Encouraged by influencers, a growing number of (former) students are requesting to have their student debt cancelled. And with success: DUO is approving more and more of these requests, according to Minister Eppo Bruins.
Sometimes there are medical reasons for taking longer to complete a degree, such as a disability, ADHD, or a serious illness. In such cases, students can apply to DUO for an extra year of basic grant or for (partial) cancellation of their student debt. Increasingly, (former) students are becoming aware of this: the number of applications has risen sharply.
Most commonly, students apply to DUO for an additional year of performance-based grant due to study delays. They need support from their dean or academic advisor, who must confirm that there were ‘exceptional medical circumstances’. Last year, nearly 10,700 students received an extra year of basic grant from DUO. Almost everyone is successful: about 97% of applications are approved.
DUO also frequently cancels (part of) a student debt. Over the past seven years, the number of applications for debt relief has risen by 90%, and the number of approvals has more than doubled: from 1,250 in 2018 to nearly 2,560 last year.
There are four such provisions (in Dutch) that students can appeal to. On social media, people share their success stories, and one popular influencer even sells information on how to apply for these DUO schemes.
HOP, Olmo Linthorst
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