News

Only Finnish students reached the goal of the European Union, to bring more than 10 percent of the students to an enrolment in a foreign higher education institution at some stage of their study career. In the vast majority of European universities less than 6 % participate in the so-called “credit mobility”.  These are two of the main conclusions of the third EUROSTUDENT report, published last August. This report presents data from 23 European countries and represents an impressive development over earlier reports which were confined to eight and eleven countries respectively. It was initiated by the Bologna follow-up Conference in London 2007 to provide comparative data on the so-called “social dimension” of higher education in Europe.

The study, which is published under the title “Social and Economic Conditions of Student Life in Europe. Synopses of Indicators”, covers a broad range of data on the demographic characteristics of the student body; modes of access and attendance and types of higher education; social make-up of the student body; types of accommodation; funding and state assistance; living expenses and student spending; student employment and time budgets; and internationalisation and mobility.

The most striking feature of the results brought together in this report is the demonstration of the heterogeneity of the student population. This is evident within each individual country and more especially between countries. The answer on this heterogeneity cannot be found in a homogenous support system, but has to respond on the inequality of local and regional situations. But to accept inequality in support-systems is an enormous political challenge, even if it will lead to more social fairness.