European students wrongly pay tuition fees

| Redactie

Hundreds of European students who started a study in the Netherlands last year, have wrongly paid tuition fees. This is the opinion of Member of Parliament Peter Rehwinkel (PvdA). He has asked Secretary Hermans questions in parliament. From this academic year onwards students from Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or countries from the European Union pay the full amount of fees, now 2,950 guilder. Be

Hundreds of European students who started a study in the Netherlands last year, have wrongly paid tuition fees. This is the opinion of Member of Parliament Peter Rehwinkel (PvdA). He has asked Secretary Hermans questions in parliament.

From this academic year onwards students from Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or countries from the European Union pay the full amount of fees, now 2,950 guilder. Before studying here did not cost them anything.

In 1999 Secretary Hermans decided to cut back and had European students pay fees from September onwards. Because of incorrect information coming from counsellors, who themselves knew nothing about the situation, Secretary Hermans decided to postpone the scheme with a year. He did not want the students to become victims. In the new scheme students pay the full amount of tuition fees and get an allowance of twelve times the 'basisbeurs' (basic study allowance), 1,731 guilder. The students therefore pay more than a thousand guilder themselves. They are also not entitled to 'studiefinanciering', Dutch study grants, or the public transport card (OV-jaarkaart). The new scheme started this year. Students who started in 2000 fall between two stools: they have to pay fees, but get no allowance. PvdA Member of Parliament Rehwinkel wants Hermans to reimburse the students after all.

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