Holland is one of the very few countries in the world, where EU (Greek) students have the opportunity to finance 100% of their study tuition fees and living costs, through a long term loan from the Dutch government, at a very low interest (less than 1 %), both for Bachelor and Master studies.
STUDY COST FINANCING
Holland is one of the very few countries in the world, where EU (Greek) students have the opportunity to finance 100% of their housing/living costs, through a long term loan from the Dutch government, at a very low interest (for more detailed information see below).
The Dutch ministry has calculated the average total monthly living costs for an international student (including housing) for 2018 to be € 870.46.
In Holland, students usually do not live on campus, but have their own room, or share an apartment with other students.
An average room (with bathroom and kitchen) in Holland costs somewhere between € 300 to € 600 a month.
If you are at least eighteen years old and you live in an apartment that you rent yourself (not with others), you can also apply for housing benefit ('Huursubsidie').
This benefit is up to €160 per month, depending on your parents' income, or your own income, if any. It's up to you to apply for housing benefit yourself. It must be said that it is difficult to obtain this housing benefit, especially in your first year as a newly arrived student in Holland, since there are several restrictions and the procedure take a while, but it is always worth trying to obtain it.
In general it is your own responsibility to find accommodation. To do so, you can visit many specialized websites on which student rooms are offered and there are also several specialized Facebook pages for international students looking for rooms in Holland. The most important thing is to start looking for a room on the internet as soon as possible and not wait to do so until you arrive in Holland to start your studies.
Most Universities of Applied Sciences work closely together with housing cooperation’s and local student housing associations, in order to secure accommodation for international students. If you book a room with the assistance of your University of Applied Sciences before May 1, many of them can help you in finding a room. After this date you may be put on a waiting list and may not get a room through your university, so in this case it is better not to wait, but to also actively look on your own for accommodation.
Find out if a room is furnished or unfurnished. The quality can vary greatly and furnishings can range from just a bed and a chair to a fully equipped room with internet. If you decide to go for an unfurnished room, you can buy cheap furniture at second-hand shops in your city.
Before you rent a room, make sure you check what bills are included in the rent, as this may have a large impact on your budget. Some accommodations include gas, electricity, TV and Internet in the rent, for others you are expected to pay them separately.
For questions or issues about housing you can also go to the Housing Hotline of the Dutch Student Union for and by students. They will assist you and use the information (the question/issue itself will be made anonymous) to improve the overall housing situation of international students in the Netherlands.
Dutch Universities have very low tuition fees, compared to Universities in English speaking countries. The Dutch government each year sets the amount for the so called “statutory tuition fee”, which is the same for all Bachelor and Master studies at public universities in Holland.
For the academic year 2018/2019, this statutory fee is set at € 2,060 per year.
The Dutch ministry has calculated the average total monthly living costs for an international student (including housing) for 2018 to be € 870.46.
Holland is one of the very few countries in the world, where EU (Greek) students have the opportunity to finance 100% of their study tuition fees and living costs, through a long term loan from the Dutch government, at a very low interest (less than 1 %), both for Bachelor and Master studies.
On the day you apply for Dutch government study financing, you have to be between 18, or 30 year of age.
If you are no longer eligible for Dutch government study financing because you are over 30 years of age, then you can still utilize an other study funding system: the “Lifelong Learning Credit” possibility offered by the Dutch government, to borrow the money to pay your tuition fee.
Are you paying the statutory tuition fee of € 2,060 per year for your Master degree programme? If so, than that is the amount you may borrow each year. Are you paying the higher “institutional tuition fee” per year, then you may borrow an amount up to five times of the statutory tuition fee.
For more information please contact us.
A Greek student normally can always get a low interest loan from the Dutch government for the total sum of the statutory university tuition fee (€ 2,060 per year).
Greek students (and any other student who holds the nationality of a member state of the European Union) are only eligible to receive cost of living finance from the Dutch government, if they are economically active. Being economically active means being employed, or being self-employed.
Student finance (for students between 18 and 29 years of age) in Holland comprises of the following 5 components:
The monthly amount of this loan for the academic year 2018/2019 is up to € 480 per month.
Greek students are only eligible to receive this basic loan from the Dutch government, if they are economically active in Holland.
Being economically active means being employed by a company, or being self-employed.
To receive the basic loan, you need to work at least 56 hours a month in a registered job in Holland. Greek student are free to work in Holland, without a work permit. The type of job can be anything, from working in shops, supermarkets, in manufacturing industries, cleaning companies, or restaurants/bars etc.
Self-employed means to conduct a business. Under EU law, that means to offer products or services on the market. Any self-employed student must make sure that their undertaking is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel).
The complete amount of the basic loan has to be repaid within 35 year of finishing your studies at the Dutch University of Applied Sciences where you studied.
For more information and/or a calculation based on your personal situation, please contact us.
The monthly amount of this grant for the academic year 2018/2019 is up to € 389 per month.
Greek students are only eligible to receive this grant from the Dutch government, if they are economically active in Holland (see Basic loan).
Not every student is however entitled to receive this follow up grant. Whether you can get it, depends on your parent’s/family income in Greece and other factors (not on your own income from being economically active in Holland).
It is possible to receive both the basic loan and the follow up grand (and also the tuition fee loan).
The good news is that this supplementary grant will be converted into a gift if you obtain your Bachelors or Master degree within 10 years of starting your study at your University of Applied Sciences, so in this case you don’t have to pay back anything.
For more information and/or a calculation based on your personal situation, please contact us.
If you cannot receive the follow up grant, because your parent’s/family income in Greece is too high, then you can get a follow up loan.
The monthly amount of this follow up loan for the academic year 2018/2019 is up to € 389 per month.
Greek students are only eligible to receive this follow up loan from the Dutch government, if they are economically active in Holland (see Basic loan).
It is possible to receive both the basic loan and the follow up loan (and also the tuition fee loan).
The complete amount of the basic loan and the follow up loan has to be repaid within 35 year of finishing your studies at the Dutch University of Applied Sciences where you studied.
For more information and/or a calculation based on your personal situation, please contact us.
The OV-Card is little card with a chip used for paying public transport in Holland.
Greek students are only eligible to receive this travel card from the Dutch government, if they are economically active in Holland (see Basic loan).
The good news is that the amount of this card will be converted into a gift if you obtain your Bachelors degree within 10 years of starting your study at your University of Applied Sciences, so in this case you don’t have to pay back anything.
A Greek student normally can always get a low interest loan from the Dutch government for the total sum of the statutory university tuition fee (€ 2,060 per year). This is not dependent on the student’s parent’s/family income in Greece, or whether or not you are economically active in Holland.
If you have to pay higher tuition fees, for instance because you study in Holland at an accredited private University of Applied Sciences, instead of a public University of Applied Sciences, you can borrow a larger amount than € 2,060 per year from the Dutch government for paying your tuition fees (the so called “Instellingscollegegeld krediet”). The amount of this low interest loan, can be up to a maximum of five times the sum of the statutory tuition fee.
Without delays, a Bachelor study at Dutch University of Applied Sciences takes 4 years. A Greek student can get the Dutch government tuition fee loan for a maximum of 7 years of studying at a Dutch University of Applied Sciences.
If a Greek student only takes up a government loan for paying the tuition fee and does not get a loan/grand from the Dutch government for housing/cost of living, the tuition loan has to be repaid within 15 year of finishing your studies at the Dutch University of Applied Sciences where you studied.
If a Greek student takes up a government loan for paying for the tuition fee and also receives a loan/grand from the Dutch government for housing/cost of living, the tuition fee loan is incorporated in the total financing package. The complete amount of the loan (tuition fee loan/basic loan - and possibly - the follow up loan), has to be repaid within 35 year of finishing your studies at the Dutch University of Applied Sciences where you studied.
For more information and/or a calculation based on your personal situation, please contact us.
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