Record: tuition fees rise by over 200 euros

Students face a fresh setback: as of September 2024, tuition fees in higher education are likely to rise by a record-setting 200 euros. The fees will exceed 2,500 euros.

Each year, tuition fees rise along with inflation. Groceries, clothing, electricity and café visits have become more expensive, so the tuition fees will rise as well. This the agreed arrangement. Last year, inflation stood at about 9.4 per cent, with peaks of over 14 per cent in September and October. In March and April, it went back down to about 4 or 5 per cent.

Accordingly, tuition fees will rise from 2,314 euros (in September 2023) to 2,532 euros (in September 2024). For all we know, the Ministry’s calculations may differ slightly, but this is the general picture.

Turmoil

In previous years, tuition fees rose by a few dozen euros per year: between 22 and 71 euros. Turmoil broke out on the political scene when tuition fees for 2023/2024 risked shooting up by over 200 euros. Minister Dijkgraaf thought this was too much as well; he informed Parliament that he wanted an increase by some 50 to 60 euros.

This ultimately became 105 euros. This was the result of the minister adjusting the regulations to make tuition fees less susceptible to inflation peaks and troughs. Whereas the Ministry previously took the inflation in April as a reference point, it now looks at the inflation over a full year, from May to April inclusive.

Overestimated inflation

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) thinks inflation has been overestimated in the past period. It will adopt a different calculation method as of June. Unfortunately, this does not help students in any way. According to the statisticians, the old figures will not be revised.

Last year, the Ministry did not act on the information that the CBS would be changing its method. Last autumn, in response to written questions from the CDA Christian-democratic political party and Volt, Dijkgraaf said the announcement came too late. Things will be no different now.

No more halving

In addition, the halving of tuition fees for first-year and second-year students of teacher-training programmes will be scrapped as of September 2024. Among other reasons, this is so the basic student grant and the supplementary grant can be expanded.

For a time, during the initial years, the intention was to earmark part of the revenue as income support for students living away from home. These students would then receive about a hundred euros extra each month. There appeared to be a parliamentary majority for this plan.

However, the Spring Memorandum made public by the government last week revealed that this plan has been scrapped. The money will accrue to the state treasure, provided that Parliament does not object.

Former arrangements

Under the former arrangements – which now no longer apply – tuition fees would have risen to 2,421 euros as of September 2023. The fees would have reached 2,547 euros in 2024: 15 euros over the amount currently forecast for 2024.