NN offers scholarship to 38 first-generation students

This academic year, NN Group is supporting 38 students who want to pursue a master's degree. In addition, the students are supervised for a year by a mentor from NN. With the NN Future Matters Scholarship, NN wants to make it possible for first-generation students to complete a university master's programme and increase their chances on the labour market.

Master education for more than 200 students

Since 2015, more than 220 students from the countries where NN is active have followed a master's programme thanks to the NN Future Matters Scholarship. This year, students from the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Japan, and Greece will start. As part of the programme, they will follow a master's degree at a Dutch university in the field of finance, risk management, economics, data science or IT.

Fleur Hudig, Head of Corporate Citizenship at NN Group and former mentor, ‘We have seen that the scholarship can have a major impact on the lives of the students who participate. They have the talent to study at the university but lack the resources. In the programme, the students get the opportunity to develop further. We also notice that this can really help in finding a suitable job after their studies.'

Mentor during the master’s year

In addition to financial support, students work with a mentor who provides guidance throughout their master's year. The mentors are volunteers from NN, who act as the first point of contact for students. They offer guidance on practical matters such as cultural topics, finding housing, dealing with official paperwork, and preparing for job interviews and a first job.

Piotr Warczyk, former participant of the scholarship programme and trainee at NN Group: ‘Last year I studied financial management at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, as the first member of my family. It's an experience that further broadened my horizon and showed me new possibilities. Besides the financial support, having a mentor was very valuable at this stage: both for the more practical questions and for gaining more insights about working for an international company.’

For more information about the NN Future Matters Scholarship, please visit Study in Holland.