{"id":172297,"date":"2024-10-10T10:16:55","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T08:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=172297"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:30","slug":"students-demand-higher-basic-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/10\/10\/students-demand-higher-basic-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"Students demand higher basic grant"},"content":{"rendered":"

In seven cities, student unions have unveiled pink banners. “Good education starts with a fair basic grant”, they read. The banners are intended to draw attention to the financial struggles students are facing.<\/p>

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A banner in Utrecht hangs at the entrance of a saddening tunnel. <\/span><\/p>

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The banner can be seen in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Groningen, Utrecht, Zwolle, Nijmegen, and Delft. It is a small action leading up to the large student protest scheduled for Friday, 18 October in The Hague. The unions are urging everyone to attend.<\/p>\n

On Budget Day, the National Institute for Family Finance Information (Nibud) calculated that next year, students\u2019 purchasing power will decline by 6.6 percent. This is partly due to the basic grant for students living away from home, which was temporarily increased due to high inflation but was reduced again in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe basic grant doesn\u2019t even come close to covering the average rent\u201d, says Abdelkader Karbache, chair of the Dutch Student Union (LSVb). \u201cAnd many students aren\u2019t even eligible for housing benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even more expensive<\/h2>

Studying is set to become even more expensive with the introduction of the 3,000 euros fine for long-term students. This penalty applies to students who take more than a year longer than expected to complete their degree. The government estimates that some 95,000 students will have to pay this fine.<\/p>\n

A motion to scrap the plan failed to gain a majority in the Senate last night. The government still needs to work out the details of the fine.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t