According to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), fewer students are moving out of their parental homes to go and study at a research university or university of applied sciences in the Netherlands since the implementation of the new student loans system in 2015.

Living away from home in the Netherlands

When studying in the Netherlands, many Dutch students choose to live away from home. Up until 2014, around 61 percent of students studying at a research university moved away from their parents during the first 16 months of their study, and around 23 percent of students at a university of applied sciences.

In 2015, the new student loans system was implemented, which entailed the abolishment of the basic grant, and the percentage of students moving away from home to study decreased. The percentage of research university students moving away from home dropped to 45, and those at a university of applied sciences fell to 14 percent.

CBS statistics show that those living away from home, before the new loans system was put in place, came from the highest income group. This group shrunk the most in 2015, bringing the percentage of students in this group living away from home closer to the other income groups.

The new loans system also came with a decrease in students choosing to study at a university of applied sciences in 2015, but had little effect on the percentage of students moving onto Dutch higher education at a research university.

Fewer students in Dutch cities

The decrease in students living away from home can be seen when observing the number of young people living in Dutch cities popular amongst students. Cities such as Groningen, Amsterdam and Utrecht have been particularly affected along with other cities, as the number of 17 - 21 year olds moving to university cities dropped by 14 percent in 2015.