Loan system students to get additional €2,000 compensation next year
Students who studied under the student loan system will receive approximately €2,000 in extra compensation next year, the Cabinet decided on Friday. The exact amount depends on how long they studied. The measure will cost a total of €1.4 billion, RTL Nieuws reports.
The plans for the extra compensation leaked last week.
In 2015, the Dutch government abolished the basic study grant and introduced the student loan system, with the intention of investing the money saved into better education. But in practice, little improvement was achieved.
In 2023, under considerable pressure from students and political parties, the government backtracked and reintroduced the basic study grant. In the intervening years, about 760,000 students studied with no monthly contribution from the government and amassed a mountain of study debts.
Last year, the government introduced an initial compensation scheme for this “unlucky generation,” paying each student up to €3,740. But many parliamentarians thought the compensation was too low.
This extra amount comes on top of the amount paid out in 2025. The additional compensation should be paid out starting in April next year.
