Financing Study in Holland

Woodywoodpecker_2

My son would like to study in the Holland next year, but has no funds to pay for his fees or living expenses. I believe that there are loans available for the university fees, and possibly for living expenses (if you work at least 32 hours a month), but I think the university require that you have proof that you have enough funds for a year of study before you can be accepted. Are there any other loans available for students from the EU who want to study in Holland, has anyone got any experiences in this area?

devildog

As far as I am aware a UK student studying in Holland is entitled to the same financial package as a student from Holland only it will not come from Student Finance here but from the equivalent in Holland. They do a basic loan, a means tested loan and a top up loan. Yes you would have to work the 32 hours and pay National Insurance(but no tax) on the earnings but it is do able. Other bonus is that the tuition fees are so much cheaper(all EU students are entitled to loan for tuition fees)
As far as I am aware they only ask you on how you intend to pay for your tuition fees and if you are going through the loan process you just state that.
I think that they have a fairly early closing date for applications but so saying the student I know out there didn't get their UK uni choice so phoned Maastricht(SP?) was accepted over the phone and travelled out approx 10 days later(and is loving it there and holds down two part time jobs)

astarman

I am not aware of any requirement to prove that you have the funds to finance a degree abroad within the EU. This is certainly true in USA, Australia etc but not within the EU. Universities in Holland will ask whether you plan to pay fees up front or apply for a tuition fee loan. You won't be penalised for paying up front but interest will be payable on the loan (at a rate of 3.58% as of August 2010, not sure of current rate).

Given that it is not possible to get a maintenance loan, it is not recommended to study in the Netherlands with no alternative source of funding, at least in the short term. For the first semester you are likely to be in a worse financial situation than in the UK in terms of money actually leaving your pocket. This is more than made up for over the course of a 3 or 4 year degree, however.

In our experience, students who are successful at Dutch universities tend to spend the first semester adjusting to university life (and learning a little of the language) before searching for work. However there are students from all around the EU (Bulgaria and Romania in particular) who have gone to Holland for a cost-effective higher education in the English language and have needed to work from day one. The general consensus appears to be that if you need a 32 hour a month job to stay there, you can find one but it won't fall into your lap. (Some Dutch universities actually hire British students to work for them but these chances will decrease as Brits cease to be quite so scarce on campus.)

It is also worth bearing in mind that you need to have the 32 hour job for three consecutive months before you can apply for the grant from the Dutch government.

Woodywoodpecker_2

Thanks devildog and astarman for your useful comments. I have been on several websites; TU Delft (the University I'm interested in), Nuffic and DUO. I have even phoned them, but they don't seem to give specific information, rather referring me back to their websites. Some of the questions that I have are:
1. When do you start to apply to Universities in Holland? It seems that for the 2012 intake I could register possibly from September, but I have heard of people applying, and getting in a few days before the course starts.
2. How do you apply, some seem to be direct to the uni, others through Studiekink, others both?
3. The courses seems to start towards the end of August, yet I don't get my results until the 18th August - how does that work out?
4. How does the loan/grant system work. I have been directed to Grantfinder but this seems very limited, and I don't think I would be successful in gaining one. Although I might need to raise some money before next summer, not enough to survive on. My understanding is that as I am an EU citizen I would be eligible for a tuition fee loan, but I'm not sure. From the DUO website they seems to have a breakdown of grants/loans as follows
a. Basic Grant
b. Supplementary Grant
c. Loan
d. Tuition Fee loan
The total of this works out at around 900 euros a month, which would make the difference from me being able to study in Holland or not. My understanding is that the Supplementary grant is dependant to my parents' earnings, and possibly the Basic grant is available after I have a 32 hour a month job, but I really am unsure!
5. If I am eligible for a grant/loan, when do I have to apply for it.

Many questions, I have visited Holland many times, love the country, its lifestyle, its ethos, and now I see the possibility of studying there, i don't want it to slip through my hands. Any further advice gratefully received.

melancholly

http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/practical_information.html

can't give any advice - only known people do a year abroad as opposed to applying for the whole degree there, but this website looks pretty useful!

Woodywoodpecker_2

Hi Melacholly

Thanks for the link to the Study in Holland website. It has a good amount of general info, but on its page about loans and grants it says:

1. All EU students are entitled to a loan to cover their tuition fees if required (see Collegegeldkrediet below) but additional support is also available under certain circumstances. By that I understand that I would be abble to get a loan to cover tuition fees (which is great)

2.The most important condition for you to fulfil the criteria for Dutch Student Finance is that you...work 32 hours a month and pay Dutch national insurance. Then it goes on to sayDutch Student Finance consists of three components:

1. The basic package
2. The means-tested element
3. The Top-Up loan

So by this I understand that you can only access the above components after you have a 32 hour a month job (and as astarman says you can only access this after working three months). But then the site goes on to saythe Top-Up loan may be accessed by those who need additional financial support. This is a separate loan from the Collegegeldkrediet which is available to everyone. You can borrow up to €285.70 per month. I am unclear whether I could access this part of the loan, whilst looking for that allusive 32 hour a month job? Or am I reading it wrong?

I have tried to phone the DUO people in Holland (the organisation dealing with loans/grants) but only get a message line that is all in Dutch!

This forum reaches the parts that other forums and websites cannot reach!!

astarman

Hi Woodywoodpecker,

to answer your financial questions first: Aside from the tuition fee loan there is no financial support available until you have a 32 hour a month job. Then you can get the grant and, if needed, you can apply for the various additional top up loans (some of which are means tested).

DUO can often be overly complicated in terms of how it describes this but bear in mind that their information is designed to address the needs of potential students from everywhere on the planet not just UK or EU students.

I have had many discussions with Dutch universities about loans, grants etc and I often encounter confusion. The reality is that every British student I know of in Holland has been able to get the tuition fee loan and all the additional support once they have the necessary job. You need to fill out quite a few forms and these are all in Dutch but most students find that DUO or university representatives can offer all the help they need with this. Aside from the language barrier this does not seem to be any more complicated than applying to the Student Loan Company here.

Regarding the admissions process for 2012 entry, most universities will only open admissions in January next year. There is no need to apply urgently at the beginning of Year 13. For most courses you will receive a conditional offer. The offer is conditional on you achieving 3 A levels, not 3As or 3Bs, just 3 A levels. Obviously your place will not be confirmed until you get your results in August (and you are right, term usually starts in the first week of September in Holland). However, the chances of you reaching the standard required are pretty good I would think. As a result, there is far less uncertainty in the Dutch system than in the British system.

For some courses for 2011 it may still be possible to find a place. I am currently working on a list on those opportunities that are still available.

This describes the admissions process for most courses. There are some notable exceptions but without knowing what you want to study and where, this is the best advice I can offer.

Woodywoodpecker_2

Hi Astarman

Thank you again for all that additional information. It is slowly beginning to fall together. The course that I am hoping to apply for is the BSc in Aerospace (English stream) at TU Delft. They have got back to me and I am hoping to go to their open day later this year, hopefully that will clarify some of the issues. They themselves are introducing a new entry criteria for next year, but at this stage are not able to say what that might be.

I guess my concerns are how difficult it is to get a job, how long it will take to get one, and how much money I would need up front to survive until I get the job and the grants/loans kick in.

So going by what you say there is no point trying to apply to DUO until I was able to get a job, and keep it for at least three months?

Any other advice gratefully received, as you seem to be very much 'in the know'!

Ayelet

I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years and I also looked in to studying while I was there and found every avenue was cut-off because I do not hold a Dutch passport with regards to help. Most Dutch kids also stay at their parents while going to Uni as the government hands out free public transport cards which are valid throughout the country.

I at the time did have a job of at least 32 hours a month (cleaning hotel rooms), but this didn't even cover rent or health insurance (that is a must) and the contract was very unstable. To have a good chance of getting a job you must speak Dutch too, which is difficult and dutchies always want to speak english .

Positive note though....I came back to the UK and landed a job straight away because I speak Dutch

Good luck though and feel free to PM me with regards to which areas you want to stay in as I know the areas and buss routes quite well

bboyharribo

Hey

I am looking to do a masters degree in Holland.

I am currently just about to finish a Bachelors degree here in the UK, and liked the idea of doing a masters abroad, (liked the cheapness).

Luckily i am going out with a Dutch girl and she told me about the grants you can get there.

I also noticed that if you get a job and work 32 hours a month you get a good amount of a GRANT like E270 a month! I am at the application process and will be applying for residence.

The difference is that i am lucky because i will be staying at her parents house so it wont cost as much.

Everything was smooth and then they raised the fees! So im gonna have to scrounge some more off my parents!

If anyone has been through this process or notices iv made a mistake, tell me.

DegreesAheadGirl

Hi bboyharribo,

What course do you want to do? The fees in Holland go up each year, but only nominally with inflation (€1880 for Sept 2013) unless it's a specialist course...

The only exception to this is professional courses, like at the Hague University of Applied Science where their MBA courses cost around €10,000 per year.

Feel free to pm me - if you let me know what course you want to do, I can look into it

The confusion is that the English pages that we are directed to are often written for international students (from out of the EU) who are expected to pay the full cost of the degree and so it can be quite confusing.

I hope this helps!

Amy from Degrees Ahead