Two years after the abolition of student grants in the Netherlands, a trend is emerging – students are now more likely to live at home.

Earlier this year, figures showed that more first year students opt not to live out and that trend is now clear among second year students, according to figures from student housing expertise centre Kences.

Of the students starting a bachelor’s degree in 2016, 75% still lived with their parents, compared with 60% before the abolition of grants.

Now those students are in their second year, the figures show 63% still live at home, compared with 50% of those who started university or college before grants were abolished. In total, just under half of the Dutch student body still live with their parents.

Students do receive a free public transport card to commute to classes and an increasing number of students are now traveling too and from university on a daily basis.

‘Living at home longer because of the student loan system appears to be a trend. Students would appear to be reluctant to borrow money to pay for a room,’ said Kences director Ardin Mourik. ‘It would be a real shame if living away from home became something for the elite, not to mention the pressure on public transport.’