Overview
If you are enrolled as a student in university, higher vocational education, or secondary vocational education, you can apply for student finance. You must be a Dutch national or have the same rights. This means non-Dutch can also apply for student finance.
Do you fail to meet the nationality criteria for student finance? Then you may still qualify for a tuition fees loan.
What is student finance?
- Student finance consists of different components, such as the basic grant, the supplementary grant, the student travel product, the interest bearing loan and the tuition fees loan (for HBO and university only).
- You decide which components you apply for.
We recommend that you always apply for the supplementary grant. You only have to do this once. Because every year, we will calculate if you’re entitled to the grant
Living at home or on your own
You will get more money if you are no longer living with either of your parents Link opent externe pagina .
To receive student finance for students living on their own, you need to:
- be registered with the municipality on an a different address than your parent(s), and
- actually live on the registered address.
Your eligibility is based on the situation on the 1st of the month. If you receive student finance for students living on their own, we will check if you meet the conditions.
I cannot register on a different address than my parents’
Are you unable to register on a different address than your parents’ address? If one of the following situations applies, you can apply for an exception, so you still receive a basic grant for living away from home:
- You are doing an internship in the Netherlands and you cannot register on the address where you live during your internship.
- You are doing an internship shorter than 8 months outside the Netherlands and you remain registered at your parents' address.
- Your parents are seafarers or inland skippers and they are registered on your address.
- You are staying on board a ship as part of your education.
- You are staying in a shelter for victims of domestic abuse, or a similar facility.
- You do not have a fixed address.
- The municipality refuses to register you.
You are not eligible for an exception for having problems with your landlord. Your landlord is obliged to let you register on the address. If your landlord refuses to do so, we advise you to report this to the municipality.
Apply for an exception
First make sure you have applied for the basic grant. Then you can apply for an exception if you can’t register on a different address than your parents’.
- Log into Mijn DUO.
- Go to ‘Mijn producten’ and click ‘Studiefinanciering’.
- Go to ‘Privésituatie’.
- Under ‘Uitzondering inschrijving gemeente’, click ‘Uitzondering aanvragen’.
If you cannot log into Mijn DUO, please use the Aanvraag uitzondering inschrijving gemeente form to apply for an exception.
How much is it?
Go to Amounts to read the maximum amounts. Also check the Tax and Customs Administration website Link opent externe pagina to see if you are eligible for any benefits or a tax refund.
When does student finance start?
- student finance for MBO: from the quarter after your 18th birthday. But you can get the student travel product before you turn 18.
- student finance for HBO or university: as soon as you start your programme, even if you are under 18. Usually this is from 1 September.
We pay the amount every month, towards the end of the month. Including the summer holidays.
Gift or repayment
Student finance is not always a gift.