International students also Eligible for Student Board Member Scholarships

The Profiling Fund will replace the Graduation Fund and will be expanded. This means that non-Dutch students, including non-EU students, who are board members or engaged in participatory functions can now receive a grant. Previously this was exclusive for Dutch students.

The University Council agreed on the specifics of the Profiling Fund on the 1st of November, after having taken part in designing them. The Council stood by its decision to include international students in the grant. The new rules apply as of the 1st of September, with retroactive effect. These are the most important changes:

• International students have the same rights as Dutch students: a Student Board Member Scholarship, financial grants in case of personal circumstances, and compensation for participatory functions (Curriculum Committees, Faculty Advisory Boards and the University Council).
• All students are eligible for compensation in case of relevant civic engagement or professional sportsmanship.
• Students who are active in a board, participatory function or with relevant civic engagement for several years receive full compensation for the whole period. The Executive Board’s initial proposition limited the grant to a maximum period of 12 months.
• Following the previous point, the rule that the amount of the grant increases with an increase in study points has been dropped.  The University Council argued that doing well in your studies and fulfilling a board or participatory function are not positively correlated, hence such a ruling would be paradoxical.
• The University Council opposed the Executive Board on another point as well. As a result, a student’s accumulated study delay before engaging in board or participatory activities will not be deducted from the effective duration of the scholarship. It has however been decided that, as of academic year 2012-2013, student board members and students in participatory functions are not eligible for the Profiling Fund if they have not received a positive binding study advice.
• Excellent students who are not from the European Economic Area (EEA) are eligible for a scholarship for their first study. This rule does not apply for students from the EEA. The Executive Board and faculties still need to make arrangements for the application procedure and the terms and conditions.

There is another change that is not comprised in the Profiling Fund. Excellent Erasmus students following a second bachelor or master programme at the EUR pay the statutory tuition fee, not the institute tuition fee. LJ