UAF supports refugee students, professionals, and scientists who want to study, retrain, or work at an appropriate level in the Netherlands. Each applicant first discusses their goal and needs with UAF, which then assembles suitable study or work modules.
Support can cover language learning, study choice and preparation, guidance during study, mentoring, career orientation, sector-specific routes, and the online UAF Academy. Several modules may run together or in sequence, with a learning-path counselor following progress.
Benefits & funding
- Personal guidance can include study planning, language support, mentoring, career orientation, internship preparation, and access to UAF networks.
- UAF helps applicants seek Dutch public student finance or Lifelong Learning Credit and may supplement costs such as tuition, language courses, books, computers, and travel.
- Financial help depends on personal circumstances and may take the form of a gift, reimbursement, or UAF Student Credit or loan that is repaid partly or fully.
- Support may include online consultations and meetings in the applicant’s area.
Eligibility
- Applicants must have applied for asylum in the Netherlands, hold an asylum-based residence permit, or qualify through family reunification with a refugee.
- For study support, applicants must plan to study at MBO level 3 or 4, HBO, or university and have completed at least 10 years of education.
- General guidance requires applicants to have started Dutch at B1 level or already speak Dutch at B1; support for an English-taught course requires B1 Dutch.
- The UAF Academy route is for people in the asylum procedure or holding status while awaiting municipal integration approval; it requires at least 10 years of education and Dutch or English at A2 level.
- UAF assesses the applicant’s situation during intake; the site publishes no age, gender, nationality, or work-experience cutoff.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Residence required
Netherlands
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Application process
- 1Complete the contact form and choose study and language support, work advice, another question, or UAF Academy access.
- 2Provide language levels, years and type of education, age, asylum and residence details, and the support question.
- 3After UAF contacts you, use the emailed link and code to complete the registration form.
- 4If UAF can process the request, enter MyUAF and attend an intake and pathway interview; an assessment may also be required.
- 5Agree the relevant modules and continue reporting progress to the learning-path counselor.
Program timeline
Rolling
The contact form accepts requests without a published closing date.
Two to three weeks after contact
UAF currently expects to send an initial response.
Within two weeks after the full registration form
UAF sends a response by email.
After a processable application
MyUAF access, an intake and pathway interview, and any required assessment follow.