Fewer people have student debt, but high debts are rising
The basic grant is reducing the number of new borrowers, but the legacy of the loan system remains visible.
The number of people with student debt has fallen again, according to the latest CBS figures. At the same time, the group with debts of at least €50,000 is growing, and the average debt is rising.
At the beginning of 2025, around 1.6 million students and former students had student debt. This was the second consecutive year in which the number fell. The number of current students with debt fell particularly sharply: 460,000 students had student debt in January 2025, 150,000 fewer than in 2023.
The decline coincides with the reintroduction of the basic grant in the 2023–24 academic year. Students once again received a monthly grant, meaning fewer needed to borrow more. CBS notes that the figures are provisional and relate to 1 January 2025.
The overall trend is not solely positive, however. In 2025, 146,000 people had student debt of at least €50,000. That was nearly 10,000 more than a year earlier. More than 3,000 people had debts of at least €100,000.
The average debt also rose. In 2025, it stood at €18,200, compared with €17,700 a year earlier. Among former students, the average was €18,800. The average debt of current students did fall slightly, to €16,700.
The figures chiefly show the difference between new entrants and the group that studied under the loan system. Students who studied between 2015 and 2023 were not eligible for a basic grant and more often had to borrow for living costs, tuition fees and housing costs. Their debts remain outstanding, while they are now often making repayments.
The return of the basic grant is therefore having an effect on the number of new debts, but says little yet about affordability for former students. Interest rates, income, housing costs and the repayment scheme chosen all partly determine how burdensome the debt becomes. The latest figures do not provide a fully up-to-date picture of the situation in October 2026.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The number of people with student debt is falling.
- The number of debts of at least €50,000 is rising.
- The basic grant was reintroduced from the 2023–24 academic year.
Left
Arguments The state should make education accessible without making students dependent on borrowing. The high debts of the loan-system generation are seen as a collective problem that justifies compensation and more generous grants.
Values Equal opportunities, financial security and public responsibility.
Consequences Higher public spending could reduce debt and financial stress, but would increase pressure on the education budget.
Centre
Arguments A basic grant combined with targeted additional support is a compromise between public funding and personal responsibility. The scheme should be evaluated on the basis of participation, study success and affordability.
Values Efficiency, accessibility and sustainable public finances.
Consequences Targeted support can remain affordable, but differences between students and places of residence will persist.
Right
Arguments Students often benefit from higher incomes later in life and should therefore bear part of their investment themselves. The government should primarily prevent students from borrowing inappropriately and courses from losing their value.
Values Personal responsibility, efficiency and freedom of choice.
Consequences Less public support could limit the burden on the Treasury, but could again lead to lower participation or more borrowing among students with little parental support.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures for 2025 are well supported by CBS and NOS. The wording has been tightened because it is primarily the number of people with debt that is falling, not demonstrably the total outstanding debt.
- confirmed At the beginning of 2025, around 1.6 million people had student debt. — CBS reports 1.6 million students and former students. source
- confirmed In 2025, 146,000 people had at least €50,000 in student debt. — CBS table and explanatory note. source
- confirmed The average student debt was €18,200. — CBS reports this average as at 1 January 2025. source
- confirmed The return of the basic grant is associated with fewer new loans. — CBS explicitly sets this development alongside the reintroduction of the basic grant. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Total student debt has fallen.Now: The number of people with student debt has fallen, while the average debt and the number of high debts have risen. (The sources chiefly confirm a fall in the number of debtors; a fall in total outstanding debt does not automatically follow from this.)
Editor's note
The latest complete CBS figures cover 1 January 2025. The number of debtors is falling, but the average debt and the number of very large debts are rising.Sources
- Opnieuw minder mensen met studieschuld — Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
- Aantal studenten met studieschuld neemt af, maar vaker grote schuld — NOS
- Antwoorden op Kamervragen over studieschulden — Tweede Kamer
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „studieschuld studenten”
- de Volkskrant — „studieschuld studenten”
- RTL Nieuws — „studieschuld studenten”