Financial support for study delays due to a board function: UM Student Support Fund

Source: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/study/admission-enrolment/financing-your-studies/financial-support-study-delays-um-student-0 Parent: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/study/admission-enrolment/financing-your-studies/financial-support-study-delays-um-student-support

Students who are involved in a board function, can quite easily fall behind on their studies. UM allocates financial support for extra study costs due to this study delay by means of administrative months. This is provided for by the UM Student Support Fund.

Student Support Fund (Studentenondersteuningsfonds/StOF)\ Student Services Centre\ Secretariat UM Student Support Fund\ PO Box 616\ 6200 MD Maastricht

Criteria you must satisfy

• You must hold a board function within a student organisation or within the UM for which the Executive Board (possibly through the Faculty Board) has retained an amount of administrative months for further distribution over the different board functions.
• Study delay incurred before 1 September 2025You perform your board function during the nominal duration of your first bachelor's or master's programme at UM. \ Study delay incurred after 1 September 2025\ You perform your board function during the nominal duration of your Bachelor's programme (counting from your first enrolment in a Bachelor's programme at UM or the academic year thereafter (4th year of Bachelor's programme) or during the nominal duration of your Master's programme.
• You are continuously enrolled for a regular bachelor’s or master’s programme as a fulltime student at UM during the whole academic year.
• You have not yet enjoyed financial support from the UM Student Support Fund for more than 12 months of study delay in total. An extension of performance grant by DUO equals financial support from the UM Student Support Fund for 12 months of study delay.
• The chair of the student organisation nominates you for the number of administrative months that have been requested and retained for your specific board position.
• You will not give your administrative months to your student organisation. Administrative months are intended as UM-support for extra study costs of an individual student. They don’t belong to your student organisation nor are they transferable to another board member.\

Download the conditions and regulations of the UM 'Profileringsfonds' Regulations:

UM 'Profileringsfonds' Regulations

Download the conditions and regulations of the UM Student Support Fund:

UM Student Support Fund Regulations

How to request for administrative months

Before 1 March: your student organisation requests the desired amount of administrative months for next study year

Before 1 March, the student organisation in which you are active must request the required quantity of administrative months for the upcoming study year in writing. Main criterion is the scope of work in the various positions within the board, and thereby the expected study delay of the students that will be appointed in these board positions. When it concerns a university student organisation, this request must be submitted to the Student Services Centre (SSC), and when it concerns a faculty student organisation, the request must be submitted to the Faculty Board. Annually, the SSC sends a new invitation to apply for administrative months to university student organisations that previously received administrative months.\

Before 1 November: your nomination for administrative months by the chair of your student organisation

After the Executive Board (possibly through the Faculty Board) awarded your student organisation the total of administrative months, the chair of your student organisation nominates you at the SSC for the number of administrative months that were retained for your specific board function in response to the organisation’s application. This nomination must be done before 1 November of the year in which you will fulfil the administrative position. The student organisation must prove your appointment as a board member though a recent abstract of the Chamber of Commerce.

You will be notified by the SSC

The SSC processes all nominations for administrative months. If you have been nominated, the SSC will check if you meet the conditions for receiving administrative months and will inform you thereof. The SSC also takes care of the payment of the individually allocated administrative months.

Optional: tuition fee exemption due to a fulltime board function

For students with a fulltime administrative position UM offers the extra possibility to a once-only exemption from paying statutory tuition fees.

To qualify for this regulation, you must:

• be registered for a fulltime study programme at the UM during the entire study year;
• hold a board function, with an average workload of at least 40 hours per week;
• be eligible for statutory tuition fees;
• be eligible to receive 12 administrative months from the UM Student Support Fund;
• have earned all 60 ECTS of the first year of your bachelor’s programme and an average of 40 ECTS per study year since your first enrolment at UM.

Implications

• You may still qualify for student finance from DUO (‘studiefinanciering’) through your enrolment at UM.
• You will not have to pay statutory tuition fees, and at the same time receive 12 administrative months for study delay due to your fulltime board function.
• You are not allowed to enjoy any form of education and you cannot take any exams/examinations during the entire study year.
• You cannot graduate before 31 August of your study year with tuition fees exception.

If you want to apply for exemption from paying statutory tuition fees due to fulltime board function, you can email the application form together with the required attachments to studentendecanen@maastrichtuniversity.nl. An application for exemption from statutory tuition fees must be filed before 1 August of the study year preceding your board year.

Please enclose the following documents with your application:

• A recent results overview with exam dates and stamp, available from the Educations Office at your faculty.
• A copy of your student ID.
• A signed and dated statement from your student organisation’s chair in which they confirm on behalf of the organisation:\
• that you have accepted a designated board function for next study year with a workload of on average 40 hours a week;\
• that the student organisation will nominate you with the SSC for 12 board month the following November.

\ Read more about the regulations:\ Tuition Fee Exemption Due to Administrative Activities for Students at Maastricht University

Application form

Do you want to know if you qualify? Then make a timely appointment with the student dean or send an email to studentendecanen@maastrichtuniversity.nl