{"id":91415,"date":"2018-11-01T11:35:52","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T10:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=91415"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:08","slug":"freshmen-also-get-supermarket-model-for-tuition-fee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/11\/01\/freshmen-also-get-supermarket-model-for-tuition-fee\/","title":{"rendered":"Freshmen also get \u2018supermarket model\u2019 for tuition fee"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the near future, first-year students will also be allowed to take part in a new experiment: rather than forking over a lump sum per academic year, you pay as you go \u2013 for each credit individually. So far, participation in this scheme (dubbed the \u2018supermarket model\u2019 by opposition MPs) was restricted to senior students. By way of experiment, a few hundred students across the Netherlands were invited to set their own pace of study and pay tuition on the basis of ECTS credits.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeter Bond\/Unsplash<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Why would you have to pay for an entire academic year when \u2013 due to circumstances or voluntarily \u2013 you end up only attending a few subjects? Wouldn\u2019t it be better in that event to pay per ECTS credit? That\u2019s the basic idea behind the current experiment with \u2018flexible studying\u2019.<\/p>\n

The higher education sector was rather lukewarm about the proposal. Only two universities of applied sciences and two research universities are taking part in the experiment: Windesheim, HU University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg University and the University of Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

Enthusiastic<\/h2>

So far, Windesheim in particular is enthusiastic about het scheme: there are fewer dropouts among the participants than the remainder of the student body. That\u2019s why the university of applied sciences would like to expand this experiment to include first-year students. According to the current rules, the arrangement is only open to senior students.<\/p>\n

Coalition parties VVD and CDA think expanding the scheme could work and have tabled a motion to this end. They have asked the Cabinet to open \u2018flexible studying\u2019 to first-year students in the next round of the experiment. And they\u2019ve found an ally in Education Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven, who told the parliament on Tuesday that she also likes the idea.<\/p>\n

A bit more<\/h2>

When you pay as you go, you will have to pay a bit more though. The educational institutions are allowed to increase the rate by 15% for credit-based payments \u2013 for administrative expenses. CDA would like this percentage to be set as a maximum rather than a standard surcharge.<\/p>\n

And once again, it\u2019s fine with the Minister: \u201cWhat you\u2019re basically saying is \u2018if they can do it for less, can they make sure it costs less?\u2019\u201d Van Engelshoven will be making the necessary changes in the experiment\u2019s terms and conditions.<\/p>\n

Takeaway<\/h2>

The plan for this experiment was first hatched in 2015, by then coalition partners VVD and PvdA. While it enjoyed the support of the Dutch Student Union (LSVb), opposition parties initially scoffed at the plan \u2013 calling it a \u2018supermarket model\u2019 and \u2018Chinese takeaway\u2019. They were afraid that students would limit their scope to popular subjects. Most parliamentary parties have since revised their position, however.<\/p>\n

During a recent debate about increasing the flexibility of the education sector, almost none of the participants dug their heels in. The most critical note came from GroenLinks, which warned that these charming schemes could lead to budget cuts via the backdoor and further fragmentation. Flexible education could create all sorts of new complications: how can we safeguard a programme\u2019s quality and cohesion, for example?<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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