Bussemaker wants to use the experiment ‘to focus more on students’ freedom of choice and development’. By having students pay for each course separately, they will have the opportunity to design their own programme, the minister thinks.
A select number of research universities and universities of applied sciences can participate in the trial. The experiment is set to start next year. Interested institutions can submit their applications to minister Bussemaker. But the RUG will not be doing that, says spokesperson Gernant Deekens. ‘The university board had previously decided not to participate’, he says.
Flexible studying
Student party Lijst Calimero is not surprised that the RUG is not interested in the experiment. ‘After all, it would lead to less income security for the RUG’, responds party chairperson Daan van Dijk. ‘We also think that paying per course wouldn’t encourage people to take extra courses or excellence tracks. People would sort of get punished by having to pay extra for that.’
Lijst Sterk thinks that paying per credit would actually be advantageous to students on a board or committee who incurred a delay in their studies because of that. ‘We would like to ask the university board to at least consider the option for master’s students to enrol for 10 ECTS rather than 60 ECTS’, chairperson Pieter Polhuis says.
Student party SOG would also like to discuss flexible studying with the university board.