Eligibility
Whether you qualify for student finance depends on your age, course and nationality or residency status.
Age
- If you are studying at MBO (secondary vocational education), the minimum age for a grant or interest bearing loan is 18. However, if you are under 18 you can still get a student travel product.
- There is no minimum age for HBO (higher professional education) and university.
- You must be younger than 30 on the day your student finance starts.
If you already receive student finance, it will continue after your 30th birthday, unless you stop it. You cannot restart it after that.
Course
- You are enrolled in 1 of the following courses:
- MBO: school-based learning pathway (BOL)
- HBO or university: bachelor, master or associate degree
- You are enrolled in a full-time or dual course. You will not get student finance for a part-time programme or work-based learning pathway (BBL). Or if you are enrolled as a external student ("extraneus") or exam candidate.
- You have to be enrolled on the first day of the month. If you're enrolled after the first day of the month, you will be eligible the following month.
- Your course lasts at least 1 year.
- Your course must be officially recognised in the Netherlands. Your school or university can tell you if this is the case.
Are you taking a transition year ("schakeljaar") or a premaster programme? You will only get student finance if you are registered as a full time or dual bachelor student.
Sometimes you can get student finance for a programme abroad (link in Dutch).
Have you had student finance for 48 months or more for MBO 3 or 4? Then you are not entitled to student finance for MBO 1 or 2.
Have you had student finance for HBO or university for 48 months or more? Then you are not entitled to student finance for MBO.
Home study
You will not get student finance for a programme you are following from home.
Nationality
- You have the Dutch nationality or a residence permit type II, III, IV or V.
- Do you have a residence permit type I? Then you may also qualify for student finance.
- Do you have the nationality of an EU/EEA country Link opent externe pagina , Switzerland or the United Kingdom? Or is your partner or parent a citizen of one of these countries? Then you may also qualify for student finance. Read about eligibility for student finance for citizens of an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
Does the Temporary Protection Directive Ukraine Link opent externe pagina apply to you? If so, you do not qualify for student finance.
Requirements residence permit type I
Use the eligibility assistant to find out if you qualify for student finance.
Permit type I eligibility assistantPermit type I eligibility assistant
Still waiting for a residence permit
Apply for student finance, even if haven’t received your residence permit yet. Your application will be rejected, because you don’t meet the nationality requirements. However, if you contact us within 6 weeks after receiving your residence permit, we will award your student finance retroactively. That is, if you meet all the other conditions as well.
If you do not qualify for student finance
If you do not qualify for student finance, you may be eligible for another scheme:
- grant or subsidy for a teacher training course (information in Dutch)
- grant for teachers studying at HBO or university (information in Dutch)
- lifelong learning credit
- tuition fee loan or contribution towards course fees for EU/EEA citizens and Swiss, or British holding a Dutch residence permit Article 50.