Students from EU member states are entitled to Dutch student grants if they have a side job. Photo Christian Lue/Unsplash Following several lost legal battles, the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO, Education Executive Agency) must adjust its course for European students. EU students are eligible for grants in more cases. The government has commissioned an investigation into the consequences.
Students from within the European Union are eligible for student grants in other member states if they hold a side job. In such cases, the rules for ‘migrating employees’ apply, granting them the same rights as the country’s inhabitants. The Dutch government and DUO demand that students work a minimum of 56 hours a month for student grant rights. This standard is considered too strict, and is not included in European law, says the Dutch news agency NOS.
Several students working fewer hours took legal action in the past few years and won. Their lawyers estimate that between 32 to 40 hours of paid labour suffices for eligibility for student grants. They claim the DUO’s policy is designed to discourage students.
Discouraging
DUO denies these allegations in response to questions from the NOS. Still, it promises students will be better informed, and the standard will be applied with more leniency. Those who work fewer than 56 hours will no longer be automatically rejected. This means that it will become easier for EU students to obtain a student grant in the Netherlands. Particularly relevant now that the basic student grant is to be reinstated.
PvdA MP Habtuma de Hoop says this is good news for international students, but the extra costs should not affect the student grants for Dutch students. He has petitioned a study ‘mapping the costs and consequences and the pull factor’ from Minister of Education Dijkgraaf.
A spokesperson from the ministry confirms that an explorative investigation is currently being conducted on a ‘possible lowering’ of the current 56-hour requirement and the pros and cons of such an adjustment. The investigation is expected to come to a conclusion at the end of this year.
