The list of eligible short courses can be downloaded (as pdf, 193 kB). The main criteria for eligibility of courses on the list are relevance of the course and cost efficiency. It should be noted that this list is a provisional list, based on a survey conducted among all potential Dutch providers in early 2005.

The website should be consulted for the latest information, because information may be altered and courses might be added well into 2006.

Eligibility  
A candidate applying for a fellowship for a short course must:

• be a national of and working in one of the 57 developing countries on the list;
• have been unconditionally admitted by a Dutch institution to one of the short courses on the current list;
  This means that the applicant must have met all the requirements set by the Dutch institution;
• have completed an NFP Short Course Application Form and have submitted all the required documentation to the Netherlands embassy or consulate;
• be nominated by the employer, who pledges to continue payment of the candidate's salary and to hold a job open while the employee is in the Netherlands. It may be acceptable if the employer states that at least part of the salary will continue to be paid, and that the organization complies with all the formal NFP requirements if the fellowship is awarded. It should be realized, however, that NFP allowances are not sufficient to support family members, either in the home country or in the Netherlands;
• provide statements explaining the motivation of both the applicant and the employer;
• not be employed by a large industrial, commercial and/or multinational firm;
• offer evidence of proficiency in speaking and writing the language of instruction (English in most cases).
  Candidates who have received their tertiary education in any language other than English must provide evidence in the form of a score in an internationally recognized test, such as IELTS (a score of at least
  6.0) or TOEFL (a score of at least 550 points on the paper based test or 213 points on the computer-based test). An exception to this rule is made for candidates who have received their tertiary education in the English language, and for candidates who have attended a course or programme with a Dutch  educational institution before, but no longer than four years ago;
• be available for the entire period of the course and be physically and mentally able to take part in the entire course;
• declare that they will return to their home country immediately after the short course has ended.

Joint Courses
A number of short courses takes place, partly or as a whole, in one of the NFP countries. NFP fellowships will be available only for participants originating from the NFP country where (part of) the course takes place and for participants from a neighbouring country.

The application and selection procedure  
The application procedure consists of the following steps:

Application for admission at a Dutch educational institution
1) Applicants first apply for admission to the short course of their choice. Applications should always be directed to the Dutch provider of the course. The short courses overview (download as pdf, 90 kB) provides the academic application deadlines for each short course.
2) The provider assesses the application and decides whether or not the applicant's educational background and other experience meet the specific requirements for the course in question. The provider then informs all applicants of its decisions. Candidates who have been accepted receive a letter to this effect.

Candidates are eligible for a fellowship only if they have been admitted to the course of their choice and meet all the criteria. Being admitted to more than one course does not mean that the candidate can apply for more than one fellowship. Candidates will have to select one course before applying for a fellowship.

Application for a fellowship
3) Candidates then apply for an NFP fellowship through the Netherlands embassy or consulate in their own country. Some embassies require applications to be submitted in duplicate. In some countries applications have to be submitted to the embassies through local governmental organizations. Candidates are therefore advised to check any local regulations with the Netherlands embassy in their country.
4) Candidates must complete an NFP Short Course Application Form and submit it together with all the required documents to the embassy or consulate. These forms can be obtained from the embassy or consulate and can also be downloaded (as pdf, 113 kB).
5) There are several fellowship application deadlines for short courses (download as pdf, 53 kB). Each entry on the short courses overview indicates which deadline applies at the various Netherlands embassies and consulates.
Candidates should NOT send their fellowship application forms directly to Nuffic or to the Dutch provider, but should forward them to the Netherlands embassy or consulate in their own country.
6) Completed fellowship application forms must be submitted to the Netherlands embassy or consulate in the applicant's own country. The embassy or consulate checks each application against the criteria listed above, giving special attention to the following:

• whether the application was submitted before the deadline;
• whether the candidate has presented a letter of admission to the short course in question;
• whether the information accompanying the application is complete and correct, and whether the required documentation (such as passport, diplomas and language test) is in order;
• whether the course is on the list of short courses starting in 2006;
• whether the course has added value for the sustainable capacity development of the employing organization and the development of the NFP country;
• whether the employer has provided a statement endorsing the application and guaranteeing that the candidates salary will be paid in full or in part during his or her absence and that a job will be held open for him or her;
• whether the candidate can offer proof of a sufficient command of the language of instruction;
• whether the candidate fulfils any other specific requirements set by the embassy, consulate or country in question.

Important news about the Embassies. Read more.

7) The embassies and consulates forward all fellowship applications that meet all the criteria to Nuffic.
8) Nuffic decides how many fellowships will be available for each course. The allocation of fellowships over the various courses is based on the number of eligible fellowship applicants for each course.
9) The Dutch providers select the candidates who will receive fellowships. The provider informs all candidates directly of their decisions, and applies to Nuffic for a grant.
10) Nuffic awards the grant for the provider to cover the fellowship holders' costs, including the tuition fees. The provider pays each fellowship holder a subsistence allowance for the duration of the short course.
11) The Dutch providers will be responsible for administering fellowships, making logistical arrangements, and giving guidance to the fellowship holders.

Deadline for applications  
On the short course overview (download as pdf, 90 kB), each entry includes the application deadlines for academic admission and a reference to the fellowship application deadline set by the Netherlands embassies and consulates. These specific deadlines are listed for each country in an annex to the overview: ‘Fellowship application deadlines of Netherlands embassies and consulates for short courses starting in 2006' (download as pdf, 53 kB).

A letter of admission should be in the candidate's possession well before the embassy's deadline for submitting fellowship applications. Therefore, candidates are strongly advised to start the application procedure for admission as early as possible.