Procedure

Procedure for studying in Holland

If you would like to follow a Master’s course at one of the Universities in the Netherlands, you must fill in our application form on this website. After submitting the form, you will receive an e-mail from SAVUSA with an confirmation of your application.

The selection procedure can take a couple of weeks. You will be informed as soon as possible about the selection outcome.

In case of a positive selection, you will receive an official letter from SAVUSA, which you will need for your visa application at the Dutch Consulate in South Africa. All the practical arrangements will then be taken care of in next months.

Guidelines for writing a sound CV and motivation letter

To convince a university of your qualities as a student, not only grades and letters of recommendation are important, but your CV and motivation letter are important as well. It is hard to write a concise CV and a persuasive motivation letter, especially when you are writing such a letter for the first time and youare applying for an institution in another country. Please take a look at these guidelines which can help you to improve your chances to be selected by the university of your choice. N.B. these are guidelines and are no guarantee for a successful application!

Motivation Letter

When you are writing a motivation letter it is important to keep your goal in mind: you want to participate in the SKILL programme because you want to study at a Dutch university of your choice to gain experience and to learn extra skills that contribute to the quality of your curriculum. This means you want to be selected by the Dutch university of your choice to follow courses you need to add to your study programme. This is important because we at the office of the SKILL programme are not responsible for the selection at universities, we only make a preselection.

Therefore you should not confine to the argument that studying abroad is a good opportunity, but also motivate what studying abroad adds to your specific curriculum and why you want to study at that particular university in the Netherlands. It is also important to emphasize how the courses you chose contribute to your study, do not restrict to the remark that you just like the subject. You have to convince the university of your qualities and in which way the university and the courses can contribute to your study. This means that you should briefly state the theme of your research, in which way the chosen courses fit into this, your academic and  personal qualities.

Keep in mind that the reader of your letter does not know anything about you or your research so be to the point and avoid vague remarks. Good luck and do not forget to mention your name at the end of your letter!

Curriculum Vitae

A good CV is made up of several categories. Always start with personal information, which should contain:

Name

Mailing address

Postal Code and City

Phone number

Identity number

e-mail

Date of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Marital Status

Sex

Education

• Current study: university + place, programme,  also add good scores. Briefly state the theme of your research.
• Studying abroad or internships as appropriate
• Bachelor: university + place, programme, also add good scores. Briefly state your research.
• Highschool: name + place

Professional experience (where appropriate)

Current occupation: your function, company, city

Additional education and congresses (where appropriate)

Theme course or congress + place and date

Publications (where appropriate)

Languages

Native/fluent/good/average speaking/writing/understanding

Other activities (where appropriate)

Student assistant, study trips, student unions etc.

Computerskills

Good knowledge, small experience for example of MS office.

Hobbies

N.B. Take care that your CV is concise, but do not be too brief. Write in full sentences.