International students also apply for the basic student grant

Dutch radio show Nieuws en Co requested figures from DUO and then asked the MP Pieter Omtzigt, known for his opposition to the concession of student financing to foreigners, to comment on them. Omtzigt expects to see a significant increase in the number of international students getting student financing in the Netherlands over the next few years. 

More than 9,000 international students received student financing in 2021, a figure that rose to 12,000 in 2022. The year is not over yet, but the number is expected to grow to 14,500 in 2023, which corresponds to one in eight or nine international students. 

Part-time job
Students from countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) can study here under essentially the same conditions as Dutch students. They pay the same tuition fees as the Dutch, unlike students from countries outside the EEA. 

They are also entitled to student financing if they work part-time alongside their studies. Previously, they had to work at least 56 hours a month to qualify. After a series of court cases, this was reduced to 32 hours or 24 hours if they have been working here for a while.

It was to be expected that international students would become more likely to apply for student financing. After all, the basic student grant was reintroduced in September, replacing a loan system. The grant amounts to 275 euros a month for students not living with their parents (the amount has been temporarily increased by 164 euros a month this academic year). 

Curbing internationalisation
Omtzigt said on the radio that he expects a steep increase in the number of international students receiving student financing. He is in favour of curbing the internationalisation of higher education by making programmes Dutch-taught again. He also wants to negotiate the rules for granting student financing at the European level. 

Higher education institutions warn against drastic measures that would make it harder for foreign students to study in the Netherlands. They believe politicians are throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Going too far
D66 is one of the political parties warning of such a risk. “Internationalisation is causing issues in some areas, but it is fundamentally a positive thing”, declared the MP Jan Paternotte. “Research shows that it brings in more money than it costs, even if many students leave the country after graduating.”

He thinks that giving universities a little more control over international student numbers is a good idea, but other parties would like to go much further than that. Paternotte: “I’m concerned that we’re going too far. They did the same thing in Denmark and now they are forced to reverse the policy. The Danish business community quickly sounded the alarm.”

As for the growing number of foreign students receiving Dutch student financing, he says: “That’s not as bad as it sounds, there aren’t that many of them. Some parties are negative about everything related to internationalisation, such as teaching in English or giving European students financing. But we also need professionals in our labour market and these students hold have part-time jobs. So, there are real benefits.”