What is a long-term study penalty again?
There will be a long-term study penalty, according to the outline agreement of the forming parties. That fine was around before but was quickly scrapped. What was the problem again?
Suddenly it is back: the long-term study penalty, a plan from 14 years ago. Students must pay an additional €3,000 in tuition if they miss more than a year in their bachelor’s or master’s degree.
This is what the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB jointly agreed in their agreement outline, which has yet to be finalized. It involves an amount of over €280 million per year, the four parties estimate.
Give an example. How high will tuition be?
From September 2025, statutory tuition will be about €2,600 per year. Suppose you are a fifth-year student in a three-year WO bachelor’s program, so suddenly you will pay €5,600. The same is true for sixth-year students in a four-year HBO bachelor’s program. It’s the same with the master’s programs.
Why do they want a long-term study penalty?
It’s a cut in higher education. And maybe it will make students study faster. Then they will enter the job market sooner, which in turn is good for the economy.
Was this in the election campaign platforms?
No.
Was there a long-term study penalty before?
Yes, very briefly. The fine was in effect as of September 2012, but the cabinet had collapsed in the meantime. The VVD and PvdA struck it down and students got their money back.
That sounds generous.
The cabinet at the time had a different plan: to abolish the basic scholarship. That would have cost students much more money.
What parties supported the long-term study penalty at the time?
The increased tuition for long-term students was introduced by the first Rutte cabinet. That was a cabinet of the VVD and CDA with tacit support from the PVV. It collapsed within two years.
During the election campaign, the VVD and CDA backed away from the fine. Mark Rutte spoke of the “hated long-term study penalty.” In the Senate, only the PVV and SGP voted against its disappearance.
Was Ronald Plasterk still in the PvdA at the time?
He had already been OCW minister and would later become Interior Minister. Interesting fact: as a member of the House of Representatives, he and a colleague from the VVD introduced a motion to scrap the long-term study penalty. Should he indeed become prime minister, his own cabinet would introduce it after all.
Will degree programs get extra money as a result?
No.
Why not? Tuition is going up by €3,000, right?
But the incoming cabinet will deduct that amount from the funding. So universities and colleges will get less government money if they have long-term students. These students have to make up the difference.
What about part-time studies?
That was a problem. Part-time students as a rule take longer to study, but had to study as fast as regular students or they would indeed be fined. There was no way to make an exception for them. Otherwise, full-time students would start enrolling as part-timers to avoid the fine. It dealt a hard blow to part-time education, especially at colleges.
And if you have a good reason to study longer?
Board work, top sports, informal care, a chronic illness...there are all kinds of reasons to take longer to study. That’s why there are currently plans for flex-study: paying tuition per credit so you can study at your own pace more cheaply. It remains to be seen how the new coalition will find a way around this.
Did the fine work?
Students did indeed graduate faster thanks to the threat of a fine. It turned out to be a push in the right direction. A waveof students suddenly obtained their diplomas, both colleges and universities proved.
On the other hand, some students without degrees dropped out. These students didn’t just come back, either, when the long-study penalty was scrapped, colleges saw at the time.
What do students think?
It’s a black day, says the Interurban Student Council. The organization is calling on students to dress in black as higher education is being “buried.” One of the grievances is this long-term study penalty, among other cuts.
What does the public think?
That remains to be seen. Twelve years ago, people had some understanding of it, the Social and Cultural Planning Office reported. But that was 12 years ago when life was a lot cheaper.
How high was the fine then?
Also €3,000. If you take inflation into account, the new fine is lower now than it was then.
