Lessons learnt from financing arrangements in the United Kingdom for the Netherlands

This bachelor thesis will answer the question “Which lessons can the Netherlands learn from the developments in student financing policies and their impact on higher education students in the United Kingdom?”. Elements that express a situation of cost-sharing, like tuition fees and student loans, determine the independent variables of this study whereas study choice serves as the main dependent variable. This bachelor thesis will be structure along the four different subquestions that are derived from the central research question. A qualitative case study of the history of student financing arrangements for higher education in the United Kingdom will be made including most recent policies in the United Kingdom regarding the main research topic. The paper will then consider which lessons can be learnt from this and if they can be helpful for the Netherlands. The research design will be a case study, since it only investigates the situation in the United Kingdom. The lessons found, which the Netherlands can learn from the United Kingdom, will be counterfactually considered in the Netherlands. Cost-sharing in general has already been covered in the academic world, providing a source of information. Yet literature on the newest legislation in the United Kingdom and literature considering cost-sharing in the Netherlands is scarce.