On 21 October 2025, the Flemish Union of Students (VVS) and the student councils of Flemish universities and universities of applied sciences took to the streets to protest against the Flemish Government’s planned cuts to higher education. They placed one thousand empty chairs on Martelaarsplein in Brussels — the seat of the Flemish Government. Each chair symbolised twenty students at risk of losing their study grant.“In challenging economic times, Flanders should invest in knowledge and people. Let your policies look to the future: invest in today’s students, so that tomorrow Flanders can continue to rely on skilled and diverse generations.”
The Flemish Government recently announced it would cut over €83 million from higher education — a decision that has caused deep concern among the Flemish Union of Students (VVS) and the student councils.
These cuts create uncertainty, but more importantly, they come on top of years of chronic underfunding. As a result, higher education institutions — including the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) — are being pushed into an impossible position: trying to uphold accessibility and equal opportunities while resources continue to shrink.
“Cuts to study grants and support measures will inevitably lead to fewer graduates, greater social inequality and long-term damage to Flanders’ knowledge economy. They undermine the principle that talent and motivation — not background or age — should determine access to higher education.”
Flemish students are calling on the Flemish Government to reconsider the planned cuts, to strengthen the basic funding of higher education, and to automatically grant study allowances to those entitled to them.
VUB among the hardest hit
The VUB has strongly condemned the proposed cuts. The university will be hit particularly hard: this new round of austerity measures means an additional reduction of more than €12 million — nearly one fifth of the total savings across Flemish higher education. As a metropolitan university with a large number of vulnerable and international students, the impact will be significant.
Despite this, the VUB continues to engage in dialogue with the Flemish Government and contributes constructively to future-oriented solutions: targeted spending, cutting waste, and protecting the very heart of its mission — the democratisation of higher education, student support in the Brussels context, and the international openness that strengthens Flanders as a whole.
Read the open letter from Flemish students (in Dutch) - See translation below
Flemish Union of Students (VVS)
Bloemenhofplein 12, 1000 Brussels
+32 451 03 61 43
info@vvs.ac | www.vvs.ac
18 October 2025, Brussels
With this letter, we — the student councils of Flemish universities and universities of applied sciences — wish to express our deep concern about the planned cuts to higher education. Of the announced cuts in education, €83 million will fall on higher education. Given the existing structural underfunding, this will further endanger the sustainability of our higher education system.
In particular, the €34 million reduction in the study grant system strikes at the very heart of the democratisation of higher education — a principle for which Flanders has been internationally recognised for decades.
The proposal to introduce an upper age limit of 30 years, and especially to raise the minimum number of study credits required to 54 per year, will, according to recent analyses, affect around 20,000 students who risk losing their grants if these measures go ahead — roughly 6% of all students. If the Flemish Government maintains its target of €34 million in savings, this figure may increase even further. For thousands of Flemish students, this will mean losing access to higher education altogether.
The design of this policy suggests that the total savings target was decided first, and only afterwards was consideration given to how the cuts would be implemented and which students would bear the heaviest burden.
The proposed minimum threshold of 54 credits fails to take into account the specific nature of bridging and preparatory programmes. These study paths are deliberately designed with fewer than 54 credits per academic year, precisely to help students make up for educational gaps and transition successfully to new degrees. Excluding students in these programmes from study grants will effectively punish those pursuing flexible study routes that enable social mobility.
The current proposal also reveals a lack of attention to specific groups and regions, in particular students in precarious circumstances. These groups face a very real risk of being excluded from higher education due to increasing financial barriers. Even for those who qualify for exceptions, additional administrative hurdles will make access to higher education even more difficult. For that reason, Flemish students are calling for the automatic allocation of study grants.
Cutting higher education — and especially support measures for vulnerable groups — is a political choice with far-reaching consequences for society as a whole. The rationale behind these cuts stands in direct contrast to the social mission of higher education: emancipation, talent development, and social mobility for all, regardless of background or age.
We are also concerned about how the proposed age limit may worsen the teacher shortage. Educational master’s programmes and teacher training courses are frequently taken up by older students or those who study part-time.
In addition to the cuts in study grants, there are other worrying reductions in higher education funding. The Brussels context is marked by great linguistic diversity. To enable students with a different home language to succeed in Dutch-language higher education, additional resources for language support and guidance are essential. It is difficult to understand how a government that places such emphasis on Dutch proficiency in compulsory education would cut funds for this very purpose in higher education.
The burden of these cuts will fall disproportionately on students from lower socio-economic backgrounds — precisely those who already struggle the most. This risk only grows with further reductions in study grants, especially through the elimination of the so-called “Brussels funds”. It is unacceptable to cut back on social correction mechanisms that protect vulnerable students and ensure that studying remains within reach. Once again, it is the most vulnerable students who are being hit hardest.
We also echo VOKA’s warning about the possible economic impact of these measures and the damage they could do to Flanders’ position in the international knowledge economy.
Ending subsidies for non-EEA students will inevitably lead to higher tuition fees for this group, making Flanders less accessible to international students. This undermines the exchange of knowledge and research potential that our higher education institutions must foster in an ever-changing world. Investing in international talent is not an expense — it is a strategic necessity for innovation and quality in higher education. Yet again, it is the most vulnerable students who will pay the price.
Time and again, higher education bears the brunt whenever cuts are made to the education budget. These new cuts come on top of previous ones. For years, higher education has suffered from chronic underfunding. According to the 2008 Financing Decree, there is an annual shortfall of no less than €600 million in necessary funding.
These new measures not only create further uncertainty, but also prevent urgently needed investments — in student facilities, affordable housing, and infrastructure. They also threaten both the quality of education and the support provided to students.
Finally, we wish to raise serious concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding these cuts. Neither we nor the higher education institutions have been involved in the development of these plans. Our expertise has not been sought, even after the main outlines became clear.
As student representatives, we therefore explicitly demand that students be granted a structural and active role in all budgetary decisions affecting higher education. Student councils and VVS must be involved from the very beginning — not merely consulted afterwards. This ensures that measures are evaluated and refined by the very people they affect most. We have the knowledge and practical experience to work alongside policymakers to design fairer and more effective solutions.
The official advisory bodies that should have been consulted also received their requests for advice very late in the process. Moreover, the vote on these cuts is scheduled for 24 October, yet to this day there has been no clear transparency regarding the concrete figures — not from AHOVOKS, the department, or the Minister.
This lack of openness compels us to call for greater transparency in policymaking.
Years of austerity have pushed higher education institutions into an untenable position — they can no longer fully uphold their responsibility to guarantee democratic access and equal opportunities.
These developments run counter to Flanders’ stated ambitions for a strong knowledge economy and high-quality education. Investing in higher education is not an expense — it is the cornerstone of a prosperous and inclusive society.
Cuts to study grants and student support will, in the long term, lead to fewer graduates, greater social inequality, and lasting harm to Flanders’ knowledge economy. They undermine the principle that talent and motivation — not background or age — should determine access to higher education.
We therefore call on the Flemish Government to:
- Reconsider the cuts outlined in the programme decree,
- Strengthen the basic funding of higher education in line with the Financing Decree,
- Protect and expand access to education, particularly through study grants,
- Implement automatic allocation of study grants.
It is precisely in economically challenging times that Flanders must invest in knowledge and people. Let your policies look to the future: invest in today’s students, so that Flanders can continue to rely on capable and diverse generations tomorrow.
Yours sincerely,
On behalf of the student councils of the Flemish universities and universities of applied sciences,
the Flemish Union of Students (VVS)
Nele Van Hoyweghen
President VVS 2025–2026
Mobile: +32 486 88 35 39
Email: voorzitter@vvs.ac