A mountain of debt
‘I won’t overcome this anytime soon’
Door Marit Bonne
By Marit Bonne
Marit Bonne
Diane (34)
Studied: Psychology bachelor and medical pre-master and master
Owes: Nearly 82,000 euros
It happened on her way home. She was going through a tough time: she’d just moved to Groningen, started her medical pre-master, and was doing other things that were causing her a lot of stress. ‘Something changed on the way home; I became totally confused’, says Diane.
This confusion turned out to be her first manic episode, which lasted much longer than just her trip home. ‘I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder with rapid cycling. That means I have more than four episodes a year.’
Keeping up with her studies became increasingly difficult. ‘I was doing my medical internships’, she says. ‘But they were so intense, and after I’d worked a night shift, I had another episode. It was all or nothing with these internships, which meant I often had to quit when I had another episode.’
No side job
Diane was determined to continue her studies, but it took her longer than she’d thought. Her student loans grew and grew. ‘All I could think was that I had to keep going: finish my studies and start a job’, she says.
If it was 50,000 euros I’d be motivated to do something about it, but it’s so much more
She was also frustrated that she didn’t have time for a side job. ‘I’d done the maths: it’d take me another three and a half years to finish, and I wanted a side job.’ But her deep depressions and manic episodes meant she was hardly able to keep her house clean. ‘In the end, my illness meant it took me four and a half years to finish, and I didn’t make a single red cent.’
Her student loans are currently at approximately 82,000 euros. ‘On the one hand, it will always be a disrupting factor in my life. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to buy a house, for instance.’ But at the same time, she says, the amount is so high that it’s lost all meaning.
Support
The university referred her to the Association of Mental Health Care and helped her fill out an application to the Graduation Fund, which offers financial support to students who experience a study delay due to special circumstances. She received around 300 euros a month, 200 of which she spent on tuition fees. ‘Because I was over thirty, I couldn’t unenroll without losing my loan’, she says. ‘That would mean I wouldn’t have any money for as long as I was sick, nor during the rest of my studies.’
But Diane would have liked more support and answers. ‘I still have so many questions about my debt. What should I do to pay it back? Should I pay it back in ten, twenty, or thirty-five years? Is there anywhere I can go for help or advice? The city maybe? Or DUO?’
It later turned out she could have extended her supplementary grant and that she was entitled to a grant for students who were unable to hold a side job, but none of her study advisers, deans, or student psychologists had ever told her about this.
Powerless
Figuring out compensation and payback options herself turned out to be fairly difficult, and she rarely found anything useful. ‘I heard that part of my student loans might be forgiven because I was mentally ill during my studies.’ But after talking to DUO, Diane was told that this was a difficult process and only successful in the rarest of cases.
With her future uncertain, she’s feeling powerless. ‘If my debt was 50,000 euros I guess I’d be motivated to do something about it, but it’s so much higher’, she says. ‘And because of the interest, it just keeps getting higher.’
Diane is currently trying to come to terms with the amount she owes. It’s not easy, she says; it’s frustrating to miss out on so many things when you’re ill. ‘I know I’m part of the bad-luck generation, but in my case it feels like bad luck squared.’
Marie-Anne (31)
Studied: creative therapy and European languages and cultures
Owes: 64,126.62 euros
Marie-Anne is a worrier. She worried when the basic grant was replaced by the loans system. She bit her nails to the quick when the pandemic started. So you can imagine how she felt when the interest rate on student loans was increased. ‘I was constantly worried about what I could afford’, she says. ‘My family said I was living like a monk.’
Due to a combination of her ‘intense ADHD’ and the Covid pandemic, it took Marie-Anne much longer to graduate than she’d thought. ‘European languages and cultures is a programme that is focused on human contact, which I really enjoy’, she says. Studying in groups was easier for her because of her ADHD, but the pandemic meant she lost that direct contact with others. This led to a study delay, which meant her debt was growing rapidly.
At the same time, a side job wasn’t an option. ‘I have a hard time keeping a paid job because of my ADHD.’
Abstract
With no income and a study delay, her debt grew to a current 64,126 euros and 62 cents. ‘It sucks, but I’m also kind of relaxed about it’, she says. Just like Diane, the high amount has lost all meaning to her.
I have a hard time keeping a paid job because of my ADHD
A good friend of Marie-Anne’s, familiar with the rules about paying back student loans, eased her mind. ‘He told me I didn’t need to worry’, she says. ‘That I would never make enough money to have to pay it back.’
He was right. Marie-Anne is currently on benefits, which brings with it a whole new host of issues. ‘I have absolutely no savings.’ If something in her house breaks, say, her washing machine, she’s out of luck.
Help
This means Marie-Anne is afraid to spend any money. ‘It’s always there in the back of my mind. I’m always worried about it.’ Her ADHD means she might never find a job that will allow her to move out of social housing.
Looking back, she was better off with the loans system than she is now. ‘At least my study finances allowed me to save up for next year’s tuition fees. I also had a lot of support.’ Her dean helped her apply for the Graduation Fund, and part of her debt was absolved because of her ADHD.
Originally, she could also apply for a fund for people with disabilities, but that wasn’t accessible at all. ‘It involved so many steps where I had to request and scan all these documents that I couldn’t do it by myself’, she says.
Perspective
Marie-Anne wishes there were more people to help her put her problems in perspective, like her good friend. And just like Diane, she would have liked more information about borrowing money and having debts.
Nevertheless, she’s grateful for the roof over her head and the food on her table. ‘I might be worried about whether I can afford a train ticket to go see my family, but it could always be worse’, she says. ‘I won’t overcome this for another ten years, but I’ve also learned not to worry about things I can’t control.’