{"id":102608,"date":"2019-09-04T17:22:01","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T15:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=102608"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:27","slug":"rsm-students-demanding-tuition-refund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/09\/04\/rsm-students-demanding-tuition-refund\/","title":{"rendered":"RSM students demanding tuition refund"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around 160 former and current students are threatening legal action against Erasmus University Rotterdam, claiming that the tuition fee they paid for their master programme was too high. The matter could cost the university a couple of million in extra expenses.<\/p>\n

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For years, students attending the part-time Business Administration master programme and Finance & Investments Advanced master programme were required to fork out 17,000 and 10,000 euro, respectively. These tuition fees are considerably higher than the maximum amount of 2,060 euro that state-funded programmes are allowed to charge, concluded the Dutch Inspectorate of Education<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in early 2018. Programmes may only deviate from this norm if the student in question already has a master\u2019s degree or is from outside the EU.<\/p>\n

Stingy<\/h2>

According to Education Minister Van Engelshoven, the students should get their money back. She called on the university to set up a compensation scheme<\/a><\/u>\u00a0to this end. Erasmus University has only partially heeded her call<\/a><\/u>: Finance students are entitled to a 25% refund on their tuition fee, while Business Administration students can ask back half.<\/p>\n

The SP asked the Minister whether this so-called \u2018courtesy scheme\u2019 wasn\u2019t a bit stingy. Van Engelshoven refrained to comment. \u201cNeither the inspectorate nor I are allowed to determine the details of the compensation scheme \u2013 we can\u2019t impose anything,\u201d\u00a0was her response<\/a><\/u>. Although she did reiterate that Erasmus University had been in breach of the law.<\/p>\n

Which is why some 160 students have now taken the matter into their own hands. If EUR doesn\u2019t come with a better offer, they see no alternative but to take the university to court. The law firm of Stadermann Luiten is conferring with university administrators to avoid proceedings.<\/p>\n

Compelled<\/h2>

But it could actually take more than a year before a case yields a ruling. Isn\u2019t there anything Van Engelshoven could have done to avoid this circuitous route? No: there\u2019s not much the Minister can do for the students, according to Professor of Education Law Paul Zoontjens (Tilburg University). \u201cThis concerns a legal relationship between students and the institution. She isn\u2019t allowed to settle on the university\u2019s behalf.\u201d If EUR refuses to reach an understanding, it may have to be compelled by a court decision.<\/p>\n

According to Zoontjens, Van Engelshoven could have imposed financial penalties, since the university was in breach of the law. But that wouldn\u2019t have been much use to the students.<\/p>\n\n\t

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