The majority of students pays the legal tuition fee of €2530, an amount set by the government and thus the same across the Netherlands. However, for students outside the European Economic Area, higher institutional tuition fees apply – these students are not funded by the Dutch government and universities can set their own fees.
Institutional tuition fees for Maastricht University will increase significantly at the start of the next academic year. Three examples: a ‘low rate’ Bachelor’s degree (e.g., Digital Society and Psychology) will increase from €9800 to €13,000. Students choosing a ‘high rate’ programme (e.g., Biomedical Science, Brain Science, or Circular Engineering) will pay €18,300 instead of €13,500. And fees for a ‘high rate’ Master’s degree will increase by six thousand euros (€25,000). Programmes here include Human Movement Sciences and Biobased Materials.
The situation was no longer tenable, a UM policy officer explained last week in a committee meeting of the University Counci. There was too much pressure from the faculties. There are more and more students from outside Europe, who all need the same “student-related facilities” such as classrooms, study places, entrance to the library, psychologists and study advisors, while the compensation has remained the same for years. In 2016/2017, there were only 800 students at UM who paid the institutional tuition fees. Last academic year, there were 1650.
What does that mean for the students currently enrolled at the university? Do they suddenly have to start paying thousands more? The policy officer explained that a transitional arrangement will be put in place. According to University Council member Netty Bekkers, this will have an impact either way on the number of non-European students. Vice-president Jan-Tjitte Meindersma added that this was never the intention. University Council member Fiona Passanha was curious whether more will be invested in the faculties’ student-related facilities. In the first instance, the facilities will mainly be preserved, was the reply.
However, during the plenary meeting of the University Council on Wednesday 25 September, where the proposal had to be voted on, many students weren't convinced. They were concerned about how Maastricht can still remain 'the international university of the Netherlands' if the fee increases. Does this fit within the internationalization policy? Is there a political rationale behind it? After all, the new cabinet wants fewer foreign students. The policy officer present reassured them: many other universities in the Netherlands have higher rates and those who want to study in the US or the United Kingdom will pay a lot more. UM-President Rianne Letschert emphasized that the increase has nothing to do with politics in The Hague.
The first vote among the ten student members resulted in five in favor and five against. After a short suspension and a confidential consultation between the University Council members, a second vote (which could not take place during a subsequent meeting because the tuition fees must be published on 1 October) ended positively for the Executive Board. However, with the message that there will be a communication plan that explains to new students why the UM is increasing the institutional tuition fee and, among other things, a plan on how the UM will provide (more) scholarships in the future so that studying at the UM remains attractive for the group outside the EEA.