How to write a motivation letter for a Dutch university

At a glance

Length

1–2 pages

Or a word limit set by the programme (often 500–1,000 words). Many programmes list questions the letter has to answer — those come first.

Language

Same as the programme

English for an English-taught programme, Dutch for a Dutch-taught one.

Format

Short formal letter

Usually uploaded as a PDF. Open with “Dear Admissions Committee,” and close with “Kind regards,” or “Yours sincerely,”.

Tone

Direct and modest

Factual: say what you did and what you want — without overselling.

Type of university

Research or applied

Research universities (universiteiten) look for academic fit and interest in research. Universities of applied sciences (hogescholen) care more about practice and your career plans.

Where to submit

Studielink first

You first register for the programme in Studielink, the national application system. The university then gives you access to its own portal, where you upload the letter and other documents.

How to structure it

1. 1

   Opening: what you want and why

   Say which programme you're applying for and give the main reason in one or two sentences. No warm-up, no quotes.

2. 2

   Academic preparation

   Relevant courses, your thesis or projects and your grade on its original scale. Show that you can handle the level of the programme — for a Master's at a research university, that includes methods and independent work.

3. 3

   Experience that supports your choice

   One or two internships, jobs or projects that led you here: what you did, what came out of it, what you learned.

4. 4

   Why this programme at this university

   Name the track or theme, courses or research focus that drew you in. Dutch universities often offer programmes with similar names, so show what's specific about this one.

5. 5

   Goals

   What you want to do after graduating and how the programme helps you get there. Keep it realistic and concrete, then close briefly.

Common mistakes

• Overselling

  ✗“I am extremely passionate about data and exceptionally talented in programming.”

  ✓“I built Python dashboards that cut a weekly report from six hours to one.”

  “I am extremely passionate and highly talented” sounds empty to a Dutch reader. Let the facts speak and keep the tone level.

• Long, winding sentences

  ✗“Because I have always been interested in how data can improve processes, which I noticed during my internship, where I worked with large datasets that…”

  ✓“During my internship I worked with large logistics datasets. That is where I saw how much a clean data pipeline matters.”

  Dutch readers expect short, clear sentences. If a sentence needs a second read, split it.

• One letter for every university

  ✗“Your Master's in Computer Science is the perfect next step for me.”

  ✓“The Distributed Systems Engineering theme, with its focus on distributed data processing, covers exactly what my thesis was missing.”

  Programmes with similar names differ a lot between universities. A letter that would fit any of them convinces none.

• Skipping the questions

  ✗The programme asked three questions — the letter answers one

  ✓Motivation, preparation, plans: each question answered in its own paragraph, in order

  If the programme lists questions or topics, answer each of them, in order. Committees often assess the letter question by question.

• Ignoring the academic level

  ✗“In my internship I learned to work fast and deliver results.”

  ✓“In my thesis I compared three forecasting models on 50,000 records — the kind of independent work the programme expects.”

  For a Master's at a research university, practical results alone are not enough. Show that you're ready for research-based study.

• Going over the limit

  ✗1,250 words — the limit was 1,000

  ✓950 words, within the limit

  Stay under the word or character count. Some portals cut off extra text, and a letter that's too long suggests you can't prioritise.

Questions