Total student debt falls for the first time, to €28 billion

The total amount of student debt in the Netherlands has dropped for the first time, falling to €28 billion at the start of 2026, according to national statistics office CBS. This decline is attributed to fewer students taking out loans since the basic grant for higher education students was reinstated in the 2023-2024 academic year, a measure that was previously scrapped in 2015.

The number of current students with student debts has decreased to around 400,000, marking a three-year downward trend, while the number of former students with debt has also been declining, albeit more slowly. Despite this positive trend, a significant number of borrowers still carry substantial debt, with 145,000 people owing €50,000 or more, up from 72,000 six years ago. The average debt has increased to €18,300, up from €12,900 when the loan system was introduced.

Brief written by urgent.news from DutchNews's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.