“With the conditions worsening from September on, I’m not sure what to do. Work even more, or go into my savings? I already watch my spending. I think it’s unfair to cut a grant that students rely on”, says a worried and disappointed first year-student of European Law School that doesn't want to be mentioned by name. She wants to do well in her studies, but at the same time, she has to work at least 32 hours per month to be eligible for the Dutch study grant. “I can’t speak Dutch, and the only job I found was waitressing. My shifts never end before 2am in the morning, I don’t get much sleep those nights. This has a serious impact on my grades. It’s difficult to concentrate the next morning.” And she foresees that this will only get worse when she has to work more.
The current academic year, students welcomed the return of the basic student grant after a gap of eight years. For students living away from home, there was more good news: a temporary increase of 164 euros per month to help them cope with a steep rise in inflation. But the vote in the House of Representatives put an end to that increase. Dutch Aukje Brolsma and Thijmen Janssen, both first years at the University College Maastricht, don’t think that cutting the basic grant is justified. “Everything got really expensive, it just doesn’t make sense for me. How should I make up for that large sum every month?”, Brolsma asks. Janssen, who still lives with his parents nearby Roermond, plans to move to Maastricht soon. “I now already work one day every weekend in a cafeteria, and the study load at UCM is quite demanding. I have barely any time for my friends. Soon, I will have to pay rent. With the basic grant decreasing, that means higher costs. I’m afraid I will have to work even more.”
Jaidy de Caluwé, master’s student Forensics, Criminology and Law, will have finished her studies when the new legislation goes into force. Still, she is very dissatisfied with the study finance system. Having received no basic grant in the past years, De Caluwé accumulated nearly 15.000 euros of study debt. “Now I get the basic grant, for the last few months of my studies. Do I have to be thankful for that? And I also work on the side, but I still barely can make ends meet.” Her friend who stands next to her throws in: “Recently, she had to miss out on a trip with us because she couldn’t afford it.”
Simon Wirtz / HOP