The Dutch government wants to reintroduce the basic grant for hbo and university, possibly from September 2023, according to this new bill.

Students living at home will receive €110.30 per month from the 2023-2024 academic year. For students living away from home, it will be €274.90. The supplementary grant amounts to a maximum of €416 and depends partly on parental income. According to the Ministry of Education Culture and Science (OCW), this allows you to pay for another scholarship as a student living away from home and at home.

The intention is that the basic grant will be available not only to new students, but also to students who have already started studying. You must still be in your nominal study period.

For example, if you started a 4-year programme this year, you will still be entitled to a basic grant for 2 years from September 2023. So there will be a smooth transition between the old and new systems. And in a few years, after graduating, you will also receive an allowance for the time you studied without a basic grant

Under the minister’s plans, anyone who has studied for at least one year without a basic grant under the loan system will receive an allowance of €359 per year, with a maximum of €1,436 (this represents 4 academic years). However, you must complete your degree within 10 years.

If you no longer have any study debt, the proposal is that from 2025 you will be credited directly to your bank account with an amount of €1,770 for further education.

Interest on study debts

The bill also deals with interest on study debts and the repayment period. “The interest rate development cannot be predicted,” Education Minister Dijkgraaf states. Thus, over a 35-year period, the interest rate may be higher or lower than expected. Students will indeed pay interest on their study debt: 0.46%, but the minister sees a bright spot: inflation is higher than the interest rate, so this effectively reduces study debts.

So how can you pay your tuition fees?

You can borrow money to pay your tuition fees. This is called the tuition fee credit. The amount of the tuition fee credit depends on the type of tuition fees you pay: statutory tuition fees or institutional tuition fees.

How does the loan work?

• The loan is part of your student finance
• You do not have to borrow the maximum amount, you can borrow less
• You can increase, reduce or cancel your loan every month
• After your studies, you have to repay the loan, with interest

Sources: Higher Education Press Office, Ministry of Education Culture and Science, DUO