For many students, studying comes naturally, but that is not the case for everyone. International students, in particular, can run into financial problems due to a single unexpected event.

While Dutch students can often fall back on family or a social safety net, that buffer is missing for many foreign students. Illness, a natural disaster in their home country, or the loss of financial support from parents can suddenly mean that continuing their studies is at risk.

Student emergency fund

To help four students in need, the Eindhoven University Fund (UFe) launched a crowdfunding campaign just before the winter holidays. The fund has a student emergency fund that is filled with donations, but the regular contributions from it are insufficient in these cases to fully help the students. With a target of 80 thousand euros, the students can continue their studies at TU/e.

These are international students, a vulnerable group that often needs more support than the fund can provide. “The student emergency fund is also there for Dutch students, but they are often helped with smaller contributions,” says Edith Snelders, head of the University Fund.

Tuition fees

For international students—especially those from outside the European Union—the situation is different. They pay significantly higher tuition: this academic year, 18,000 euros for a bachelor’s program and 21,000 euros for a master’s, compared to 2,601 euros in statutory tuition for Dutch and EU students.

“If something goes wrong for them, the financial impact is much greater,” Snelders says. “Even with a part-time job, they can never pay the tuition on their own, and in addition, unlike Dutch students, they cannot make use of the loan system via DUO.”

Heartbreaking stories

The four students for whom the crowdfunding has been set up are caught in a hopeless situation. One student no longer receives financial support from his family due to his sexual orientation, which is not accepted in his country of origin. “You try with all your strength to help that student continue their studies,” says Snelders.

Over the years, she has heard countless heartbreaking stories. For example, an earlier student was entirely dependent on financial support from her family in Iran. Due to the unstable political situation, the housing market there collapsed, causing the invested money to lose so much value that the family could no longer finance her studies.

International students are screened in advance for their financial capacity. Yet situations can occur that no one could foresee or prevent. This is evident from previous cases in which the student emergency fund was used, such as a student who lost her family in an earthquake and another student who was affected by a serious illness.

Shared responsibility

According to Snelders, there is a shared responsibility on the part of the university to support these students, as she recently also wrote in her column for Cursor. “Since the establishment of the student emergency fund three years ago, we have been able to help about thirty students who otherwise would never have been able to complete their studies.”

Snelders hopes that these four students can also continue their studies thanks to donations. “They are talented, intelligent, and highly motivated people, who can contribute a lot to our society if we give them that chance.”

So far, more than ten thousand euros have been raised through crowdfunding, but that is still far from enough. Most donations come from alumni, Snelders says, while she would like to see more support from the broader TU/e community. “With a small amount that you can spare, you can give someone a future,” she emphasizes.

Donations can be made through this website and are possible starting from 10 euros.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.