Financial aid for students in higher education

Anyone registered for a course of higher education may apply for financial support as long as they meet a number of conditions.

Purpose

The conditions for students applying for financial aid for higher education studies are:

• the applicant must be registered for a course of higher education leading to a recognised qualification,
• the course must count for at least 15 ECTS credits per semester (for distance learning and part-time study),
• for all vocational training courses undertaken outside the Grand Duchy:
• the student must check that the training involved is not available in the Grand Duchy,
• written authorisation must be obtained from the Vocational Training Department (Service de la formation professionnelle) of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (Ministère de l’Education Nationale, de l’Enfance et de la Jeunesse);
• applicants resident in the Grand Duchy must be either:
• a Luxembourg national,
• a national of an EU or EEA country working in the Grand Duchy,
• a member of the family of a person in one of the previous categories,
• resident in the Grand Duchy for at least the past five years, or
• a political refugee.
• applicants not resident in the Grand Duchy must be either:
• a worker (including self-employed) who is a Luxembourg national or a national of another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, employed or otherwise working in the Grand Duchy at the time of applying for financial aid for higher studies, or;
  
  
• in receipt of an orphan's pension in the Grand Duchy and a Luxembourg national or a national of another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, or;
  
  
• the child of a worker who is a Luxembourg national or a national of another EU or EEA country or Switzerland who contributes to the student's upkeep and is employed or otherwise working in the Grand Duchy at the time of the student's application for financial aid for higher studies, and on condition that:
  
  
• the parent has been affiliated with the Joint Social Security Centre (Centre commun de la sécurité sociale - CCSS) for a total period of at least five years during a reference period of ten years prior to the application; or
  
  
• the parent has been affiliated to the CCSS for a total period of at least ten years at the time of the application; or
  
  
• the student has been enrolled for a total of at least five years of study either:
• at a public or private institution in the Grand Duchy providing elementary or secondary education or initial vocational training;
• or at the 'Deutsch-Luxemburgisches Schengen-Lyzeum Perl';
• or for a programme of study offered by the University of Luxembourg leading to a bachelor's, master's or PhD degree or to the diploma in specialised studies in medicine;
• or for a programme of study leading to the higher technician's certificate (Brevet de technicien supérieur - BTS) accredited by the Minister;
• or for an accredited programme of study offered by a foreign higher education institution established in the Grand Duchy and accredited by the Minister; or
• the student has been legally resident in the Grand Duchy for a total of at least five years at the time of applying.

Periods during which the person has received a pension or unemployment benefit from the State count towards the minimum required duration.

Children in a household where a parent's spouse or partner meets the above conditions are also eligible.

Students resident in the Grand Duchy mainly for the purpose of their studies and have income not exceeding the minimum legal wage for skilled employees are treated in the same way as non-resident students.

Financial aid from the State may be combined with research scholarships (Aide à la formation-recherche - AFR) to support researchers during their doctoral and post-doctoral studies (www.fnr.lu), grants under international schemes to promote the international mobility of students (Erasmus+) and scholarships granted according to the student's merit.

The financial support cannot be combined with any equivalent financial support paid in the student's State of residence or with any other financial advantages relating to the person's status as a student.

Example

Lucas, 35, wishes to prepare for a master's degree in Business Management as ongoing training, and is wondering what support he is entitled to. Registration costs EUR 5,000, and the course will be held over two years, on Fridays and Saturdays. Lucas submits a request for individual training leave which is granted by his boss. If the request is approved by the competent ministry, he may obtain up to 20 days of additional leave while still receiving his salary. He also obtains information from the higher education documentation and information centre (Centre de Documentation et d'Information sur l'Enseignement Supérieur - CEDIES) at cedies.lu to find out if the State can grant him financial support for his higher education studies and/or by directly contacting the Service, at aide-fi@mesr.etat.lu.

Financial support – Grants and Loan

The financial support for each semester comprises:

• a basic grant of EUR 1,050,
• a mobility grant of EUR 1,286, if the applicant studies in a country other than his/her country of residence and pays rent there,
• a need-based grant of up to EUR 1,995, dependent on the total annual income of the household (as defined in Article 7 of the amended law of 4 December 1967 on income tax) to which the applicant belongs,
• a family grant of EUR 262 if any other child in the household to which the applicant belongs is receiving financial support for higher education,
• a basic student loan of EUR 3,250, guaranteed by the State.

Use the Simulator to calculate the amount of the financial support.

Registration fees

Registration fees are taken into consideration when calculating financial support.

In order to qualify they must exceed EUR 100 per year, and be no more than EUR 3,700 per academic year. In all cases, 50% of the fees are included in the grant and 50% in the loan.

Example
For registration fees of EUR 2,300, after deducting EUR 100, EUR 1,100 is added to the grant and EUR 1,100 to the loan.

Use the Simulator to calculate the exact amount of the refund of registration fees.

Procedures and deadlines

An application should be submitted for each semester:

• between 1 August and 30 November for the winter semester
• between 1 January and 30 April for the summer semester

Applications submitted outside these periods will not be considered.

Applications may be submitted totally online via MyGuichet. The MyGuichet Tutorial will guide you through the procedure.
Paper forms are also available on the Forms page of the website at MyGuichet (deadlines and procedures are set out on the form).

According to the applicant's circumstances, some or all of the following documents must be attached to the application:

• definitive registration certificate issued by the university,
• invoice and proof of payment of the registration fees,
• payslips for the previous three months,

• depending on the applicant's situation, other documents may be required.

More information on financial aid can also be obtained online by checking the FAQ on the website at www.cedies.lu.