DUO flooded with applications for new basic student grant

Tens of thousands of students and recent secondary school graduates have already requested the basic grant, according to the Education Executive Agency (DUO). Applications opened on Monday.

Students who are entitled to the new basic grant do not receive it automatically. As of this week, they can apply for it with DUO, which is in charge of student financing in the Netherlands.

DUO has promised that everyone who applies before 1 September will receive their first payment in September. Many students did not waste time – on Monday afternoon at four o’clock, 33,500 applications had been submitted. By Tuesday morning, the number had almost doubled, to 61,000.

Campaign

To inform students of the changes, DUO launched a campaign with the slogan ‘Jouw basis, jouw beurs’ (‘Your basis, your grant’). Those who have already applied for student financing (such as student loans or a public transport pass) will receive “a personal notification about applying for the basic grant”.

From September, students are entitled to a monthly grant of 110 euros if they live with their parents or 275 euros if they live on their own. The latter group will receive an additional 164 euros monthly in the 2023/2024 academic year, to compensate for inflation.

The basic grant is initially a loan, which is only waived for students who graduate within 10 years. Those who do not receive their diploma within that timeframe have to pay everything back.

Partial grant

New students are entitled to the basic grant for the nominal duration of their programme. Current students can receive a partial grant, unless they have been enrolled for too long. Those who missed out on the basic grant will be compensated with 359 euros per missed year.