Student grantAccess to financial support has been facilitated for cross-border workers

Since Sunday 3 November, the laws concerning access to financial aid from Luxembourg for higher education was facilitated for cross-border commuters and their children. The law was amended in early October following an order issued by the European Court of Justice, which considered access to such aid too restrictive. Previously, it was necessary for a cross-border worker to have worked in Luxembourg for five years in the seven years preceding the student funding request.

The difference? The legislative change has extended this reference period: cross-border workers must have worked for at least five years in the last ten years preceding the application for financial aid.

Two further criteria (at the time of application) also make it possible to access to the grant:

• having a parent who has worked in Luxembourg for at least ten years (a whole career) and who "continues to contribute to the student's support" while still working in the Grand Duchy;
• proof of at least five years registered in the Luxembourgish education system or Luxembourgish residency, provided the parent still works in Luxembourg.

Over the 2018-2019 period, 11,410 non-resident students benefited from grants for their higher studies, for a total of about 160 million euros (grants and student loans).

For the upcoming 2019 winter semester, the deadline for student grant applications is November 30, 2019, for both residents and cross-border residents. In the case of the latter, these students have to request financial support in their own country of residence before being able to turn to Luxembourg.