Many more Dutch students lived with their parents throughout their entire studies after the introduction of the student loan system in 2015, according to new research from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI).
Of students who graduated in 2023, 43% had stayed at home for the full five years of their studies. In 2016, when students still received a basic grant, that figure was 31%.
The researchers looked at students who completed their higher education within five years and started studying before the age of 20. They found that the shift was entirely due to the loan system, which replaced grants with loans that students had to repay after graduating.
Men stay home more than women
The trend affected men more than women. Of men who graduated in 2020, more than half (52%) had never moved into student housing. For women, the figure was 34%. In 2016, it was 40% for men and 24% for women.
Students at universities of applied sciences (HBO) were also more likely to stay home than those at research universities. Among HBO graduates in 2016, 41% never moved out. By 2023, this had risen to 55%. For university students, the figures rose from 19% to 32%.
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Moving out later
Students who did eventually leave home did so much later than before. Of those who graduated in 2016, 63% were still living at home after their first year of study. For the 2023 graduates, that figure was 79%.
After three years of study, 43% of 2016 graduates were still at home. For 2023 graduates, it was 60%.
A controversial policy
The student loan system, known as the "social loan system," was introduced in 2015. It quickly drew criticism as students built up high debts. The policy was scrapped in 2023, when the basic grant was reintroduced.
Students who studied under the loan system, often called the "bad luck generation," are now eligible for compensation. Those who studied for at least twelve months under the system and completed their degree within ten years receive €34.17 per month for the time they would have been entitled to a grant. Students who started between 2015 and 2019 can receive an additional €2,097.
The average age at which young people leave home in the Netherlands rose from 23 years in 2014 to 23.8 years in 2024. In 2023, there was a temporary dip when more 18 to 22-year-olds moved out, likely because the reintroduced grant offers higher payments for students living independently.
