Corona: Frequently asked questions for students

Do you have any questions about corona regarding to your studies? Of course, you can address all your questions to your course. On this page, we would like to answer the most frequently asked questions to all of you.

Holidays

Before you decide to travel, it is important that you are aware of the latest measures and advice from the government. At the moment, the Dutch government has issued negative travel advice. This means that travelling to and from the Netherlands is not recommended. Until mid-January, travel to code orange areas is advised against, except for necessary trips. Should you decide to travel anyway, please pay close attention to the following issues, and check them before your departure.

Measures

Due to the unpredictability of the coronavirus and the associated measures, you may not be able to travel back to the Netherlands. Moreover, additional measures may apply in the country you are travelling to, such as requirement to produce a negative corona test or of 10 days’ self-isolation upon arrival. For up-to-date travel advice and self-isolation rules, please check: nederlandwereldwijd.nl and Coronavirus COVID-19 | Rijksoverheid.nl. It could also be that you are not allowed to enter the country you want to travel to, so keep a close eye on local advice.

Insurance

Maybe you are not insured if you go to a code orange or code red country, so check your insurance policies carefully, for example your health, travel and/or cancellation insurance.

Upon return

Upon your return to the Netherlands, the following rules apply: if you come from a code orange or code red country, you are required to self-isolate preventively for 10 days. Take this into account in your travel and study plans. We emphasise that we assume that everyone takes responsibility for each other’s safety. The time it takes to self-isolate and the potential delay in studies as a result are your own responsibility. First consult with the head of your course if you have any questions.

Do you need extra support because of the coronavirus crisis?

Do you not feel good about yourself? Are you afraid of falling ill? Are you running into financial trouble? Or do you think you are about to suffer a study delay? At ArtEZ we have various people who can help you. You can talk to your study career advisor or mentor.
The student counsellors are also pleased to help you. You can contact the student counsellors via this link.
Do you wish to talk to someone outside ArtEZ? In Zwolle and Arnhem you also have the possibility to contact RE:Link (only in Dutch) or the ASP.

What about the binding study advice?

In national consultations it has been decided that students will receive their binding study advice in the second year. If you started your bachelor course at ArtEZ in September 2019, you will receive the binding study advice at the end of the current academic year 2020/2021. If you started your bachelor course at ArtEZ this academic year, you will receive the binding study advice at the end of academic year 2021/2022.
This decision is not related to the political discussion as to whether the binding study advice will be abolished altogether, which is currently not the case.

Is the ventilation at ArtEZ in order?

All ArtEZ buildings have mechanical and / or natural ventilation. The ventilation complies with the rules in the Building Decree and the applicable national guidelines set by the RIVM.
Indoor classrooms that do not comply with the RIVM guidelines are closed and not in use.

Wear a mask

We strongly recommend to wear a mask in public areas of our buildings. Until further measures are taken by the government, this is voluntary and especially applicable when you move from one place in the building to another. Go to this page for more information about the corona measures at ArtEZ.

Travelling by public transport

If you need to travel by public transport to attend classes, this qualifies as necessary travel. Research activities do fall under the stricter rules, and must, in principle, be carried out from home.

Maximum group size

The stricter rules (09/28) as they apply to a maximum group size of 30 people do not apply to education activities, not even in external locations.
In order to allow education to continue for as long as possible, it has once again become clear that we all have our own responsibilities and role in this. Stay at home if you have complaints, observe the 1.5 metre distance rule, etc. It is becoming increasingly important to hold each other accountable; it is part of our collective responsibility to make that the new "normal", too.

Corona flowchart

Do you have questions about what to do when you or a roommate are (probably) infected with the coronavirus? We have put everything together clearly on this flowchart and on this poster.

Studying abroad

In the coming academic year it is only possible to study abroad on an individual basis. You need to make proper arrangements for this with the head of your course, the Student Affairs department and the partner institute or the host company. Applications for the Erasmus grant for next semester are still being processed.

Financial matters

Yes, ArtEZ provides as much of its education as possible online instead of physically. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. To accommodate students, the government has set up two financial compensation schemes:
a. allowance because your extra basic or supplementary grant is cancelled
This allowance is for students who will receive their last basic grant or supplementary grant payments in the months of July, August or September 2020 and who can only borrow after that period. For students in higher education with a supplementary grant the amount is €1,500.
For more information, please go to DUO.
b. financial compensation for tuition in the event of graduation delay
Are you obtaining a university of applied sciences diploma (AD, BA or MA) in the period of 1 September 2020 through to 31 January 2021? You will then receive a one-off compensation amount in the first quarter of 2021 equal to around a 3 months' tuition. For a student in higher education, this would amount to a one-off allowance of €535. This also applies to (international) students who pay institutional tuition fees. DUO will manage this compensation scheme.
For more information, please go to DUO.
Then ArtEZ has options to help you. There are also options to borrow more money from DUO. Moreover, the rules are less strict if you want to earn some money on the side in addition to your student grant. But even if you have lost your sideline, there are options to help you. There are also opportunities for EU students who are unable to meet the 56-hour requirement. You can find more information about all these topics below.
ArtEZ would like to accommodate students who run into difficulties due to the consequences of the coronary measures. Are you running into financial trouble? If this is through no fault of your own and as a result of the corona crisis, for example because of a loss of income from a sideline or the inability to receive money from your home country, then, under certain conditions, you can make use of the Student Support Fund.
a. the Student Support Fund
Do you wish to make use of the Student Support Fund? Use the flowchart to check if you qualify for the Student Support Fund. Do you qualify for the Student Support Fund? Please download the application form and send this completed form with the requested attachments to supportfund@artez.nl. The new deadline for applications is August 25, 2020. The assessment committee will then consider the application and issue an opinion. The Executive Board will then assess the application on the basis of this advice. We hope that enough donations continue to come in so that we can make regular payouts.
Why not all students in one big gesture? As students do not all want or need to make use of this arrangement or because they see no need to make use of it.
Do you want to contribute to the Student Support Fund yourself?Go to the information under "Can I help other students in financial distress?".
b. postponement of collection of tuition fees
You could only apply for this scheme in the months of March and April 2020. This means that it is no longer possible to apply for this scheme.
a. loan increase
If you do not yet receive a maximum loan, you can increase your loan (temporarily). This can be done retroactively to the start of this academic year.
For more information, please go to DUO/ regular loan.
b. application for supplementary grant
Perhaps you can apply for a supplementary grant. This depends on your parents' income. Applications can be made with retroactive effect to the start of this academic year.
For more information, please go to DUO/supplemantary grant .
c. application for tuition credit
If you study at a university or a university of applied sciences, you can borrow extra to pay your tuition. This is called tuition credit. This can also be done retroactively from the beginning of the academic year.
For more information, please go to DUO/ regular loan.
a. How much are you allowed to earn in addition to your student grant?
The limit for additional earnings in 2020 is cancelled for all students. Some students are working extra in a crucial profession because of the corona crisis. In order not to put anyone in trouble at the moment due to extra earnings, the limit for extra earnings is cancelled in 2020. You may earn additional income in the year 2020 without any consequences for your student grant.
For more information, please go to DUO.
b. Have you lost your sideline because of the coronary measures?
Do you find yourself in financial difficulties because you lose your income from a secondary job? If you were in paid employment, you may be eligible for unemployment benefit (“WW uitkering”) from the UWV.
For more information, please go to the website of the Dutch government.
DUO applies the 56-hour requirement leniently, as long as the corona measures apply. If you are now unable to meet the 56-hour requirement, then DUO will look at the hours you have worked before and after the measures.
For more information, please go to DUO.

Studying at home

ArtEZ works with Office 365. Office 3675 offers various apps for sharing documents online, digital collaborations, online meetings, online education. More information about Office 365, tutorials etc. can be found here:
Office 365 help and tutorials
We inform students and staff about major changes via this website and by email. So keep a close eye on your ArtEZ mail!
During a time when you spend a lot of time at home behind your computer, or on your smartphone, it is important to continue to pay close attention to your cybersecurity. Unfortunately, there have already been cases of criminals who abuse the situation. Therefore, an important warning: DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINKS IN PHISHING E-MAILS!
Don't recognize the sender of an email? Then be careful. Never click on the links in phishing emails. When in doubt, you can forward the email to ict@artez.nl. They will look at it and give advice.

ArtEZ and Corona

ArtEZ has formed a crisis team that is coordinated weekly. This team closely monitors this evolving situation, and also develops different scenarios to be prepared for the future.
ArtEZ always follows the advice and guidelines of RIVM (The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), the GGD (Municipal and Regional Health Services[NS1] ) and Foreign Affairs.