To finance your studies you can tap the following sources:

• the regular student financing
• subsidies,
• your own money, with the right to tax deduction.

First phase education: the regular student financing
For the first phase of education, student finance is granted, on certain conditions, by the IB-group. If you work on the side, be aware of the fact that you are cut on your student finance if your assessment income in a calendar year exceeds the maximum. If you go abroad to study at a recognized institution, you can often take your scholarship.

Masters, second phase education and courses: other options
For a second phase education you have the right to maximally one year of extra student finance if you meet the requirements. Consult your student counsellor to find out.

Fund raising
You can also try to finance the last year of your studies or follow-up studies (abroad) with the help of a the AHK Internationaliseringsfonds, the Van Eesteren-Fluck & Van Lohuizen Stichting, the Prins Bernard Fonds en NHBOS, that focuses on landscapes only. Take into account that the boards of smaller funds do not meet every month; therefore, apply in time

Scholarships are granted by several organisations, for example: large cultural funds (VSB-scholarship), the national government (for instance the Jan Tinbergen Scholarship), bigger and smaller private funds (Joop van den Ende Foundation, the Foundation Vrijvrouwe van Renswoude). For exchanges abroad there is the Socrates-program or the Huygens Scolarship Program.

Raising money has become a made-to-measure activity. You have to determine your own unique selling points and determine what you are worth. The juries and commissions managing the money want to know who you are and what you plan to do. If you want to do an internship at a renowned New York institute, make clear why this is good for you. After all, they want to benefit your development and not the New York institute. Apart from looking at the amount and your motivation, they also consider the value for the fund to support you. So put yourself in the fund’s position!

Emergencies
If you get behind with your course of study as a result of circumstances beyond your control, such as illness or family difficulties, you can sometimes apply for financial support from the IB Group or a scheme operated by the academy. For AHK students the FOS Fund (Financial Support for Students) covers these situations.

Financial consequences of abandoning your course
Abandoning your course has financial consequences. Take a look at the tips for school and academy leavers to avoid running into problems.

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