Finances

In some cases of study delay, you might be eligible to receive extra support through the Student Financial Support Fund. A few examples where this might be possible: if you fell ill due to Covid-19, if you fell behind in your studies due to informal care for a sick family member, or if you’re having to combine your studies with the care for children.

There is also the emergency fund, if you have acute unexpected expenses that are beyond your financial capacity. Please contact the student counsellor to discuss the options.

You may well be eligible for a Student Grant from DUO. You will receive money on a monthly basis, which will have to be paid back. There are conditions you must meet like age, nationality and previous education. You can send an application to DUO, yourself. 

Are you unable to work and study? And you have solid motives why this is impossible? Do you live in Utrecht or Amersfoort? The council may well be able to offer financial support. See if you qualify for a Student Allowance and apply now! 

The Student Allowance helps students suffering from physical or mental impairments or chronic diseases and who are unable to work and study. If your impairment is the reason why you cannot work enough, you will qualify for a Student Allowance issued by the local council in your place of residence.  As of 17 January 2019, the amount for Students living in Utrecht has been increased to € 200.- per month. 

Citizens of Utrecht can apply and find  information on how to qualify here (Dutch only). For Amersfoort, go here (Dutch only). Do you live elsewhere? Every council has Student Allowances; check your local council’s website.

Students following an officially recognised higher education programme, but who are not entitled to student finance, may be able to apply for financial support from The Lifelong Learning Credit (Levenlanglerenkrediet, or LLLK). You can find information about tax deduction of study costs on the website of the Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst).

There are many options for governmental support, more than you might imagine. In addition to the teacher grant and allowance for teachers, there are also various subsidies. This link will bring you to a convenient overview of what is available.

Every year, VSBfonds offers scholarships of up to € 10,000 to full-time students of universities of applied sciences and research universities who want to follow further educational programmes or conduct research abroad after obtaining their bachelor’s degree at the HU. However, these further educational programmes may not form part of a Dutch degree programme, and work placements are also not eligible. The application deadline for the coming academic year is 1 March. For more information, please click here.

There may be times when you require extra financial support, for example because you find yourself in circumstances that prevent you from making ends meet or because you need to travel abroad for your studies. In some cases, you can apply for financial support from a private fund. Each of these funds determine their own objectives and criteria by which your application will be assessed. If you wish to apply for such private funding, you will need to do your research beforehand in order to determine which funds suit your application and what rules apply. There is a wide range of funds available for all kinds of objectives, organisations and people. You will find an overview of all funds here.

In the HU Library, you can consult a copy of the FondsenDisk which is issued by the publishing company Walburg Pers. This provides a comprehensive overview of the many available funds and information about their assessment criteria and the application procedure. If you need support in submitting an application, you can make an appointment with your student counsellor.

Below are a few options that we know are aimed specifically at students:

• The Tesselschade Studiefonds (only Dutch site) provides financial support to help with the costs of women’s education. Their objective is to help women on their way towards economic independence. In order to be eligible for support from the Tesselschade Studiefonds, it is important that the educational programme to be followed is officially recognised. In addition, the acceptance procedure takes into account, among other things, the prospective of the degree programme on the labour market.
• There are also various study funding opportunities listed on the website for studying mothers (only Dutch).
• For funding and scholarships related to financing a study abroad programme, take a look at the list drawn up by the ‘beursopener’. Pay close attention to the application deadlines, which can vary per fund. Make sure to plan your application for funding to be well on time. Lastly, be sure to check out the website for VSBfonds.

If you need help finding out what you can do to improve your situation, please contact the student counsellor.

• Moneyfit (onky Dutch) is an organisation set up by and for young people, that allows you to anonymously ask for help or find a buddy to help you get your finances in order.
• Humanitas is an association run by volunteers, committed to helping people. Their services include helping people get their home financial administration in order. Visit their site here.
• It’s also possible to enlist the help a volunteer to help you get your finances in order, via the Landelijk Stimuleringsnetwerk Thuisadministratie (National Stimulation Network for Home Administration, only Dutch site).

The HU offers an hourly financial consultation session. The HU research group Debt and Collections conducts research into topics such as debt prevention, identifying and predicting debt and stress issues related to financial concerns. The insights they obtain from this research is shared with the public on their website. They also offer an hourly financial consultation session, which can currently only be arranged by scheduling an appointment. Please send an email to schedule an online appointment for the following Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Another option is make use of the HU Legal Services Counter, where you can be brought into contact with a budget coach.

If you have financial concerns, you can also inquire into the options available at your local municipality. To do so in Utrecht, please contact the Neighbourhood Teams (Only Dutch, Buurtteams).

The Foundation National Institute for Budget Information (Nibud Dutch only) provides courses on themes such as saving, getting by and borrowing. Their website offers a lot of information about these themes as well as tools to help you keep up with your administration.