EUROSTUDENT 8

Start of the project: 2021-Sept-01 - End of the project: 2024-Aug-31

EUROSTUDENT 8 collects cross‑national data on the social and economic conditions of students in Europe. It covers, among other topics, access to higher education, social background, demographic characteristics, study characteristics, time use and employment, income and expenses, forms of accommodation and international mobility.

The project operates via a decentralised network: national surveys are carried out locally by researchers and administrative staff and are financed from national funds.

In EUROSTUDENT 8 the consortium comprises five partners: DZHW (project coordinator), the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS, Austria), ResearchNed (Netherlands), PRAXIS (Estonia), the Malta Further and Higher Education Agency (MFHEA, Malta) and the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Twenty‑five countries of the European Higher Education Area participate in the project, collect national data and provide them to the project: Austria; Azerbaijan; Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Latvia; Lithuania; Malta; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Slovakia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland.

Comparability is ensured through common conventions, such as a core questionnaire and handbooks for data collection, processing and analysis; national datasets are combined into a European aggregate. The objectives are to provide an evidence base for cross‑country comparisons, to build national monitoring capacities for the social dimension of higher education and to use international findings to improve higher education policy.

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Whole project

Publications

Eurostudent 8 - Micro data Data: and methods report, version 4.0.

Kristina Hauschildt

Cuppen, J., Muja, A., Hendrix, M., & Hauschildt, K. (2026).
Eurostudent 8 - Micro data Data: and methods report, version 4.0. Hannover: DZHW. https://doi.org/10.21249/DZHW:es8:4.0.0

Abstract

The EUROSTUDENT project collects and analyses comparable data on the social dimension of European higher education. A wide range of topics related to students’ social and economic conditions are covered. The project strives to provide reliable and insightful cross-country comparisons. It does this through coupling a central coordination approach with a strong network of national partners in each participating country. In this way, an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the respective national frameworks in international comparison can be made. The main users of our findings are higher education policy-makers at national and European level, researchers [...] Full Abstract: https://doi.org/10.21249/DZHW:es8:4.0.0

Poor students, rich students – What actually determines the income concentration among students in Europe?

Christoph Gwosć

Schirmer, H., & Gwosć, C. (2026).
Poor students, rich students – What actually determines the income concentration among students in Europe? EUROSTUDENT Working Paper Series 2026 (1). Hannover: DZHW. https://doi.org/10.21249/es:wps:012026:1.0.0

Abstract

For 28 EHEA countries, the extent of financial inequality among students was first determined with the help of the Gini coefficient. On this measure, there are relatively large differences between countries, but whose determinants are yet unknown. Several simple linear regressions seem to indicate that family-related variables – financial support from the family, students' educational background, and living in the parental home – increase income concentration among student populations significantly, while national public student support reduces it considerably. However, a multiple linear regression model shows that only national public student support has a weakly significant effect, thus superimposing the effects of social origin.

Student well-being: The role of socio-demographic background, contextual conditions, and study demands and resources on the well-being of students in the European Higher Education Area.

Kristina Hauschildt

Muja, A., Menz, C., Danaii, D., Hauschildt, K., van Meensvort, C., & Cuppen, J. (2024).
Student well-being: The role of socio-demographic background, contextual conditions, and study demands and resources on the well-being of students in the European Higher Education Area. Nijmegen: ResearchNed.

Abstract

This article undertakes a comprehensive examination of student well-being, taking into account both individual and study-related conditions and distinguishing between requirements and resources. Two data sources from the EUROSTUDENT 8 project are used: the aggregated data and the microdata. The aggregated data includes information from 22 countries within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), while the microdata includes information from 11 countries within the EHEA.