TU Delft Excellence Scholarship Form: 5 Answers

TU Delft Excellence Scholarship Form: 5 Answers

The Justus & Louise van Effen Excellence Scholarship has no free-form motivation letter. It has a form with five questions capped at 100, 150, 200, 200 and 200 words, and "The maximum length of the application is 2 A4 pages". It goes in with your complete MSc application by 1 December 2026, 23:59 CET.

That changes what you write. Your TU Delft admission letter is a 1,000 to 1,500-word essay about the programme and your thesis ideas. The scholarship form asks different questions, one of them explicitly "besides your grades", in a fraction of the space. Pasting cut-down paragraphs from the admission essay answers the wrong questions. This page takes the five questions one at a time and shows two constructed answers. When you have drafts, the NL scholarship motivation rubric reads each one.

The form ("Scholarship Application Form 2027/2029") and the TU Delft pages quoted below were checked on 31 October 2026. TU Delft's scholarship page says it offers "16 full scholarships for our regular MSc programmes from the Justus & Louise van Effen Excellence foundation", "2 per faculty", and asks you to upload the form, one reference letter and your English language certificate with a complete MSc application by that deadline.

The five questions and their limits

These are the questions in the "Motivation" section of the 2027/2029 form, word for word:

The caps add up to 850 words (our arithmetic). The form also caps the whole application at two A4 pages, and its first section already takes your name, date of birth, programme, "(Cumulative Grade Point Average CGPA)" and the scholarship you request. The same form serves the van Effen and the Microelectronics scholarship ("*multiple choices allowed").

Our view: write each answer to about 90% of its cap, then check the two-page limit in the form itself. Two pages is the harder rule if your answers run long, and you do not want to find that out at 23:50 on 1 December.

The countercase: if an answer is complete well under its cap, stop there. The caps are maximums, not targets, and a 120-word answer to question 3 that covers both halves beats a padded 195-word one.

Unknown: TU Delft does not publish how the five answers are weighed against your grades or reference. Its scholarship page gives an indication of the level instead: "As an indication, the student is amongst the top 10% of graduates in his/her previous study programme. Note that proof of ranking is not required – this information is purely to indicate the level of competitiveness."

Answering each one

1. Introduce yourself (100 words)

The personal details box has already told them your name, programme and CGPA. Do not repeat them. Use the 100 words for three things the box cannot hold: what you study and where, the one piece of work you are proudest of, and the question that is taking you to Delft. Write it last, after the other four answers, so it introduces what the reader is about to read.

2. What makes you an excellent student, besides your grades? (150 words)

The form defines the answer for you: "Elaborate on your activities and/or broader interests besides your study". This is the one question where coursework is off topic. Pick one or two activities and give each a role, an action and a result. A list of six clubs in 150 words leaves no room to show anything happened in any of them.

3. Why TU Delft, and why a scholarship? (200 words)

Two questions share one cap. Answer both, in that order, and give the first more space. For the first half, why TU Delft, name what you would use there: a specialisation, a research group or a facility from the programme page, tied to something you have done. The admission letter asks the same question at length, so condense your best reason from it rather than writing a new one.

For the second half, why a scholarship, say what the funding makes possible. TU Delft's own page advises that "Working part-time is not recommended as it may affect your study" and asks applicants to "consider the financial costs of a two-year programme if you do not receive a scholarship". An answer that shows you have done that sum, and what you would do with full-time study, is a direct answer.

4. How would you contribute in your chosen MSc? (200 words)

The question says "in the specific MSc programme you have chosen", so contributions to "the university" in general miss it. Contribution can be to the programme's research (the thesis you would aim for), to other students (teaching, project teams, a skill you bring), or to a student team or society linked to the field. Give each claim a past example, because a promise with no track record is just a promise.

5. Career plans after graduation (200 words)

Name a role, a sector and, if you know it, a place. Then connect it back to the programme: what the MSc gives you that the role needs. A five-year plan in two or three concrete steps beats a vague line such as I want to make an impact. If you are considering a PhD, say so and say what would decide it.

Constructed answers, annotated

Context (invented): Arjun Iyer, BSc Mechanical Engineering, applying to a two-year TU Delft MSc in an energy-related field. Programme details are placeholders in square brackets, because a constructed answer should not invent facts about a real programme.

Constructed answer to question 2 (135 words, cap 150)

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement.

Outside class, I spent three years on my university's student rocketry team, the last as propulsion lead. I ran the team's first static-fire test programme: I wrote the test procedure, trained six first-year members to run it, and logged 14 firings. When our second motor cracked at ignition, I led the failure review and changed how we cast the fuel grain; the next eight firings had no cracks. I also tutor two secondary-school students in physics every Saturday, which has taught me to explain one idea three different ways. My wider interest is energy storage. Last year I wrote a 2,000-word explainer on solid-state batteries for our engineering society's newsletter, built from the open-access papers behind the headlines. These activities show the habits a two-year MSc needs: planning, careful records, and finishing what I start.

Why it works: every activity has a role, a number and an outcome. It never mentions a grade, because the question excludes them. The last sentence links the activities to the degree in one line instead of a paragraph of adjectives.

Constructed answer to question 4 (182 words, cap 200)

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement.

I would contribute to [MSc programme] in three ways. First, through my thesis. I want to work on thermal management for battery packs, which is the focus of [research group from the programme page]. My bachelor's thesis built a test rig that measured cell temperatures to within 0.5 °C, and I would bring that hands-on test experience to the group's lab work from my first project. Second, to other students. I have tutored for two years and I would apply to be a teaching assistant for [first-year course from the programme page] in my second year. I know what it is like to be new to a hard subject in a second language, and I know how to make a lab manual readable. Third, to a student team. I led propulsion testing on my university's rocketry team, and I would join [student team from the TU Delft website] to work on test procedures and safety reviews, which is where I have the most to give. In each case I am offering something I have already done, not something I hope to learn.

Why it works: three contributions, each tied to "the specific MSc programme", and each backed by something the applicant has already done. The bracketed placeholders are where a real answer names a real group, course or team from TU Delft's pages.

How it differs from the admission essay

Sources: required documents, dates and deadlines and the scholarship page.

Two consequences. The scholarship deadline pulls the whole admission application forward: you need the admission letter, CV and English test finished by 1 December too. And because TU Delft says "You may apply for one MSc programme only", your contribution and career answers can be as specific as your one programme. The admission letter itself is covered in the TU Delft motivation letter guide, and the TU Delft research letter rubric reads that one. The CV can run to "a maximum of 3 pages"; see the Europass CV guide.

Before you upload the form

1. Every answer is under its cap: 100, 150, 200, 200, 200.
2. The whole form fits on two A4 pages.
3. Answer 2 contains no grade.
4. Answer 3 answers both halves: why TU Delft, and why a scholarship.
5. Answer 4 names your specific MSc and backs each contribution with something you have done.
6. Answer 5 names a role and a sector.
7. Your reference letter is signed, includes your full name, and comes from "a previous professor or assistant professor" or "from your employer, if you have work experience".
8. Your English certificate is uploaded; for a scholarship applicant it cannot wait.
9. Dates, project names and numbers match your admission letter and CV.

Questions about the TU Delft Excellence Scholarship form

Is the TU Delft Excellence Scholarship motivation letter a free-form letter?

No. It is the "Scholarship Application Form 2027/2029", with five questions and word caps, and a two-page maximum.

What does "besides your grades" mean?

The form answers that itself: "Elaborate on your activities and/or broader interests besides your study". Write about what you do outside your courses.

Can I reuse my admission essay?

Reuse facts, not paragraphs. Question 3 overlaps most with the admission letter, and it has 200 words for two questions.

Do I need a reference letter if I am not applying for a scholarship?

TU Delft's required-documents page says reference letters are "Only required for applicants applying for a scholarship listed on our website."

Can an agency submit the application for me?

TU Delft's application procedure page says: "All applicants should submit their application for admission by themselves. We advise against the use of external agencies that offer this service."

Is this the same as the NL Scholarship?

No. TU Delft was not on Study in NL's 2026-2027 list of NL Scholarship research universities; see who runs the NL Scholarship motivation letter. For scholarship essays in general, see how to write a scholarship essay for award fit.

Get a free review of your motivation letter

Get a free Quick Review of your motivation letter against GradPilot's NL scholarship motivation rubric, the closest public rubric for this form. It was built for NL Scholarship letters and reads your academic readiness, what you have done beyond a title, a feasible future direction, and your reasons for this Dutch programme. Paste one answer at a time, with its question and its word cap.

More scholarship and European application guides are in graduate school essays and on the scholarship essay review page.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.

• TU Delft, Scholarship Application Form 2027/2029 (PDF): five questions, word caps, two-page maximum, personal details, scholarships requested.
• TU Delft, Scholarships: 16 scholarships, 2 per faculty, 1 December 2026 deadline and uploads, top-10% indication, part-time work and cost advice.
• TU Delft, Required documents: admission essay rules, CV cap, reference-letter rules.
• TU Delft, Application procedure: one programme, agencies line.
• TU Delft, Dates and deadlines (no year stated): 15 January and 1 April admission deadlines.
• Study in NL, NL Scholarship: 2026-2027 participating research universities.