Students grants also for studying abroad in future
Students will in future be able to study abroad more easily with a Dutch grant. From 1 September 2007, they will be able to register directly with a foreign university.
Currently, students can at most do an internship or exchange project abroad while receiving study allowances from the Dutch state. They must then moreover first register with a recognised Dutch educational institution.
In future, students will be able to register directly with a foreign university and still receive a Dutch grant, Education Secretary Mark Rutte said yesterday in a letter to parliament. According to Rutte, international experience is good for the Dutch knowledge society. His measure will cost a structural 26 million euros annually.
Many students have complained in recent years that they were restricted in taking their grants abroad. Surveys show that Dutch students do want to study abroad; half of them plan to do so, and one-quarter also actually do so, according to Rutte.
The state secretary will require students wanting to study abroad to have lived in the Netherlands for three of the last six years prior to this study. This is to prevent Dutch youngsters permanently living abroad from availing of the new scheme.
Students can take their grant to the 44 countries that have signed the Bologna statement. This contains agreements harmonising the setup for higher education with the Bachelor’s/Master’s structure. Today, about 7,000 Dutch students are studying in one of the Bologna countries.
