Everything is going to change with regard to the student grant system. This spring, it turned out that students knew little about it. That’s why we will take a moment to set the facts straight.

The basic grant will disappear…
You knew this, of course. Those who start a bachelor or master’s study in September will not receive a basic grant. However, you can still get a loan from DUO.
… for some senior students as well!
You read that correctly; and students only scantily realised it. This applies to bachelor students at universities who will enter their fourth year. They will no longer receive a basic grant, as the latter was reserved for their Master’s. An academic Bachelor’s degree course only takes three years.

But you can earn a greater additional income…
Entrepreneurial students will soon no longer have to worry about their additional income being too high. If they don’t (or didn’t) receive a basic grant, there is no additional income limit. Note: if they do receive a grant, there is a limit!
… and the public transport student card will continue to exist.
You can still travel by public transport for free thanks to the public transport student card, which will continue to exist. However, the ministry hopes that students will take their bicycles or travel outside peak hours more often, making the card much cheaper. A matter of good schedules and large bicycle sheds.

Students in intermediate vocational education (mbo) are in luck…
The basic grant will remain in place for students in intermediate vocational education (mbo). Moreover, underage students in intermediate vocational education will get a public transport student card, as will those over eighteen.
… and students whose parents have a low income may get a higher supplementary grant…
If your parents are short of money, you can apply for a supplementary grant, which will increase with a maximum of one hundred euros a month. This supplementary grant will turn into a gift once you graduate.

And if you are out of luck…
The purpose of this cutback in the basic grant is ultimately to improve education, but you will not see much of that if you take up a course of study in the coming three years – even though the minister asked higher education to put in 600 million euros from its own funds over the years 2015-2017 for this quality transformation. Hogeschool Rotterdam will deploy 3, 5, 6, and 7 million euros from its own funds in this period. This is 2 to 4 percent on top of the government contribution.
Nevertheless, students who take up a course of study in the next three years will receive a credit note for a year of extra training when obtaining their diploma. They can use it five to ten years after graduating.
… or if you are disabled or sick…
According to the new rules, 1,200 euros are waived for disabled and sick students if they graduate within ten years. This approximately equals the amount of the basic grant for students living at home. Disabled students also get to keep their extra year of student grant (meaning: public transport card and a supplementary grant if their parents have a low income).

Repayment can be spread over a longer time period…
According to the new rules, former students can spread their debt over thirty-five instead of fifteen years. However, a faster redemption could save you thousands of euros in interest.
And if you’re a university student, you should consider the following. If you received a basic grant for your bachelor studies, but not for your Master’s, two repayment schemes – both the old one and the new one – would, in fact, apply to you. This is impractical, which is why you are allowed to choose.

And what about taxes?
Students can no longer deduct tuition from taxes. This primarily affects students in the extension years of their studies, because they sometimes earned enough to benefit from that deduction. Everyone else may now forget this.

HOP, Bas Belleman/DvN