How can the Student Dean help you?

The student deans advise and assist students confidentially with questions concerning areas such as:

• Studying with a disability
• Study delay due to special circumstances
• FOS: Financial Student Support
• Improving your study skills
• Temporary termination of enrolment, end your study or start another study
• Financial matters (study grant, scholarships, other funding)
• Advice, complaints, or conflicts

Student Deans

From left to right on the above picture:

Drs. H.A.P.H (Hella) Snoeren

Drs. O. (Olav) Wissink

N. (Nadja) Schmiemann, MSc

Drs. M.C. (Marc) Uijland

Drs. J.M. (Miranda) van der Slikke

Study delay due to special circumstances

If you encounter a study delay through force majeure, for example because of illness or family matters, the university can decide to compensate you financially. This regulation is called the Financial Student Support (FOS).

To qualify for FOS, the following requirements apply:

1. You have to report the delay to a student dean or psychologist within two months.
2. At the time of the delay, you received a performance grant or WUR-financing (social master)
3. The delay is at least a month (6 ects)
4. You were unable to prevent the delay in any way (force majeure)
5. You are unable to make up for the delay within the academic year.

After reporting the delay, a student dean will invite you for a consult. He/she will check whether you meet all the requirements. The student dean will also discuss with you whether provisions are needed to, as much as possible, prevent further delay. If you are unable to study for a longer period of time, you will be advised about temporarily unsubscribing.

Force majeure? If you are uncertain whether a case qualifies as force majeure, report it to Studentdean@wur.nl regardless. A counsellor will evaluate whether you meet the requirements.

Pregnancy. If you are pregnant, you will be advised to temporarily unsubscribe for childbirth. For study delays as a direct result of pregnancy, you can apply for a maximum of 2 months FOS.

If your pregnancy leads to physical discomfort and/or illness, that qualifies as a form of force majeure. For this, you can be compensated via FOS if you meet the other requirements.

Finding different housing and organizing childcare are your own responsibilities. Study delays that occur due to not being able to find proper housing, not arranging for childcare in time or because you have problems combining your studies with caring for your child, do not qualify you for financial compensation.

DUO. DUO also has study delay regulations. Available on the DUO website.