DUO increasingly writes off student debts

Encouraged by influencers, an increasing number of (former) students are requesting the cancellation of their student debt. And with success: DUO is approving more and more applications, reports Minister Eppo Bruins.

Sometimes there are medical reasons why you take longer to complete your studies, such as a disability, ADHD or a serious illness. In such cases, you can submit a request to DUO for an extra year of basic grant or for the cancellation of (part of) your student debt.

More and more (former) students are becoming aware of this: the number of applications has risen sharply. On Monday, Minister Eppo Bruins sent figures to the House of Representatives in response to parliamentary questions about this trend.

Extra year of grant

Students most often turn to DUO for an extra year of performance-based grant because they have experienced study delays. To do this, they need help from their dean or study advisor, who must confirm that there were indeed ‘special medical circumstances’.

Last year, nearly 10,700 students received an extra year of basic grant from DUO. In 2018, this number was around 7,000. Almost everyone makes it through DUO’s screening: around 97 percent of applications are approved.

Debt cancellation doubled

Since 2018, DUO has also been cancelling (part of) a student debt twice as often. The number of applications for this has increased by 90 percent, and the number of approvals has more than doubled: from 1,250 in 2018 to nearly 2,560 last year.

There are four such provisions that students can apply for. On social media, people share their success stories, and a popular influencer sells information on how to apply for these DUO provisions.

The House of Representatives wanted to know from Bruins what he thinks of the increased attention and applications. He has no strong opinion on the matter. He mainly thinks it is good that more students are aware of the provisions.

Differences

However, the minister will investigate whether there are differences between educational institutions. Since the applications are processed through the student dean, one student may benefit from a lenient approach, while another in exactly the same situation encounters a strict dean and therefore receives no extra money or time from DUO. Bruins expects to inform the House on this next year.