Dutch student debt falls by €800 million for the first time
Dutch student debt fell by €800 million to €28 billion at the start of 2026. However, the number of former students with outstanding loans rose by 6,000.
Total debt falls to €28 billion as loan applications decline, but more former students still have outstanding balances.
Dutch student debt fell for the first time at the start of 2026, dropping by €800 million to €28 billion. However, the number of former students with outstanding loans continued to grow. More than 1.1 million former students still owed money, up 6,000 from a year earlier.
CBS, the Dutch national statistics agency, released the figures. NOS, the Dutch public broadcaster, covered the findings. They describe balances at the start of the year, rather than debt levels today.
Meanwhile, student loan applications fell for the third consecutive year. That decline coincides with the basic grant returning in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. The figures show a change in borrowing, but do not mean every former student owes less.
Basic grant helps reduce the need to borrow
CBS chief economist Peter Hein van Mulligen said: “Het is niet zo dat studeren nu spotgoedkoop is, maar de basisbeurs helpt wel mee”.
The return of the basic grant means students receive student funding again. Its amount depends on whether they live with their parents or away from home. Students can also qualify for a supplementary grant, whose size depends on their parents’ income.
As a result, students with different home situations can receive different levels of support. A grant may reduce the amount someone needs to borrow.
The timing links the fall in applications with the return of grant support.
Why fewer euros can mean more people with debt
The falling total and growing number of former borrowers measure different things. One figure counts euros outstanding across the system. The other counts former students who still have a balance.
For example, repayments can reduce the national total while other students leave education with loans. Those movements can happen at the same time. So a lower total does not require the number of former borrowers to fall.
The €800 million drop therefore offers no guide to one person’s remaining debt. Some borrowers may owe much less than others. The figures provided also do not show how many face difficulty making payments.
Likewise, fewer applications do not directly measure the amount each applicant borrows. An application count tracks demand for loans, rather than the size of every loan. Readers should keep that distinction in mind when comparing the two trends.
What this means for people living in the Netherlands
For current students, the practical step is to check grant eligibility before choosing a loan amount. Start with DUO, the Dutch student finance agency.
Check the conditions that match your situation before including a grant in your budget. Ask DUO about unclear cases rather than relying on another student’s experience.
Also check whether your recorded living situation is correct. The basic grant differs for students living at home and those living elsewhere. For the supplementary grant, check the parental-income rules instead of assuming that you cannot qualify.
The national decline does not mean that an individual loan has fallen.
What to watch in the next figures
The next annual figures will show whether the total falls again.
For now, the picture is mixed. Students are applying for loans less often, while total debt has fallen. However, more than 1.1 million former students still have balances to repay.
