Students with caring responsibilities
Providing ongoing care can take a lot of time and energy and may affect your studies. The University of Amsterdam (UvA) offers support if your caring responsibilities lead to study delays or make it difficult to balance your studies and care.
When do you have caring responsibilities?
You have caring duties if you provide ongoing care or support to someone close to you, with a disability, a mental health condition, or who needs help for another reason. This could be a parent, sibling, partner, friend, housemate or another family member.
Caring responsibilities go beyond the everyday help that people normally provide within a household. Examples include:
- Accompanying someone to appointments or hospital visits;
- Helping with personal care or medication;
- Assisting with household tasks or grocery shopping;
- Managing administrative matters or communicating with healthcare providers;
- Providing emotional support or caring for someone with a mental health condition, an addiction or dementia.
Many students see these responsibilities as a normal part of family life and therefore do not recognize that they have caring responsibilities. However, caring for someone can have a significant impact on your wellbeing and your academic progress.
What if your caring responsibilities affect your studies?
Caring responsibilities can lead to stress, fatigue, less time to study and delays in studying. If you find it difficult to balance your studies with your caring responsibilities, do not wait too long to discuss your situation. The sooner you seek support, the easier it is for the UvA to help you find appropriate support.
What support is available?
Study adviser
Your study adviser is usually the first person to contact if your studies are affected by your caring responsibilities. Together, you can discuss whether adjustments to your study plan are possible. This could include a more realistic study schedule or other practical arrangements.
Student counsellor
A student counsellor can advise you on regulations and support schemes within and outside the university. You can contact a student counsellor with questions about:
- Financial support;
- Study delay;
- Student finance and provisions through DUO;
- Temporary deregistration or other formal arrangements.
If necessary, your study adviser and student counsellor will work together to ensure you receive the support you need.
Student Psychologist
Caring for someone can also be emotionally demanding. If you are experiencing stress or finding it difficult to cope with the combination of studying and caring responsibilities, you can make an appointment with a student psychologist.
Binding Study Advice (BSA)
Have your caring responsibilities affected your academic progress during your first year? If so, the university may take your personal circumstances into account when issuing your Binding Study Advice (BSA).
To ensure your circumstances can be considered, it is important to inform your study adviser as early as possible.
Financial support
If your caring responsibilities result in study delay, you may be eligible for financial support through the Student Support Fund.
A student counsellor can help you determine whether you meet the eligibility criteria and advise you on the schemes that apply to your situation.
Support outside the UvA
In addition to the support available at the UvA, several organizations offer information and guidance for people with caring responsibilities.
- MantelzorgNL provides information about rights, financial arrangements, reimbursements and practical support for informal caregivers.
- If you live in Amsterdam, you can also contact the Municipality of Amsterdam for information about local support services and facilities for informal caregivers.
- Depending on where you live, regional organizations may also offer coaching, peer support or practical assistance for young people with caring responsibilities.
Contact us early
Not sure whether your situation qualifies as caring responsibilities? Contact your study adviser. Even if you are not yet experiencing study delay, it is a good idea to discuss your situation as early as possible. Together, you can explore which support or arrangements are available to help you continue your studies and prevent problems from becoming more serious later.