Fewer students have study debts since basic grant's return, but debts are higher

The number of students with student debts has decreased since the reintroduction of the basic study grant. But the average debt per student is higher, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

The number of still-studying students with student debts has decreased by around a quarter since the reintroduction of the basic study grant. Nearly 460,000 current students have student debt. That’s 150,000 fewer than two years ago, when the basic grant was reinstated.

The average student debt of former students is now €18,800, €800 more than a year ago. The number of people with student debt of €50,000 or more has also increased. There are now 146,000, almost 10,000 more than in 2024. Over 3,000 people in the Netherlands have student debts of €100,000 or more.

In 2024, the government distributed a total of €2.7 million in student grants. This includes both basic grants and supplementary grants.

Despite the reinstatement of the basic student grant after eight years of the student loan system, many students are still experiencing financial stress, according to the organizations that represent them. A growing number of students are “barely able to make ends meet,” said Sarah Evink, chair of the Intercity Student Consultation (ISO). The government compensated students for the sharply increased cost of living in 2023/24, but that additional €164.30 stopped after a year.

Evink welcomes the fact that fewer students are having to borrow, but she also points out that the figures clearly show “that inequality among students is increasing.” She calls the fact that so many people have high student debt distressing. “We don’t want young people with smaller grants to think twice before studying for fear of student debt. Then we’ll miss out on talent that we desperately need in the Netherlands.”