This year, fewer students quit their programme before the February deadline

This year, fewer students quit their degree programme before 1 February than previous years. In the current academic year, 8.8 per cent of the first-year students decided against continuing their chosen study. In previous years, this percentage fluctuated around 11.

Dutch students who have second thoughts about their study can take advantage of the so-called 1-februariregeling (1 February Scheme). If you quit before this deadline, you aren’t required to pay back your student grant or season pass for public transport. You will have to repay any student loans you have taken out, though.

“One logical explanation for this decrease in the number of students quitting before February could be the changes to the binding study advice (BSA) – although this hasn’t been researched yet,” says a university spokesperson. To accommodate students affected by the covid pandemic, EUR has lowered its BSA credit minimum by 6 to 9 ECTS credits.

“Other factors could also play a part, e.g. financial support offered to students who run into delays in their programme, extra resit opportunities – and perhaps even better grade averages,” says the spokesperson. “These factors haven’t been studied either, though, so for the moment we can only speculate.”