Problems with taking students grants abroad
Applying for a student grant for a study abroad, seems to be less easy than many think it is. Almost half of the Dutch students who now profit from the grant, had problems getting it.
NEWS
This is shown by a random check among the 1750 members of a network for Dutch students abroad: the foundation Dutch Worldwide Students (NEWS). In total, 350 students filled in the list of questions.
Study abroad not acknowledged
From these students, half of them had applied for the ‘take-along-students’ grant.’ Thirty per cent of this group had ‘many troubles’ doing so, as they say, and eighteen per cent had ‘troubles’. Almost a quarter (26.3 per cent) had difficulties in getting their foreign study acknowledged by the Information Management Group and internationalization organization NUFFIC. Especially master-students had great difficulties; thirty per cent of them. For the rest, only one or two people did miss out on the students’ grant.
Master-students victim
In the end of august, minister Plasterk notices that problems occurred with the application for students’ grants, especially amongst master-students who had studied abroad for four years to do their bachelor. Those students couldn’t comply with the rule that they had lived three of six years in Holland. The minister announced an amendment of the law and asked in the meanwhile asked the Information Management Group for considerateness about pledges of students’ grants for master-studies.
HOP
