On the day we received the joyful news that the wretched “langstudeerdersboete” was postponed and the universities have been given a 1 year grace period from further cuts, Erasmus University announced an unprecedented measure to increase study success. From August 2011, all new BA students in FSW will be asked to study nominally, i.e. obtain the full 60 ects in year 1 of their BA programme. This measure will be coupled with a range of supporting measures to increase success, such as compensation, limited resits and small group lectures, all geared toward maximising the chances that a student will make it to the finish in the nominal duration without missing opportunities for enjoying life as a student as well. These measures, based on best practices in many prestigious universities around the world have rightly attracted a lot of attention, also from other universities. If the pilot in FSW is successful, the system will be deployed across the university from 2012 onwards.