I was dreaming to study abroad ever since I started watching Youtube bloggers studying in the US. But in the 10th grade I and my parents concretely decided that I will do my Bachelor's in Ukraine, because of the financial state, and then go to study Master's wherever I want (aka wherever I will win a scholarship). However in 2022 a massive war in my country started and I immigrated abroad, to the Netherlands to be specific. Why? Because my elder sister lives here.

When I came here, it was the second time in this country and in less than a month I started checking universities' websites in the Netherlands and not only because I knew that in the nearest future I will need to go to university but now Ukraine seemed to be the worst scenario. I decided that I want to try to apply to Erasmus University Rotterdam after hearing lots of stories that this is a really prestige university in Europe.

The main factors why I chose to study in the Netherlands:

Huge variety of courses taught in English
International-oriented universities (but not all!)
Availability of the programme that I wanted (I was looking for something related to Marketing)

Application process & Scholarships

From my experience, I was applying to three universities (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Willem De Kooning Academy, and The Hague University of Applied Sciences) in the last days before the deadline and I got into all of them. Of course worth mentioning that it also depends on the major you want to study, if that is IBA at EUR then I don't think that is gonna fly, there is quite a competitive selection. So keep in mind that you need to apply as soon as possible and you will easily get in if you meet all requirements.

Requirements vary on the course you choose but those were for me:

IELTS 7.0/ TOEFL 92/ Cambridge C1-C2 (if applicable)
OMPT(A) min.70% /Sat Math level 1 with a minimum score of 540 (if applicable)
Motivational letter
Passport/ ID
School diploma

The application process to any Dutch university runs through one system - Studielink

As for the scholarship, for me, there was a tough choice because I was able to apply to only one scholarship as a Ukrainian - Holland Scholarship. Unfortunately, I did not get this one, and honestly out of ~200 people I know only 1 person did get it. So, you should take a shot but I would not rely that much on this benefit.

" The Holland Scholarship is meant for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their Bachelor's or Master's Degree at participating Universities in Holland. The scholarship amounts to € 5,000 which you will receive this in the first year of your studies." - click to read about scholarships for international students in the NL.