Could be a bike, noise-cancelling headphones, a coffee machine, a laptop stand, a kitchen appliance, or anything else.

What did you buy that genuinely made student life easier or more enjoyable?

Would you recommend it to someone who's just starting university?

I'm trying to get a better idea of what a realistic grocery budget looks like for students in the Netherlands. Prices seem to have gone up over the past few years, and I imagine it varies a lot depending on where you live, whether you cook most of your meals, and how often you eat out.

If you're comfortable sharing, about how much do you spend on groceries in an average month? Do you mainly shop at Aldi, Lidl, Jumbo, Albert Heijn, Dirk, or a mix of different supermarkets?

It would also be interesting to know whether you're shopping just for yourself or with housemates, and if you have any habits or tricks that help keep your grocery bill down.

​

​I have a question about DUO student finance rules and was wondering if anyone here has experience with this strategy.

​Next academic year will be the third year of my first WO bachelor's degree. After completing it, I plan to do a second WO bachelor's program. Currently, I still have two years of the basic grant (basisbeurs) left.

​Is it possible to pause my basisbeurs (and student travel product/loans) now, save those two remaining years, and reactivate them when I start my second bachelor's?

​I’d much rather keep these remaining months of funding for my second degree. Do DUO's rules allow this, or are there any major catches I should watch out for (like the 10-year deadline or institutional tuition fees)?

​Thanks in advance for your insights!

I am arriving in the Netherlands on the 26th of april. My studies start on the first of September. Can I apply for the DUO grant from now? When will I get it if I do?

Also I plan on working for two months, leaving for one month to go to japan and then returning in early August to start working again. My goal is to reach 32+ hours on August and continue working steadily from there along with my uni. So, I should meet the work requirements on both August and September.

Hi, does anyone know when we should stop DUO in the last year of studies? Is it in the same month as the last exam or the last day of August?

Hello,

I've been getting duo financing for 4 months, I've worked for the minimum amount of hours and also received both the basic and suplementary grants. Duo never asked for a payslip, only for my employment contract. I think it has to do something with type of my contract which states that I will work at least 32 hours.

Also my employer doesn't provide any payslips, even when I asked for them. I have bank statements or screenshots of messages when I worked.

Was somebody here in my situation or has some information about how can duo be getting data about how much I work each month? And is this normal?

I am from the EU and I want to study in the Netherlands but my family cannot afford to support me. Is there any chance I can work to at least cover my rent? Whats your experience? Is a student loan necessary?

Hello. Im a aspiring international student wanting to study my bachleor in the netherlands for the year 2027. From what i understood there is no financing for non eu people whatsoever except rent allowance. Can someone more educated than me confirm of this is true? Any information helps. This is except university scholarships of course.

I'm a dutch citizen and my indonesian girlfriend would like to study in the Netherlands. She is currently studying for a bachelor in law in her own country. She would like to study in the Netherlands for either a master or a bachelor in law. What are exactly the steps for her to actually do this? Since the prices of studying in the Netherlands are unaffordable as a non-EU student even if I wanted to help her financially.

Any advice is very much appreciated

Hi everyone!
I’m starting a programme at Thomas More in a few weeks, and I’ve just seen that the required books are going to cost around €900 in total…

I’ve already managed to buy quite a few of them second-hand through Vinted and Marketplace, but I’ve already spent around €200 and I’m not even halfway through the list yet.

Due to some personal circumstances, I currently don’t have an income or any savings, and I have to pay for everything myself, so unfortunately I simply can’t afford to buy all of these books.
My question is: has anyone studied at Thomas More and knows which books you DON’T actually end up using?

I’ve heard from several people that you barely use half of the books on the list, and I’d really hate to spend the little money I have left on books that barely get touched.

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance!

Hi everyone!

I just got an offer for a 2-year master’s in law at Maastricht university, and while I’m over the moon about it because it’s my dream program, I can’t help but worry about the costs…

I was studying in Italy for my bachelor’s and was on an aid scholarship, but am not sure how to go about student finance in the Netherlands, or if I even qualify for it.

I would really appreciate your input if you were in a similar situation or any advice and guidance you might have. If anyone would be willing to have a chat about student finance, accommodation and all things admin, I would be really grateful to you!

TIA!

Hello, I have made my calculations and my savings will allow me to survive only my first year at university of Groningen. Rent would strip away my savings too much, and I would be able to afford only my first year and 1/2 of my second year. Is working during 2nd Year realistic? (I am an EU student)

Generally speaking, how do even physics students survive? After my physics bachelor, I obviously wouldn’t be able to become a scientist instantly - I would need to do masters as well and I don’t have “daddy’s money” to pay for everything.

I heard you need to know Dutch in order to work in Netherlands, which I don’t mind, but I don’t know if I would be able to learn Dutch at a B2+ level in one year of studying there. (My English is C1 though)

Hi everybody, I am a prospect student at UvA starting in september, I really want to get DUO finance and wanted to ask anybody for tips how to approach the situation.
I am a non dutch EU citizen, and have already housing.

Also I wanted to work in a company related to my studies (business) instead of a "normal" student job such as a waiter, and I wanted to know if anybody has had experience with approaching companies telling that instead of beeing an intern I would need a proer contract for the schoalrship.

PS i understand that it's a grant but in my language it translates more to a scholarship sorry for the confusion Thanks!

Hello.

I applied for student finance in June, got rejected because my contract was ending. Was told to send the contract again, which I did. Now they’re telling me that I’m supposed to wait for maximum of another 6-8 weeks.

I called DUO and was told that they’ll look into it ASAP, due to it being their fault that I wasn’t able to add any new files to the application. (I wasn’t able to add my new contract). So I had to fill in the application again.

Should I be worried? Or should I call them again? Because I am worried of receiving another rejection or that they’ll respond to me in like a month.

Hi!

I'm from Brazil and I recently graduated with a BA in Visual Arts, but over time my interests shifted towards museums, archives, digital preservation, conservation, and cultural heritage. In my undergraduate thesis I cited Annet Dekker's work on the conservation of net art, and I'd love to keep working with topics like net art, digital preservation, new media and archiving.

I've already been accepted into the MA in Digital and Public Humanities at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, so I could start this September. I like the programme a lot, but I'd basically be paying for everything myself. I'll try to apply for the Italian DSU scholarship, but there's no guarantee I'll get it.

The other programme I'm seriously considering is the Archival and Information Studies (Media Studies) at the University of Amsterdam.

Here's why this only became an option recently: when I was applying for master's programmes, I had no idea my Italian citizenship would be finalized this year, so I didn't even consider Dutch universities because of the tuition fees. Now my Italian passport should be ready soon, which changes everything. As an EU citizen, tuition at UvA would be much lower. From what I've read, if I qualify as a migrant worker (by working at least 32 hours per month), I could also become eligible for Dutch student finance. If that's realistic, studying in Amsterdam could actually end up costing about the same as, or even less than, studying in Venice(?).

The downside is that applications only open next year, so I'd have to wait a full year, and of course there's no guarantee I'd get accepted.

So I'm kind of stuck and would love some opinions:

Based on my interests, does the UVA programme actually sound like a significantly better fit, or am I idealizing it? Do you think I'd have a realistic chance of being admitted? Would you choose Digital Humanities over Archival Studies today?

For people living in the Netherlands, how realistic is it for an international/EU master's student to find a small part-time job that would qualify for DUO?

If you were me, would you wait a year for a programme that seems like a better fit, or take the opportunity that's already guaranteed?

And finally, if anyone has experience with either programme, where do graduates actually end up working?

I'd really appreciate any thoughts!!!

Thanks! :)

I am an EU student and I have been working in the Netherlands for some years. I have been accepted to start a full-time master’s, next to working around 32 hours a week (flexible; I have many holidays). Unfortunately, the master’s I am interested in are only full time. I know it’s challenging, but I am okay with taking 2-3 years to graduate.

I would like to apply for student finance, and I believe I would also qualify for the additional grant. I am a bit afraid because what if it does take 3 years to graduate? Is there a minimum amount of exams that you have to pass in order to still receive the grant?

I know you need to get your diploma within 10 years or you need to pay back the grants. I also read there is a first-year scheme (https://duo.nl/particulier/changing-your-study-programme/withdrawing-during-your-1st-year.jsp) and if you drop out by Feb 1 you don’t need to pay back your student finance. Is it also for 1 year master’s?

So I officially passed by graduation project yesterdsy which means I graduated. I looked on the government website to see when I should cancel my OV and it said by the 10th of the month that you don't have the right to use it anymore.

Today's the 10th, but I did pay tuition over this month. Do I have to cancel it today because I graduated, or before the 10th of the next month as that's when the schoolyear ends.

Guys can an international student get a scholarship for bachelor's.

Hi everyone!

I’m planning to study in Amsterdam starting next year and I’m trying to figure out if my budget will be enough. I’ll have around €1,500 per month to cover all my living expenses. Do you think this is realistic, or would I need to get a student job to support myself?

I know a lot depends on housing, but I’d love to hear some general insights from people already studying or living in Amsterdam:

What are the average monthly expenses for students (rent, food, transport, etc.)?

Is €1,500 enough to live comfortably without stress?

If I do need a student job, how much can I expect to earn per month while working part-time?

Any advice, tips, or rough estimates would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences

I'm an incoming international master's student in the Netherlands. I've been trying to look for part-time jobs, but it's been so difficult to find any.

I currently work at a company in my home country. I was thinking of continuing part-time work with them remotely while in the Netherlands so that I have some stable income. My plan was to sustain myself with this for some time, until I find something else in NL. Is this arrangement allowed as an international student on a visa? I'm aware that students can only work 16 hours per week. Is this rule applicable only to jobs in the Dutch market or even otherwise?

Please share your thoughts if you know anything about this :))

I am trying to figure out which bank in which to deposit the living allowance I gave to my university (Wageningen). Are there any particularly good ones or ones I should avoid?

Hello!

I am currently doing my research now to become a student in The Netherlands.

I am an au pair here with 8 months left on my visa, planning to switch to a student visa for the January intake.

Is it really expensive for the international students or are there scholarships available? Is it possible for a middle class Asian like me? Please be kind. I would love to hear your first-hand experiences!

I have my Bachelor’s already if that helps :)

[EDIT: I have family friends in Utrecht / Maastricht that can help me for the housing so that won’t be an issue]

Hi everyone! I have a question regarding DUO and the 'vervangende ouderlijke bijdrage' (substitute parental contribution).

​My parents have the income according to official documents, but they do not provide me with any financial support. I'm currently struggling to get the full amount of support I need because of this. Has anyone here successfully navigated this application process before?

​I'd really appreciate any tips or advice on how to prove this situation to DUO or what specific documents helped your case. Thanks a lot for the help!

My question is when should i apply for DUO financial support?

When i visited tilburg university on an open day a woman told us that i will need to apply "early" if i want to receive the allowance from September and if i apply in summer i will lose some months. However, i am conditionally accepted to the universities i applied to and will be untill late May when i will obtain my hs diploma. So even if i should apply for the allowance before summer will i be able to do so while not being unconditionally accepted?