Membership of student associations continues to decline

Traditional student associations have welcomed around 200 fewer new members than last year nationally. They attribute this to the inadequate basic grant, rising tuition fees and high housing costs.

As it does every academic year, the Dutch National Chamber of Associations (LKvV) asked its 49 member associations how many new members they had enrolled. This year, the number stands at around 8,100. Last year it was 8,330 and in 2023 it was 8,500.

Politics is making it harder to fully enjoy your student years, wrote LKvV president Jochem Hilckmann in a press release. According to him, students feel pressured to graduate quickly. “There’s an enormous burden on their mental health and personal development.”

Housing shortage

The LKvV is calling on the newly elected House of Representatives and the outgoing cabinet ‘to tackle the severe shortage of student housing, reduce the financial pressure and create room for a full student experience’.