that you already have software on your computer that can convert files to PDF format. Please check with your system administrator. If you have administrator rights, you can also install a free PDF creator on your computer. There are several free PDF creators available for download on the internet. An example is PDFCreator (http://www.pdfforge.org). Go to the download page and download the application. You can find the user manual on the support page.
• Online: There are several websites where you can convert your document to PDF format for free. An example is www.freepdfconvert.com. Click on the ‘browse’ button to choose the file you want to convert to PDF, fill in your email address and click on ‘Convert Your File.’ The file will be sent to you in PDF format. Please make sure that the website you are using has a privacy policy that protects your confidential information.

You can get a good idea of how much it costs to live in the Netherlands, by clicking here.

We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation carefully. Due to the ever-changing conditions, there is a possibility that travel to The Netherlands will be restricted and the course will need to be conducted online. RNW Media/RNTC will make a final decision well before the course start date. Don’t hesitate to contact us in case you have any questions: info@rntc.com.

• Most Netherlands Embassies have OKP or MSP scholarship officers who can also assist you. Contact your nearest Netherlands embassy and ask for the Nuffic Officer
• Contact RNTC's course secretariat at info@rntc.com