Student union calls for support for Iranian students in the Netherlands

Iranian students are facing financial difficulties, the National Student Union warns. Because of the war in their home country, they cannot access their bank accounts and are only allowed to work a limited number of hours in the Netherlands.

The war of the United States against Iran is also affecting Iranian students in the Netherlands. They are worried about family and friends in their home country, but they are also dealing with practical problems here.

The National Student Union (LSVb) has sent a letter to all universities and universities of applied sciences. In it, the union calls for help for these students, particularly financial support.

16 hours

These students come from outside Europe and are therefore allowed to work a maximum of 16 hours per week here. They are not entitled to student finance. If they cannot access their accounts, they often do not have enough to make ends meet. According to the LSVb, this is causing concern about their bills and rent.

The union also warns against polarisation around Iran and the war. This is increasing the mental pressure on these students, the LSVb believes. “This has a major impact on their wellbeing and on completing their degree.”

“That is why we call on you to show solidarity with these students and help them”, the letter states. Universities and universities of applied sciences should give these students some leeway, including by being flexible with binding study advice and offering more resits.

A number of institutions are already doing this, the union acknowledges, ‘and we are very pleased about that, but at the same time this is not happening everywhere and that has major consequences for the student’.

“We cannot imagine how much stress these students are under”, says LSVb chair Maaike Krom in a press release about the letter. “At the moment they have nowhere to turn. An exam is the last thing on your mind.”

1,200 Iranian students

According to the latest figures, 1,200 Iranian students are studying in Dutch higher education, more than half of them at universities of applied sciences.

“We understand the difficult situation these students may be in”, says the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences. “The problem is known to us. Universities of applied sciences are looking at what they can reasonably do for these students.”

The Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) responded similarly. “Universities are paying attention to the situation and wellbeing of Iranian students”, a spokesperson says. “We are happy to enter into discussions with the LSVb about the signals they are receiving.”