08 - Netherlands - Financial support for students
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science guarantees the accessibility of higher education and
the government is responsible for financial support for students.
The Student Finance Act 2000 applies to students in higher education
who are under the age of 34 and who began their studies before the age of 30. Every student enrolled
on an accredited full-time course in higher education who satisfies the applicable conditions is entitled
to financial assistance. Under the current system, financial assistance consists of an allowance
towards expenses such as living costs, books and study materials, tuition fees and travel. Grants are
intended as a means of keeping higher education broadly accessible and are paid monthly.
Financial assistance may include a basic grant, a supplementary grant and an interest-bearing loan.
Students in higher education receive a performance-related grant. The basic grant and supplementary
grant are initially paid out in the form of a loan. Students receive financial assistance for the duration of
their course and a loan period of 36 months after the course ends. Provided the student graduates
within ten years, the loan is converted into a non-repayable grant. The performance-related grant can
be supplemented by an additional loan.
The performance-related grant is a loan and becomes non-repayable when the student obtains a
master’s degree. Students who do not wish to pursue master’s degree studies may opt to have the
loan made non-repayable after obtaining their bachelor’s degree. This ends their entitlement to
financial support for master’s degree studies. Graduates who have not used up their full entitlement to
financial assistance may use it later on in their careers for post-initial studies.
The basic grant is non-income-related. The size of the grant depends on the type of education (higher
education or vocational training) and on whether or not the student is living away from home.
Depending on their parents’ income, students may be able to claim a supplementary grant in addition
to the basic grant. The interest-bearing loan that students may take out is subject to a ceiling and is not
related to parental income. Students with children and/or a partner may qualify for a single parent
allowance or an allowance for their partner.
Student finance is officially split into tuition fees and other costs. Since 1 September 2007, students
have been eligible for a separate loan to cover tuition fees, due to amendments to the Student Finance
Act 2000 (WSF 2000). Tuition fee loans can be used for the nominal duration of the course plus three
years. Students can borrow up to a twelfth of the total fees, per month.
Loans must be repaid. This may be done from two years after completion of the course of study, for a
maximum of 15 years. After 15 years, any remaining debt will be cancelled. In the case of low-income
earners, the instalments are reduced accordingly.
All students eligible for financial aid are entitled to a public transport pass giving unrestricted free travel
on public transport throughout the Netherlands. Students may opt for a weekday pass or a weekend
pass, which entitles them to free travel on the days in, question.
Higher education institutions have been given special funds with which to make financial provision for
students whose progress has been delayed due to circumstances beyond their control or exceptional
personal circumstances (course completion funds).
In the Netherlands, students who enrolled on or after 1 September 1996 are eligible for a performancerelated
grant.
Most higher education courses last 48 months. During this time all students are entitled to a nonmeans-
tested basic grant and possibly a supplementary grant, which is dependent on income,
and an interest-bearing loan.
Students who need longer to complete their studies can apply for an interest-bearing loan for a
further 36 months.
The basic grant and supplementary grant are paid out in the form of a performance-related
grant. This works on the principle of ‘loan then grant’. The amount of the basic grant and
supplementary grant are initially received as a loan. The student must obtain a degree within ten
years of starting his or her studies for the loan to be converted into a non-repayable grant.
The travel allowance is also performance-related for students in higher education who first
received financial aid on or after 1 September 1999.
After the age of 30, students are only entitled to a loan up until their 34th birthday.
Loans must be repaid. Instalments are adjusted for low-income earners.
From 1 September 2007, students from a member state of the European Economic Area studying in
the Netherlands and following an accredited course have been eligible for tuition fee loans of up to the
amount of the annual tuition fees. EEA students who enrolled before 1 September (academic year
2006/2007) and who received an allowance equivalent to the basic grant for students living at home
(but not a public transport pass) come under the Raulin Scheme and will continue to receive this grant
for the duration of their course.
Portable financial assistance for study abroad
From 1 September 2007, students eligible for Dutch student finance who want to pursue all or part of
their studies abroad can apply for financial assistance to study in any of the 29 countries in Europe
involved in the Bologna Process or in certain countries outside Europe. This gives
students maximum freedom to pick the course of their choice. However, all courses abroad must meet
Dutch quality standards. The requirements will be monitored by Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for
international cooperation in higher education. As from 1 September 2007, students will not need to be
registered at a Dutch higher education institution in order to be eligible for a grant. However,
irrespective of the nationality they hold, they must have been resident in the Netherlands for at least
three of the six years prior to commencing their studies.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
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