Student Support Regulation

Study delay due to force majeure or specific situations

• Introduction

  The Student Support Regulation is a VU Amsterdam regulation that allows students experiencing study delays due to special circumstances to apply for financial assistance.

  Study delays due to force majeure or specific situations are covered by Force majeure (Part 1) or Specific situations (Part 2) of the Student Support Regulation.

  Force majeure (Part 1)

  ‘Force majeure’ is taken to mean the following special circumstances:

  • Illness
  • Pregnancy and childbirth
  • Special (including family) circumstances
  • A disability or chronic illness

  Specific situations (Part 2)

  The term ‘specific situations’ is taken to mean the following special circumstances:

  • Following an ‘insufficiently feasible’ degree programme.
  • Following a programme that is not fully funded by the government.
  • Combining a course of study with elite competitive sport or achieving cultural excellence, for which VU Amsterdam has granted Top performance status.
  • Occupying a board position in a music society supported by VU Amsterdam.

• Under what circumstances would I be eligible for support?

  To qualify for financial assistance under the Student Support Regulation you must have reported your circumstances to your academic advisor within three months, and you must have met the following basic requirements:

  • In the pertinent academic year, you obtained fewer than 60 credits, including those from extra-curricular subjects and/or credits obtained in another programme.
  • You notified your academic advisor about your special circumstances in the pertinent academic year, by email or by scheduling a meeting within 3 months when the circumstances occured
  • You were a full-time student and paid tuition fees to VU Amsterdam
  • You were entitled to receive a basic grant (from DUO) during the pertinent academic year*

  *If you fulfilled the first three criteria during the 2023-2024 academic year without receiving a basic grant, you might qualify for the Student Support Regulation for the 2023-2024 academic year. You will then follow the same procedure as those students who have met all four criteria.

• What should I do?

  In every year where special circumstances cause a study delay, you are required to complete the following two steps:

  Report any special circumstances to your academic advisor

  In the academic year when special circumstances arise, you must report them to your academic advisor within three months. You can do so by email or by scheduling a meeting. At the start of the next academic year you will receive an email from your academic advisor about the procedure for the next steps.  

  Register study delay that you have experienced

  Following the end of the academic year, you must register your study delay with your academic advisor by completing and submitting the Registration Study Delay form (between 1 September and 1 December). You do so even if you are no longer registered at VU Amsterdam, in which case you should use the offline form.

  In every academic year when special circumstances cause a study delay, you are required to complete the two steps mentioned above. Even in the event of chronic circumstances, be sure to report and register your study delay each year.

• Verifying a study delay and granting support

  After study delay can be verified at the end of the basic grant period.

  The end of your  basic grant period

  At the end of your  basic grant period, after being notified by email, you must arrange an appointment with the student counsellor to review your personal situation and registered study delay. The student counsellor will, together with you, explore options for obtaining financial assistance from the Student Support Regulation in relation with possible extension of your DUO basic grant.

  Following your meeting with the student counsellor, the request for financial assistance can be submitted. The student counsellor will inform you about this during the meeting.

  Discontinuing your studies

  Have you withdrawn from your degree programme before completing it? And did you register any study delays with VU Amsterdam during your degree programme? If so, be sure to make an appointment with the student counsellor. You can even do this before the end of the basic grant period. During the meeting, the student counsellor and you will explore various options for obtaining support.

• Registering a study delay in 2023-2024: forms and deadline

  Have you experienced a study delay in the 2023-2024 academic year due to force majeure or specific situations and have you reported this to the academic advisor? If so, then be sure to register your study delay. You must do so between 1 September and 1 December 2024.

  Forms 
  Online form 
  Offline form (if the online form is not available to you) 

Grants & Tuition fee waivers board membership (Parts 3, 4 & 5)

• Advisory work and student participation activities (Part 3)

  If you were involved in student participation activities or worked for a VU Amsterdam advisory body during the 2023-2024 academic year, Part 3 of the Student Support Regulation applies.

  You were actively involved in the role of: 

  • member of representative council at university (USR) or faculty level (FSR)
  • member of a program committee (OLC)
  • auditor of a faculty board (FB)

  Please note: The University Student Council members for 2024-2025 need to submit their application for payment of their board grant between 1 September and 30 September 2024, at the latest.

  When and how should you apply for financial support?

  Fill in the application form below and submit it before 1 November, following the end of the academic year in which the board activities took place.

  Forms 
  University student council 
  Faculty student council 
  Auditor of a faculty board 
  Member of a programme committee 

  For more detailed information on the requirements for these provisions, see: Part 3 of the Student Support Regulation.

• Recognized Student Organisations (Part 4)

  This part of the Regulations is applicable to student organisations recognised by VU Amsterdam.

  List of student organisations recognised by VU Amsterdam

  If you serve on the board of a student organisation (association or foundation) recognised by VU Amsterdam, you are most likely eligible for a board budget.

  Your organisation’s board must submit a request using the form below before 1 November 2024. This must be done following the end of the academic year in which the board activities took place.

  Form 
  Board budget 

  For more detailed information on the requirements for these provisions, see: Part 4 of the Student Support Regulation.

• Supplementary grant or Tuition fee waiver for board membership (Part 5)

  In the 2024-2025 academic year, those taking on a full-time role on the board of one of the associations or student organisations listed below can choose between the Provision for Additional Support or Tuition fee waiver for board membership. You must decide on this before the commencement of the academic year (1 September). Once you have made your decision, it is final. You are not allowed to use both provisions. You can use one of these two provisions for up to one academic year.

  Do you wish to attend classes, sit exams, or graduate during your board year? If that is the case, you should opt for the Provision for Additional Support because you're not allowed to do before mentioned activities when you opt for the tuition fee waiver.

  Eligible associations and student organisations:

  • USR (president, vice-president, three coordinators)
  • AUCSA  
  • Aureus 
  • Gyrinus natans 
  • MFVU 
  • QBDBD 
  • Storm 

  Provision for Additional Support

  If, during your board year, you want to be able to attend lectures, sit exams, and register your grades, you should opt for the Provision for Additional Support. You will be eligible for a one-off payment of €1.768,- for a period of up to one academic year. Following your year in a board, your board will submit the application for this provision and for your board grant.

  Tuition fee waivers for board membership

  Are you planning not to attend classes, sit exams, or graduate during you board year? If so, you can opt for a tuition fee waiver for board membership.

  To qualify for a tuition fee waiver for board membership, you must register for your degree programme before 1 September in Studylink and submit your application for the waiver before that date.

  When applying for a tuition fee waiver for board membership, you need to submit a declaration waiving your right to attend classes, sit exams, graduate, and receive supervision for study and research activities at VU Amsterdam or any other funded institution for the entire academic year in which you serve on the board. You must complete the declaration concerning Tuition fee waivers for board membership and upload it with your application.

  At the end of the academic year in which you served as a full-time board member while registered as a student, your compliance with the requirements will be verified. If this verification procedure reveals any non-compliance, you will be required to pay the tuition fees for this academic year.

  In case the online application form is not available to you: Application form tuition-free boards

  For more detailed information on the requirements for these two provisions, see Part 5 of the Student Support Regulation.

More about study progress or study delay