The basic student grant is set to return from next September. University students and higher vocational students living at home will receive 110 euros a month, while the basic grant for students living away from home will be 275 euros. The latter group will also receive an additional 164 euros monthly in the next academic year, to compensate for high inflation.
However, students need to apply for the grant. Applications for the grant can be submitted via Mijn DUO, starting on Monday 19 June. The money will therefore not automatically be deposited into the students’ accounts, as it is deemed a ‘loan’, which is only written off if they graduate within ten years of starting their studies.
Period of entitlement
Students are entitled to a basic grant for the ‘nominal’ duration of their programme. If your programme lasts four years, you are entitled to receive the basic student grant for four years. Students who started studying before September 2023 must deduct their previous years of study.
For instance, if you are now in the first year of a four-year programme, you will be entitled to the basic grant for another three years. If you are currently a fourth-year student, you will unfortunately miss out on the basic student grant. You can apply for the grant again if you decide to do a Master’s degree.
Withdrawn for eight years
The basic grant was discontinued eight years ago. It was abolished by the VVD and PvdA government of the time, with the support of D66 and GroenLinks. However, the political tide has now turned and yesterday the Dutch Senate voted unanimously in favour of reintroducing it.
The ministry estimates that 435,000 students will be entitled to the reinstated grant, including some 124,000 first-year students.
