EUROSTUDENT

@eurostudent.bsky.social

Providing data on the social dimension of European higher education since 1997. Co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union (views own).

@eurostudent.bsky.social

๐Ÿ“Š A decade-long shift in student backgrounds: in most countries, the share of students without a tertiary-educated family background has decreased. But not everywhere. ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia, ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania & ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช Estonia are exceptions, with slightly higher shares than a decade ago.

Grouped bar chart showing the share of students whose parents do not have a tertiary education qualification across EUROSTUDENT surveys V, VI, VII, and 8. In EUROSTUDENT 8, the highest shares are in Portugal (60%), Croatia (57%), Slovakia (56%), and Romania (55%), while the lowest are in Denmark (23%) and Norway (23%). The EUROSTUDENT 8 average is 41%. Most countries show a gradual decline in the share of students without a tertiary educational background over successive survey rounds.
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Did you know that ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ Switzerland, ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช Ireland, ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น Austria, and ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Denmark register the highest shares of international students with at least 15% holding a foreign entry qualification?

Stacked bar chart showing the percentage of students with a migration background across EUROSTUDENT countries. Total shares range from about 50% in Switzerland and 47% in Ireland to below 5% in Poland and Romania. Categories include first-generation students, second-generation students with mixed or foreign-born parents, international students, and other foreign-born students with native background. International students make up the largest share in most countries. The European average is approximately 25%.
@eurostudent.bsky.social

What does international student mobility look like? ๐ŸŒ Across EUROSTUDENT countries: ๐Ÿ”ต 5% of students studied abroad temporarily ๐ŸŸก 1% combined enrolment abroad with an internship/work placement ๐ŸŸ  3% did an internship/work placement abroad ๐ŸŸข 14% took part in other study-related activities abroad

Stacked bar chart showing the share of students with international mobility experience across European countries (EUROSTUDENT 8). The Netherlands has the highest reported participation (44%), followed by Malta (37%), Estonia (34%), Romania (33%), Czechia (32%) and Slovakia (32%). The overall average is 24%. The lowest shares are Poland (11%) and Azerbaijan (7%). Most mobility experiences are classified as "other study-related activities abroad" rather than study enrolment or internships abroad.
@eurostudent.bsky.social

Last week, EUROSTUDENT 9 Policy Workshop brought together HE policy-makers from ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท & the European Commission in Dublin.

Over 1.5 days, we met with the HEA and visited @ucddublin.bsky.social & @dublincityuni.bsky.social, exchanging experiences and connecting policy with practice.

A smiling group of 15 workshop participants wearing lanyards and conference badges, standing in a row outside a brick building and hedge, posing for a group photo.5 experts from the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA) posing for a group photo at a policy workshop with the event organisers Kristina Hauschildt & Marleen Allemann-Kooli from the EUROSTUDENT. Blue glossy elephant sculpture standing on a black platform, displaying a UCD Dublin crest on its flank as a university-themed decorative piece.Presentation titled "Assessment in the Age of Generative AI" projected on a classroom screen while two presenters โ€“ one in a red jacket at left and one at right โ€“ address seated attendees taking notes and watching the slide.
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In all E:9 countries except Lithuania & Azerbaijan, accommodation is the largest share of studentsโ€™ living expenses and, in most countries, also their total expenses. Food is the 2nd-largest expenditure category. The highest food expenditure shares: Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary & Lithuania (27%).

Stacked bar chart titled โ€œCosts for accommodation, food, and transportation โ€“ students not living with parents.โ€ It shows monthly expenses as percentages of total expenses, including transfers in kind, across 24 countries. Each bar divides spending into accommodation (dark blue), food (light blue), and transportation (gray). Accommodation is the largest expense in most countries. It ranges from 21% in Azerbaijan to 51% in Denmark. Food ranges from 14% in Ireland to 27% in Estonia, Slovakia and Hungary. Transportation is generally the smallest category, ranging from 3% in Georgia to 9% in Estonia. The chart also shows a cross-country average of 37% accommodation, 23% food, and 7% transportation.
@eurostudent.bsky.social

Over the last 4 rounds of EUROSTUDENT, students not living with parents show a quite stable investment in study-related activities for many countries. However, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Ireland, & Finland show a slight but steady decline in time spent on taught studies (e.g., Hungary: 21h -> 16h).

A bar chart titled โ€œTime spent on study-related activities in EUROSTUDENT V to EUROSTUDENT 8,โ€ showing mean hours per week for students not living with parents, across 20 countries. Panel A shows taught-study hours; panel B shows personal-study hours. Each country has four bars for EUROSTUDENT V, VI, VII and 8. Taught-study time is highest in Portugal (22 hours/week in E:8) and lowest in Finland (9). Personal-study time is highest in Sweden (23 hours/week in E:8) and lowest in Romania (17). Overall, study time varies substantially by country and between taught and personal study.
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The final EUROSTUDENT 9 data delivery workshops are done! ๐ŸŽ‰ Researchers from ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น, ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น, ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ป, ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น & ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด joined colleagues from ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น (@ihs.ac.at) and ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ (@joriscuppen.bsky.social) at IHS in Vienna this week. ๐ŸŽก Ferris wheel, ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธ scavenger hunt & lots of data checking: weโ€™re off to the final sprint of this round now! ๐Ÿ

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โฐ Just one week to go!
What explains the big differences in student income concentration across countries? ๐Ÿ‘€

Join the next EUROSTUDENT Talks on 17.09 to hear Christoph Gwosฤ‡ & Hendrik Schirmer unpack the one factor that stood out in their analysis.

Donโ€™t miss it, sign up ๐Ÿ‘‰ shorturl.at/ZE885

Webinar poster for EUROSTUDENT Talks, 17.09.2026 at 11 AM CET, titled "What really matters in the end: factors influencing income concentration among students," featuring two speaker photos on a pale blue abstract background.
@eurostudent.bsky.social

Flexible study isnโ€™t just a student preference, itโ€™s an access issue. Older students, students who work, those entering HE later, and those on alternative pathways are much more likely to study part-time, online, or at a distance. ๐Ÿ“ If HE wants to widen access, flexibility matters.

A bar chart titled โ€œStudy statuses and modes by student characteristics,โ€ showing cross-country averages (percentages) across EUROSTUDENT9 countries. Three categories are compared: part-time + other, distance learning, and mostly/completely online. Overall, 15%, 9%, and 23% respectively. The chart breaks these down by age, educational background, income source, field of study, study intensity, transition duration, and access route. The highest mostly/completely online share is among students aged 30+, at 36%; the highest part-time + other share is also among students aged 30+, at 47%.
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EUROSTUDENT Talks is back from break! โ˜€๏ธ

EUROSTUDENT data show big differences in student income concentration by country, but what explains them? ๐Ÿ‘€
Join the Talks on 17.09 to discover the one factor that stood out in the analysis by Christoph Gwosฤ‡ & Hendrik Schirmer.

Sign up ๐Ÿ‘‰๏ธ shorturl.at/ZE885

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๐Ÿ’ผ Not all student jobs are equally connected to what students study. Across EUROSTUDENT countries, students in Education, Health & Welfare, and ICT are most likely to work in jobs related to their studies, while those in Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities, and Natural Sciences are least likely.

@eurostudent.bsky.social

๐ŸšŒ Where you live matters for your commute. Across EUROSTUDENT countries, students living with their parents spend the most time commuting to campus. In ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Netherlands, ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Czech Republic, and ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Hungary, a one-way trip typically takes 50โ€“60 minutes.