Gift or repayment
Student finance for secondary vocational education (MBO), higher vocational education (HBO) and university is not always a gift up front. For certain study programmes your student finance is a ‘performance-related grant'.
No performance-related grant
If you do MBO 1 or 2, your basic grant, supplementary grant and student travel product are always a gift. There is no performance-related grant for MBO 1 and 2.
MBO 1 and 2
| Component | Gift or repayment |
|---|---|
| Basic grant | Gift |
| Supplementary grant | Gift |
| Student travel product | Gift |
| Interest bearing loan | Repayment |
Performance-related grant and diploma period
For MBO 3. MBO 4, HBO and university, your basic grant, supplementary grant and travel product are a ‘performance-related grant’. They become a gift if you obtain your diploma within 10 years. This is called the diploma period. The 10-year period takes effect on the 1st of the month in which you first get student finance for MBO 3 or 4, or for higher education (HBO or university).
The performance grant is subject to interest from the 1st month you receive it. If you obtain your diploma in time, the interest becomes a gift as well. If you fail to obtain your diploma in time, you must repay the performance-related grant, including interest.
MBO 3 and 4
| Component | Diploma within 10 years | No diploma within 10 years |
|---|---|---|
| Basic grant | Gift | Repayment |
| Supplementary grant | Gift | Repayment |
| Student travel product | Gift | Repayment |
| Interest bearing loan | Repayment | Repayment |
Which diploma counts?
You have to obtain a diploma in one of the following study programmes:
- ‘vakopleiding’ (vocational training) (level 3)
- ‘middenkaderopleiding’ (middle management programme) (level 4)
- designated study programme in another country (level 3 or 4)
- ‘specialistenopleiding’ (specialist programme) (level 4)
- ‘beroepsbegeleide leerweg’ (dual vocational learning pathway) (level 3 or 4)
- HBO (also associate degree)
- university
The study programme must be listed in the Register Instellingen en Opleidingen (RIO).
No diploma
If you do not obtain a diploma for at least level 3, you have to pay back the performance-related grant. There is one exception to this: if you received a supplementary grant during the first 12 months of your student finance, the supplementary grant you received during those months does not come under the performance-related grant. You are allowed to keep those sums, even without a diploma.
HBO and university
| Component | Diploma within 10 years | No diploma within 10 years |
|---|---|---|
| Supplementary grant | Gift | Repayment |
| Student travel product | Gift | Repayment |
| Interest bearing loan | Repayment | Repayment |
How many years of gift?
How many years are allowed as a gift depends on the value of your diploma. You have to obtain a diploma in one of the following study programmes. The study programme must be listed in the Register Instellingen en Opleidingen (RIO).
| Type of degree | Number of years of gift |
|---|---|
| Associate degree | 2 years grant + student travel product in full |
| HBO Bachelor's degree | 4 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 1-year HBO Master's degree | 5 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 1.5-year HBO Master's degree* | 5 years and 6 months grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 2-year HBO Master's degree* | 6 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 2.5-year HBO Master's degree* | 6 years and 6 months grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 3-year HBO Master's degree* | 7 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 4-year HBO Master's degree* | 8 years grant + student travel product in full |
* This applies only if you obtained an HBO Master’s degree on or after 1 September 2021. If you obtained an HBO Master’s degree before 1 September 2021, we convert 5 years grant + the student travel product in full into a gift.
| Type of degree | Number of years of gift |
|---|---|
| University Bachelor's degree | 3 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 1-year university Master's degree | 4 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 2-year university Master's degree | 5 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 3-year university Master's degree | 6 years grant + student travel product in full |
| Bachelor's degree + 4-year university Master's degree | 7 years grant + student travel product in full |
MBO debt
If you also have a debt relating to an MBO programme, your student travel product, basic grant and supplementary grant for the MBO programme are a gift as well. In that case, you have to obtain your degree within 10 years after you first obtained student finance for the MBO programme.
Foreign degree
Did you obtain a degree in another country? Then we cannot say straight off how many years will become a gift. We will have to evaluate it first. For that purpose we look at the value of a comparable Dutch degree.
Part-time programme
If you get a degree for a part-time programme, your travel product and supplementary grant also become a gift. In that case, the degree must be equivalent to the diploma for the full-time programme.
No diploma
If you do not obtain a degree, you have to pay back the performance-related grant. There is one exception to this: if you received a supplementary grant during the first 5 months of your student finance, the supplementary grant you received during those months does not come under the performance-related grant. You are allowed to keep those sums, even without a degree.
Quitting during the 1st year of your student finance
If you quit during the 1st year after getting student finance and you disenrolled before 1 February, you may not have to pay back your grant and student travel product for the 1st year.
When a gift?
The conversion of your performance-related grant into a gift takes place in the month of January after you obtained your diploma. You will be notified of this at the end of January. If you have obtained a university Bachelor’s degree or associate degree, it may take longer for your performance-related grant to be converted.