Borrowing
Borrowing from DUO means:
- The loan (interest bearing loan and tuition fees loan) is part of student finance.
- The loan is subject to interest from the month you receive it. After that, interest is calculated based on the amount of your debt plus any interest that has already accrued. This will increase your total debt.
- As long as you are studying, the interest rate is determined anew each year. As a result, the interest rate may go up or down. After your education, the interest rate is fixed for 5 years at a time. This is called a fixed interest period.
- You can stop or adjust your interest bearing loan every month.
- If you have an interest bearing loan, you are building up a student debt. After finishing your education you need to pay back the loan, with interest. To see your interest rate and for how long it is fixed, log in to Mijn DUO and look at Mijn Schulden.
- It is not possible to transfer your debt to somebody else, for instance one of your parents.
- Do you intend to buy a house in the Netherlands in the future? Please note that a student debt is taken into account when calculating your mortgage. Read how your debt affects getting a mortgage on Rijksoverheid (link in Dutch) Link opent externe pagina .
- Your DUO loan will not be registered with the Bureau Krediet Registratie (BKR).
How much can you borrow?
The Amounts page states how much you can borrow. Use the student finance calculator (only in Dutch) to see how much you must repay afterwards.
Know what you are borrowing
Your loan and the tuition fees loan are student debts that you have to repay with interest after your studies. The interest rate may vary each year. Due to the interest, you will eventually pay back more than what you have borrowed. In Mijn DUO, you can always adjust or stop your loan.
Tuition fees loan
If you are in HBO or university, you can borrow an extra amount to pay for your tuition fees. This is called a tuition fees loan. The amount depends on the type of tuition fees you are due: statutory tuition fees or institutional tuition fees.
Before applying for an interest bearing loan, check if you are eligible for a supplementary grant. A supplementary grant becomes a gift if you graduate within 10 years, an interest bearing loan does not.
Apply for, change or stop an interest bearing loan
- Log in to Mijn DUO.
- Go to 'Mijn producten' and choose 'Studiefinanciering'.
- Behind 'Rentedragende lening', choose 'Aanvragen', 'Wijzigen', or 'Stopzetten'.
When to make changes
- You need to stop a loan before or on the 1st of the month you no longer want to receive the loan.
- You need to lower a loan before or on the 1st of the month you want to receive a lower amount.
- You can apply for a loan or raise it for all months within the academic year, including past months.