Strongest tuition hike of the past five years

The new fee for the 2020-2021 academic year, published in the government gazette Staatscourant, is linked to the price development of goods and services like clothing, groceries and insurances. The so-called consumer price index published by Statistics Netherlands shows that over the past three months, prices have risen by nearly 3 percent.

In the coming academic year, 2019-2020, the tuition fee will be increased by a mere 23 euro. Over the past ten years, the situation was quite different: it was quite normal for dozens of euros to be tacked on at a time – with 2014’s 71-euro increase as a record high. This was not only due to rising price indices but also to an annual surcharge of 22 euro introduced by former Education Minister Ronald Plasterk in 2007. This measure was taken in order to increase the budget for lecturers’ salaries. According to the Minister, there was no reason why students couldn’t chip in too.

This academic year, 2018-2019, saw the last implementation of this ‘Plasterk surcharge’. From now on, the only factor determining the fee is the price index. Incidentally, first-year students receive a 50% discount on their tuition fee. This discount is extended for a second year for second-year students in teacher-training.