The total student debt owed by Dutch students and graduates has fallen for the first time, according to preliminary figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). At the start of 2026, total student debt stood at €28 billion, down €0.8 billion from a year earlier.
The number of people with student debt also declined. It was the third consecutive year in which the figure fell. By the beginning of 2026, more than 1.5 million students and former students had student debt, 60,000 fewer than a year earlier.
Of those, just under 400,000 were still studying and had student debt. More than 1.1 million were former students who were still repaying what they owed.
Almost half of all people with student debt owed less than €10,000. Around 145,000 people, slightly fewer than 10%, had debts exceeding €50,000.
Former students generally carried higher debts than those still studying. Current students owed an average of €15,600, while former students had an average outstanding debt of €19,200.
According to student finance agency DUO, people with student debt are increasingly making extra repayments. In its 2026 trend report, DUO said borrowers repaid an average of three times the required amount during the year.
DUO said the trend may be linked to rising interest rates. It also pointed to changes introduced in 2024, under which banks mainly assess monthly student loan repayments when considering mortgage applications. According to the agency, this may also be encouraging people to pay off their debts more quickly.
@anp| NEWS BRAINPORT
