Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs
The Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) is the governmental student finance body in the Netherlands. As with all governmental services in the Netherlands, you are able to access the website with your DigiD.
Student Finance
The current student finance scheme consists of several components:
- Maintenance loan - an amount for covering living expenses
- Student travel product - allows free travel across the Dutch public transportation network for part of the week
- Tuition fee loan - covers the entire tuition fee
The requirements to be eligible for student finance vary based on the type of residence permit you have. DUO offers a page where you can check your eligibility.
Tuition Fee Loan
Even if you do not qualify for student finance in general, you may still be eligible for a tuition fee loan. The tuition fee loan is applicable only to those who pay the same fees as Dutch students.
The current conditions associated with the tuition fee loan are: 0% interest; a maximum payback period of 30 years; a two year grace period after completing your study in which you do not have to pay back anything; and monthly repayments that are tied to your salary. Of course, these conditions are always subject to change and you should always verify them on the website. Even though this loan is not registered in the Dutch Bureau of Credit Registration (BKR), when applying for a mortgage, the size of your monthly repayments is taken into account [1].
