Scholarships for (R)MA Students

Are you a (Research) Master student at one of the six KNIR partner universities in the Netherlands and do you want to conduct research for your thesis in Rome? Then you are eligible for a KNIR scholarship. If you are a BA student at one of the above mentioned universities, you are not eligible for a KNIR scholarship, but you can apply for several KNIR courses and summer schools.

The scholarship consists of

1. free lodging at the KNIR for a period of 7 weeks
2. a weekly allowance of €70,- for your general expenses during your scholarship in Rome
3. a one-time reimbursement of €100,- for your travelling expenses to Rome (or €125,- for those who travel by train)

Application requirements

1. You are a (R)MA student enrolled at one of the following Dutch universities: University of Groningen, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Radboud University Nijmegen
2. You are conducting research for your (Research) Master’s thesis
3. You can demonstrate that a stay at the KNIR will benefit your research

If you are not enrolled at one of the six Dutch universities associated with the Institute, you cannot apply for a KNIR scholarship, but you can send in a request for paid accommodation at the Institute. For this scholarship it is not necessary to have a full outline of your thesis subject yet. Rather indicate the type of (re)sources that you would like to access in for instance libraries, archives, or museums, and how your approach would benefit from a stay at KNIR. Before applying, we strongly recommend you to discuss your application and research plans with your (prospective) thesis supervisor.

How to apply?

You can now apply for a fall scholarship (Semester 1, cohort 1) for (R)MA students via the button below. The deadline for the fall semester is 15 May 2026, 23:59 CEST.

This scholarship will be for 7 weeks, between 17 September and 9 November 2026.

You will be asked to provide/answer:

• the (provisional) title of your thesis
• a short summary of your research (max. 120 words)
• whether you already received a KNIR scholarship for this project

And to upload the following documents:

• a research proposal form (download here)
• a recent academic cv (max 2 A4)
• a recent official report of your grades
• a letter of motivation for this scholarship (max 1 A4)

When selecting applicants, we look at your motivation, the benefit of a stay at the KNIR for your research, the quality of your research proposal, your CV, and your contribution to the KNIR academic community. At KNIR we believe diversity enriches debate: different perspectives contribute to the quality of our work. We therefore value and highly encourage applications from students and researchers with diverse backgrounds and identities.

The results will follow no later than one month after the deadline. Please note that the decision of the selection committee is final and no correspondence will be entered into. If your scholarship is granted, you are asked to confirm acceptance of the grant and the conditions that come with it within 1 week.