The number of young people committing suicide has increased over the past ten years, according to 113 Suicide Prevention. Many students also struggle with mental health issues. “There is a lot that can be done within education to support students,” says researcher Jolien Dopmeijer. “It is important that educational institutions create an environment where you can be yourself.”
The disagreement over DUWO’s vote-in housing policy has now reached national politics. Students and associations are clashing with the student housing provider over control and equal access, and political party VVD has involved the minister. What does he say, and what led up to this? Here are the key questions and answers.
Stress, pressure to perform, financial worries… Young people’s wellbeing is under scrutiny, and education is offering more and more care and guidance. But don’t forget the power of education itself, says the Education Council.
The Delft promise of 3,500 new social housing student rooms by 2030 is unachievable. DUWO and other social housing corporations have been unable to build much in recent years and have little certainty about future projects. Moreover, new figures paint a distorted picture.
Higher basic grants and lower interest rates on student loans, but tuition fees are going up and rents continue to rise. These and other changes will affect students’ wallets in 2026.
Not every international student can or wants to go home for the Christmas holidays. That’s why the international student association BEST came up with the idea of a cookie baking evening. “You experience the Christmas spirit differently when your friends and family are far away.”
An open letter from TU Delft student associations about DUWO’s new intended pick-your-housemate-policy got a lot of attention in the local media. Why did they send this letter? “We are worried that the effects of the policy is already decided,” says VeRa (the Association Council) Board Member Lucas van Krimpen.
The Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office wants to send a clear message to students about the importance of mutual consent in sexual relations. It is demanding a 20-month prison sentence for a member of the Utrecht Student Corps.
Thursday marks three months that Alexander Pechtold has been mayor of the student city of Delft. We must guard against the city losing its student atmosphere, he warns. “You only realise what that means once it is gone.”
