DUO Student Finance

What is DUO?

DUO (the Education Executive Agency) is a part of the Dutch government that gives loans and grants to students studying in the Netherlands. Grants from the Dutch government are gifts, meaning they don’t need to be paid back. However, if you do not complete your studies within 10 years, then you need to pay it back with interest. They also offer standard loans for tuition fees and living costs that you can apply for, but I always recommend applying for the “gifts” as well.

There are different tiers of the grant you can apply for:

• the basic grant (the most common grant students get)
• the supplementary grant (mainly for low-income families)
• the student travel product (free transportation on either weekday or during the weekend)
• the interest-bearing loan (repayable and voluntary loan subject to interest)
• the tuition fee loan (only for tuition)

Below is a table showing the amount of money you will receive from the government per month, depending on whether you live with your parents or not.

Information taken from the DUO website.

For Dutch nationals, the student financing differs from that of international students, so I recommend Dutch students go to duo.nl for more information. For internationals from EU/EEA countries, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you may also be able to apply for all grants offered by the Dutch government by meeting specific conditions below. Non-EU internationals also have an opportunity to apply for this grant, but it has more specific requirements. 

Am I Eligible?

There are general requirements that both international and Dutch students applying for the grants have to meet; they are listed below:

1. You must be younger than 30 on the day your student finance starts
2. You are enrolled full-time in an MBO school, HBO, or university: bachelor’s, master’s or associate degree (Wageningen students qualify) 
3. You have Dutch nationality 
   • OR have a residence permit type II, III, IV or V.
   • OR you are a national of an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom
   • OR is your partner or parent a citizen of one of these countries

For EU, EEA, Swiss and UK citizens, you have to meet these additional requirements:

1. Meet the first and second general requirements above 
2. You’ve lived in the Netherlands for 5 or more consecutive years OR you (or your parent/partner) are a migrant worker in the Netherlands

What if I am not eligible?

Yet still, if you do not satisfy these requirements, you can still apply for the student and tuition fees loans! Just not the grants. For non-EU nationals, the only way to be eligible for the grants is if you have a valid Dutch residence permit of certain types (e.g., type II, III, IV or V; or, under certain conditions, a type I permit). 

DUO rights as EU students

This section provides information on how to get EU international students to get DUO loans and grants as “migrant workers”. There are certain guidelines that DUO has set out for applicants under this category, where all requirements need to be satisfied: 

1. You do paid work in the Netherlands for at least 32 hours per month
   • Or If you work fewer than 32 hours/month, then over a period of 6 consecutive months, you average 24 h/month
   • Can be an employee or self-employed 
2. You have a monthly income of at least 50% of the social-security norm (in 2025: over 21 = €672.73/month, under 21 = €166.09/month)

Once you have established that you are a qualified applicant, here is a list of all the documents and evidence you need to apply: 

1. Personal ID – passport, EU national ID, or residence permit
2. Citizen Service Number (BSN) proving you are registered at a municipality in the Netherlands (all Wageningen students get this automatically) 
3. A Dutch bank account 
4. Employment contract (signed) if you’re an employee (for self-employed/freelance: go to duo.nl for more specific information)
5. Recent payslip plus the corresponding bank statement showing the payment
   • If you work less than 32 h/month, payslips + bank statements for the last 6 months may be required (or however many months you actually worked). TIP: Keep all pay stubs and related information; do not delete after submitting!
6. If you wish to apply for the supplementary grant, you also need to provide proof of your parents’ (or partner’s) income from two years prior.
7. For the application itself, it is via Mijn DUO (online). You’ll need a DigiD or European eIDAS-identity to log in (apply for DigiD)

 Below is the explanation of how to apply for DUO:

1. Apply for DigiD
2. Collect the essential documents mentioned above 
3. Go to the application site and log in with your DigiD information  
4. Fill in all required personal information, and for which grants you are applying for
5. When prompted, upload your supporting documents in the correct upload section 
   • At the same time as your application, within 4 weeks
   • Important file upload note: you can only upload files once during this step. If you need to send several files, combine them and upload them together before confirming 
6. After you submit:
   • Temporary decision: DUO sometimes issues a temporary grant while they request more proof. Follow any further instructions given via e-mail. If denied, regather the proper evidence needed and reapply
   • Processing time: plan for up to 8 weeks of processing time
7. Getting payment:
   • Decision letter: if approved, the letter will say which month your finance starts.
   • Payments: DUO pays towards the end of each month. If DUO approves retroactive months, those months’ payments will be included as one or more lump payments, depending on timing.

Final Remarks

At first, the DUO application process seems challenging with a lot of steps. But once you start it, the process goes smoothly, and if you have questions, the Student Service Centre’s contact form at WUR can be helpful. Best of luck with applications, and I’m sure it will go well for you!

Best wishes,

Madeline (edited by Samir)