It is final: the basic grant is returning
The Senate voted on Tuesday 6 June unanimously for the return of the basic grant. This means that from the coming academic year, students will once again be entitled to a monthly allowance that’s not a loan.
The basic grant for HBO and WO will be 274.90 euros for students living on their own and 110.30 euros for students still living with their parents. Students are entitled to this for the nominal duration of their study programme. Provided that the student obtains a diploma within ten years, they do not have to repay this money.
The Parliament already voted in favor of the plan in February. Although it was expected that the Senate would agree as well, this was not final until the vote.
To compensate the ‘unlucky generation’, the students who studied in the period when there was no basic grant, the government has set aside 1 billion euros. In 2015, the basic grant was replaced by the loan system.
The Intercity Student Consultation (ISO), which represents the student councils, writes in a press release that they are pleased with the return. Chairman Terri van der Velden: ‘It is clear that life has only become more expensive in the past eight years, students also feel that. […] We would of course have preferred higher basic amounts compared to the abolition in 2015, but the most important thing is that the return is now official.’ (KB)
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