The IHE Delft Water and Development Partnership Programme, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is providing a limited number of scholarships in the framework of capacity strengthening and nurturing a network of water professionals in the focus regions and countries of the programme.
There are full and partial scholarships available. The full scholarships include the total cost of the MSc Programme in Water and Sustainable Development: Tuition fee, insurance, international travel cost and an allowance for the cost of living and accommodation during the complete study period.
The scholarship requires that students conduct their MSc research in their home country/region and in association with one of the projects supported by the programme in that country/region.
Moreover, the students will need to participate in and contribute to the seminars organized by the learning networks of the programme. This to further strengthen the capacities in the regions, nurture networks in the water sector and develop knowledge relevant for the focus regions of the programme.
The deadline to apply for this scholarship is 1 June 2026.
Nationals from the following countries are eligible for this scholarship
- Middle East: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Yemen
- Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somali, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda
- Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria
- Small Island Development States: Belize, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Federated State of Micronesia, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome & Principe, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
Eligibility criteria
- Academic admission to the MSc Programme in Water and Sustainable Development
- Nationals of one of the eligible countries and living and working in this (or another eligible) country
- Agree to conduct MSc research in their country/region associated with one of the projects implement(ed) by the Programme.
- Active participation in and contribute to the seminars organized for the learning networks of the Programme.
- Confirmation to return to country of origin or other priority country of the programme.
- Employer statement: Please use this template: (employer statement) and ask your employer to complete and sign it. Thereafter sent it to your admission and fellowship officer Marlies Baburek (m.baburek@un-ihe.org) after you have received your academic admission letter.
- Selection criteria
- Strong priority to female candidates.
- Strong motivation (you must answer a number of motivation questions in your online application)
- Strong academic background
- Preference to candidates with relevant work experience
Application procedure
If you are a national from one of the eligible countries and meet the eligibility criteria, please complete the employer statement. After its receipt and approval, you will take part in the scholarship selection. Because the budget for scholarships is limited, we advise you to apply for other scholarships for which you are eligible as well, also for scholarships which cover part of the total cost of the programme. Applicants who are eligible for the Rabbani scholarship are advised to apply for this scholarship as well.
If you are from one of the eligible countries and are interested in studying at IHE Delft, we advise you to apply for admission as soon as possible. We furthermore advise you to brush up your English and, if required, timely sign up for an English language test, as this is a requirement* for final admission and scholarship eligibility.
If no sufficient English test results are received before the scholarship application deadline of 1 June 2026, you will not be eligible to take part in the selection for the scholarship.
Timeline
The deadline to submit your employer statement (and English test results) is 1 June 2026.
The outcome of the scholarship selection will be announced in July 2026.
