Erasmus University Rotterdam does not agree with allowing students to pay per credit point, because this would ‘not be beneficial to study practicability and the substantive cohesion of curricula’.
The House of Representatives recently endorsed an experiment which offers students the opportunity to pay per credit point. The scheme is directed at students who are hindered in their study progress due to such reasons as illness, family circumstances or pregnancy. These students can then pay per credit point instead of the full tuition fee, which means that they do not have to pay for courses they are unable to take.
Little support
The university doubts whether the experiment will actually contribute to the flexibilisation of education. “We have reservations about this flexibilisation experiment. There is little support among departments for the experiment in this form, because it would not be beneficial to study practicability and the substantive cohesion of curricula,” explains press officer Sandra van Beek.
Nevertheless, the university is in favour of further flexibilisation of education. This is why the EUR argues for a wider target group and an approach towards flexibilisation that is more focused on part-time education and offers the possibility of taking courses in digital form.
Support for personal circumstances
The university already offers compensation to students who are suffering a study delay due to personal circumstances. Students who are experiencing such a delay due to family circumstances, illness, pregnancy or a disability, for example, can contact the student counsellor. Subject to a number of conditions, these students may be eligible for financial assistance.
This financial assistance is paid from the Profiling Fund in the form of a board grant or other financial compensation. Records show that 57 students received compensation from the Profiling Fund in 2015 due to personal circumstances.
