Dr. Kristina Hauschildt

This edition of the Bologna Process Implementation Report charts important progress made over two decades when it comes to mobility, quality assurance and recognition, but also points to the work needed in the future. The report shows how European higher education systems advanced with concerted national reforms. This in itself is a remarkable achievement. Nevertheless, the process was not all plain sailing. Some countries moved faster than others, and some embedded reforms more deeply. As a result of reaching different levels of implementation, the foundations of the European Higher Education Area are not yet stable enough. Students, researchers and higher education institutions may still face unnecessary obstacles in their work together.

This publication presents indicators on the social dimension of higher education in the European Higher Education Area in four key areas: Demographics and social background of students, transition and access into higher education, students’ employment, and the financial situation of students. To what extent can students of different backgrounds be found within the higher education systems? How open and flexible are European higher education systems in providing access to students entering higher education at different points in their lives, and with different past experiences? What are the circumstances under which students pursue their studies and how do they make a living?

This short report presents a condensed overview of the EUROSTUDENT Synopsis of Indicators - the central publication of the project and the result of the collaboration of a European-wide network including researchers, data collectors, representatives of national ministries, and other stakeholders. It comprises data from student surveys conducted in 28 countries in the European Higher Education Area during the sixth round of the EUROSTUDENT project.
This overview provides selected findings on topics such as characteristics of student populations, transition into and within higher education, study, working, and living conditions as well as international student mobility.

The new intelligence brief analyses international student mobility in Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine. The main focus of the IB is to describe and compare plans and realisations of temporary enrolments abroad, as well as examining major channels and obstacles for international mobility.

The share of recipients of public support as well as the composition of this support differs greatly across EUROSTUDENT countries. In most countries, financial support from the public sector is available to students in the form of both grants and loans. This brief discusses the implications of the two different types of support. A relationship between the average share of recipients in a country and the share of loans can currently not be found in the EUROSTUDENT countries.

In the different phases of the decision process, different obstacles may deter students from studying abroad. Financial and familial obstacles are of especially high relevance with regard to the initial decision to go abroad for study purposes. Students who are already planning to study abroad are more concerned about practical matters: integrating a stay abroad into their study programme, getting relevant information, securing a place in a mobility programme, and ensuring their results achieved abroad will be recognised.