Student Grant and Loan System
Student finance (‘studiefinanciering’ in Dutch) is the funding service for university students distributed by DUO (the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Education). The exact student finance amount changes every year. The table on the DUO website shows more information about the available student finance amounts.
Student finance: tuiton fee loan
Full-time EU/EEA students under the age of 30 are eligible for a tuition fee loan. Students of UCU, UCR and PPE pay a higher (statutory) tuition fee and may apply for a higher tuition fee loan from DUO. You will have to pay this loan back after you graduate, including the interest on the loan.
Student finance - loan, travel product and supplementary grant
Full-time EU/EEA students may be eligible for a student grant from DUO. This consists of a monthly contribution towards the cost of your studies and your living costs. This student grant currently includes:
- A supplementary grant (depending on parental income).
- A student travel product (Studenten OV-chipkaart).
- A loan.
- (Optional) tuition fee loan. Students of UCU, PPE and UCR pay a higher (institutional) tuition fee and may apply for a higher tuition fee loan.
The student travel product and supplementary grant will be converted into a gift if you graduate (i.e. obtain a master’s degree) within 10 years. If you fail to meet this requirement, you will have to pay back the student grant in full, including interest, as well as a sum for every month you held a student travel card. If you obtain a bachelor’s degree, you can ask DUO to convert the supplementary grant awarded during the first 36 months into a grant. If you do not, you will have to repay the grant, including interest.
Terms and conditions student grant
If you are a full-time EU/EEA student, you may be eligible for student finance if you meet the following requirements:
- You must be a citizen of an EU or EEA country.
- You must be a full-time student of a higher education course in the Netherlands that is eligible for a student grant.
- You must have been living in the Netherlands for five consecutive years or more.
- You must be employed for at least 32 hours per month.
- You must have an employment contract for that work.
- You must be under the age of 30 when you apply for a student grant (you may continue to receive the grant up to the age of 34, but only if the period during which you receive the grant is uninterrupted).
- You must hold a Dutch bank account in your own name.
If you do not meet these requirements, there are some special cases in which you may be entitled to the regular student grant. See the DUO nationality chart for more information.
More information
You can visit the DUO website for more information, including answers to the following questions:
- What is covered by student finance?
- For how long will I be eligible for student finance?
- Terminating the student grant from 1 February.
- Other options for students from the EU/EEA, including lifelong learning credit or a grant or subsidy for a teacher training course (information about this grant and subsidy is only available in Dutch).
How long am I entitled to receive student finance?
University master of | 1 year | 2 year | 3 year | 4 year |
Loan: | 7 year | 8 year | 9 year | 10 year |
Supplementary grant: | 4 year | 5 year | 6 year | 7 year |
Student travel card: | 5 year | 6 year | 7 year | 8 year |