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 either during the work week, or during the weekend
• Tuition fee loan - covers the entire tuition fee

The requirements to be eligible for student finance vary. 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 35 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. 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].