Return to England without a diploma

Sam is one of the students who received a scholarship. He says: 'When the corona crisis broke out in March, everyone with a British nationality was called back to the United Kingdom. I lived in Amsterdam and was about to choose between two additional jobs. But I had to go back, indefinitely, and eventually stayed in England for three months. It was a frightening and stressful period. Many people lost their jobs. My father is a teacher and because the schools were closed, he did not have a job anymore and was only paid a small part of his salary. My mother works as a physical therapist and visits people at home, and that work could was impossible as well. In the end, my mother lost her job, even though she had been working for the same organization for more than 25 years.

My parents supported me financially, but now they could not do so anymore. When I returned to Amsterdam, I had two weeks to find a job, otherwise I had to cancel my room, quit my studies and return to England. I slightly panicked. Fortunately, I then heard through the Student Council that I could apply for a scholarship from the Amsterdam University Fund. Otherwise I would have had to go back to England without a diploma and I would have thrown away three years of study. Thanks to the scholarship, I could stay in Amsterdam, take my exams and look for a job. The support of the fund really changed my future'.

No income due to closed borders

Lucy also received a scholarship: 'A year ago my father passed away. My income came from a small business he had left to me and my brother: a local language school in New Zealand. Because of the coronavirus, New Zealand closed the borders for tourists. Therefore, the company was out of business and had to close its doors. As a result, my income disappeared, while my fixed expenses remained.. Just at the beginning of the corona crisis, it was very difficult to find an additional job. I was very happy with the support from the Amsterdam University Fund. I have no family in the Netherlands that I can fall back on and that sometimes feels rather lonely during this period. The scholarship was a great surprise for me, which made me feel supported as an international student'.