Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/245737 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14686
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We analyse the effects of a national student finance reform in the Netherlands, which replaced universal subsidies for higher education students by low-interest loans. We show that this reform had a large impact on education choices of secondary school students, lowering their enrolments in college-preparing tracks and increasing the share of students specializing in STEM subjects. The reform also affected the living arrangements of new college entrants. Our findings highlight that secondary school students respond to the modes of higher education financing well ahead of their graduation, and that financial aid uncertainty alone can deter many from pursuing higher education.
Subjects: 
Netherlands
higher education
student finance
financial aid
policy uncertainty
JEL: 
22
I23
I24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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