How other income affects financial aid?

Income check and exempt amounts (the maximum income you can have and not suffer any reduction in aid). All grants, scholarships, taxable earnings and investment income (student financial aid excepted) received during the calendar year are taken into account, with the exception of grants and scholarships associated with international student exchange programmes.

You must report all grants and scholarships as well as income received from abroad to the authority granting you financial aid. Educational grants and scholarships intended to subsidise international student exchanges do not count as income.

For each month during which you receive study grant or housing supplement, the exempt amount is on average €660, and for each aid-free month €1,970. Assuming that you received aid for 9 months, you would be allowed to have up to €11,850 a year in other income. The income may be earned at any time during the calendar year.

The income is not checked when the aid is granted, so you must make sure not to exceed the annual exempt amount. By cancelling or returning aid by the end of May the following year (as of 2014), you can raise your exempt amount. The income check is based on taxation data. If you exceed your exempt amount, you will be required to pay back financial aid. The amount recovered is increased by 15%.

Income received before or after studies

Regarding income which you have received before the month in which you started school or after the month in which you graduated: any amount exceeding €1,970 per month, averaged over the period in question, is exempt from the income check.

Parental income

If you are under 20 and attending a secondary-level school, your parents' income will affect the amount of aid granted to you (in the case of the Housing Supplement the age limit is 18). If your parents' combined annual income exceeds EUR 40,800, your Study Grant and Housing Supplement are reduced by 5% for each EUR 1,010 in excess of EUR 40,800, and at EUR 61,000 no financial aid is available. Parental income is not taken into account if you are married or have dependants.

The parental income test is normally based on the most recent income data available from the tax authorities.

Updated 04/30/13