The loan system came into effect on 1 September 2015 for all students who are starting a bachelor’s or master’s programme in higher education for the first time. Since the introduction of the loan system, students can take out an interest-bearing loan as student financing. Students can borrow money at a relatively low interest rate.
The loan can be applied for, cancelled or changed on a monthly basis. Interest accrues from the month in which a student receives a loan they have applied for. The interest rate varies per calendar year. After completion of a degree programme, the interest rate is fixed for five years. For 2023, the fixed interest period has been set at 0.46%. In 2024, this will be adjusted to 2.56% per annum.
From 1 January 2016, the mandatory repayment period is 35 years. More information about repaying your loan can be found here.
Students who started their studies before 1 September 2015 can choose whether they want to repay their loan in 15 or 35 years. Students who are subject to both schemes can read about the old system below.
Supplementary grant
The supplementary grant will be retained in the loan system. Students who are already entitled to a supplementary grant will therefore retain this. The maximum supplementary grant is €457.60.
Transition programmes
From 1 September 2017, tuition fees for a transition programme are capped at the statutory tuition fee for 60 credits or more. For transition programmes below this threshold, a proportional part of the statutory tuition fee applies. For more information about the financing of transition programmes, click here.
Vouchers
Students who started studying at a university of applied sciences or university for the first time during the 2015-2016 academic year up to and including the 2018-2019 academic year will receive a voucher for further training or retraining upon graduation. Only students who complete their bachelor’s degree at a university of applied sciences or bachelor’s + master’s degree at a university will receive a voucher. The voucher, worth approximately €2,000, can be used between 5 and 10 years after graduation. The government plans to adjust the voucher from the 2023-2024 academic year onwards. The amount of the study voucher would then be automatically deducted from the student loan debt. More information about this will be announced in July 2023.
Studying with a disability
Students who are subject to the loan system after 1 September 2015, study with a disability and therefore experience study delays, are eligible for a one-off €1,200 reduction in their student loan debt, provided they obtain their diploma within 10 years. It is also still possible to apply for an extra year of student finance. This concerns the student public transport card and any supplementary grant.
Simple procedure in the event of a drop in income
DUO standardly looks at the income from two years ago. This is used to calculate, among other things, the supplementary grant and the repayment percentage of a loan. The condition under which DUO will take a recent drop in income into account is if the income in question has fallen by at least 15%.