Withdrawing from your study programme

If you plan to withdraw from your study programme, the first thing you need to do is deregister. You can do this at your educational institution (MBO) or on Studielink Link opent externe pagina (university or higher vocational education). Make sure you know the date on which you will be deregistered.

Cancelling your student finance or allowance

Enter your details in the programme update assistant. It will only take a minute to find out what arrangements you need to make.

Programme update assistantProgramme update assistant

Cancelling your travel product

If you have a student travel product, you need to cancel it yourself at a public transport ticket machine (‘ophaalautomaat’). You must do so on or before the 10th day of the first month in which your eligibility ends. Unauthorized use of a student travel product costs €89.54 per half a calendar month for the first month (€81.40 in 2023) and €179.10 per half a calendar month from then on (€162.82 in 2023).

Refund of course fees (MBO or VAVO)

Are you paying course fees for secondary vocational education (MBO) or secondary education for adults (VAVO)? In that case, you may be entitled to a partial refund of your course fees. At the latest, you need to apply for this on the final day of the academic year.

Refund of tuition fees (HBO or university)

You do not pay your tuition fees for university or higher vocational education (HBO) to DUO. Any questions you have about refunding tuition fees should be addressed to your university or university of applied sciences (HBO institution).

Repayment

If you are in secondary vocational education (MBO) level 1 (‘entree-opleiding’) or 2, your basic student grant, your travel product and any supplementary grant are a gift. If you are in secondary vocational education MBO) level 3 or 4, or studying at university or higher vocational education (HBO), you do not have to repay your grant or your travel product as long as you obtain your diploma within 10 years. Please note that this does not apply if you withdraw during your 1st year of receiving student finance.