Former students who move abroad are often difficult to trace by DUO. Since 2012, a special team at DUO has been working on tracing down defaulters. They call in foreign debt collection agencies, keep an eye on Facebook and Twitter, and put passports in a signalling system. The latter is only possible if the former student has a Dutch passport, which is usually the case.

Wanted: 5000 defaulters
In response to parliamentary questions asked by the SP (Socialist Party), Bussemaker writes that this approach works increasingly better. By now, the addresses of approximately 25 thousand former students have been retrieved. Five thousand are still missing. In 2013, an additional 3.2 million euros was already brought in; last year, it was 8.2 million; and in 2015, this amount will be even over twelve million euros.

The SP asked these questions following the news that one fifth of former students are defaulters. Bussemaker stresses that this is no different than before and that most of them are less than one thousand euros in arrears. Fourteen percent is more than five thousand euros in arrears.

The student loan system does not have any impact
Unlike the SP, she does not expect that the implementation of the student loan system will lead to more default. Former students will only pay back if they have a higher income, can take a long time to do so, and will never have to transfer more than four percent of their income above the minimum wage.

HOP (Higher Education Press Agency), Hein Cuppen