Student finance made easy

Things to look out for at the planning stage.

How many university students are there in Luxembourg? The government department that is responsible for students answered this question at the beginning of the 2022/2023 academic year. According to their records, 37,121 young people had applied for state financial aid for their studies in 2021/2022. Financing your education is something that you should think about before you register with a university. It’s very difficult embark upon a course of higher education without a minimum level of financial security.

Different types of state aid

The Luxembourg government offers financial support in the form of various grants and an affordable student loan, generally referred to as a AideFi student loan. The various types of financial aid available are explained in the chart below.

Application forms have to be submitted online using MyGuichet, between 1 August and 30 November for the winter semester and between 1 January and 30 April for the summer semester. Applicants receive written confirmation from AideFi (Service Aides financières du ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche) detailing the various grants to which they are entitled.

Note that if students have other sources of income, this may influence their eligibility for financial aid or the amount available. It’s also helpful to chat with your bank, as banks often offers students packages combining government aid with advantageous terms or special top-up measures.

AideFi can be combined with grants received under international programmes promoting foreign study or grants awarded on the basis of performance criteria.

AideFi aid can be combined with grants received under international programmes promoting foreign study (e.g. Erasmus+) or grants awarded on the basis of performance criteria. However, it cannot be combined with similar grants or specific financial advantages available to students in their country of residence.

Expand your horizons

Studying abroad is an interesting experience that will expand both your personal and professional horizons. Whether you are motivated by a personal wish or by necessity, a stay abroad is a real plus on your CV nowadays. There are good reasons to study abroad.

A real full-immersion language experience is the most frequent and obvious reason. If you want to master a language, you need practical experience! What could be better than experience life in the country while speaking and “living” the language? Most sources agree that you can achieve a good level in the local language within a year’s stay in the country.

Many international students also cite the desire to get to know a different culture or to broaden their horizons as another key reason for studying abroad. Exposure to other ways of life and societies can be fascinating. It helps young people become more open-minded and more critical of the mentality in their home country.

A stay abroad is mostly indicative of a good level of achievement, commitment and a certain amount of independence. Your application and motivational letter are often decisive for foreign universities.

The right questions

Ask yourself the following questions before you decide to study abroad:

• • What do I hope to gain from this experience?
  • Which places do I prefer?
  • What is important for me, a foreign qualification or recognition of a period of study abroad?
  • At which stage of my studies should I go abroad?
  • What do I plan on my return: to study further or to work?

If you don’t have family locally or specific grants, studying abroad is expensive. This is a reality that must be faced. You will need a budget for rent, registration fees, travel costs and local expenditure, which must be properly assessed. So proper financial planning makes sense.