Hasselt (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): The Flemish Student Association calls for reform of the study grant system as financial struggles among students rise with PXL University College seeing a 40% increase in aid requests.
The Flemish Student Association (VVS) has asked the future Minister of Education to change the study grant system because many students are struggling financially and not getting enough help. Data shows that requests for financial support have risen significantly especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2023-2024 academic year, PXL University College saw a 40% increase in applications with 1,693 students seeking help which is about 10% of their total students. A third of students qualify for grants and in 2023 the college provided additional support of 687,000 euros for things like housing, books, and transportation.
What urgent reforms are needed for study grants in Hasselt?
Saskia Bas who oversees education coordination at UHasselt has noted a similar increase in financial support requests with a 20% rise leading to 400 students receiving a total of 350,000 euros in aid. She is particularly concerned that many of these students are just above the income threshold for study grants creating a pressing issue. Even students who do receive grants are struggling due to rising costs for registration and accommodation. As the chair of the student facilities working group at the Flemish Council of Universities and Colleges she hears similar concerns from her peers. If the income limits for study grants aren’t adjusted the number of students needing help will continue to grow especially since grants aren’t automatically awarded like in secondary education. A recent study from Thomas More University College found that costs for young students increased by 19-20% from 2020 to 2023, while financial resources like study grants only rose by about 9%. This disparity is making it harder for vulnerable groups to afford higher education prompting calls for urgent measures to address rising study costs in Flanders.
I advocate including study costs in the ECTS sheets. Then students know what they are dealing with and teachers are made aware of saving costs where possible
(Bérénice Storms Thomas More)
Romina Binens shares that to help lessen the financial burden of studying they review each program annually to find cost-saving measures such as increasing online courses and cutting expensive study trips. Since different programs have varying cost especially those needing pricey materials like art programs, they assess student needs each year for example, they allocated more funds for mental health support during the pandemic. Researcher Bérénice Storms emphasizes that some courses could be more affordable by including study costs in the ECTS sheets which outline course objectives and exam methods ensuring students are aware of expenses and teachers can identify ways to reduce costs.
