1. Trends in European student mobility
Main findings of the forthcoming study on “Mobility developments in higher education” (EURODATA II)
Irina Lungu, ACA Policy Officer
Meeting of the Bologna Process Mobility Working Group
4 November 2010, Budapest

2. Study overview Financed by the European Commission, DG EAC
International project team:
DAAD (Nicole Rohde, Siegbert Wuttig)
CampusFrance (Louise Watts, Nina Volz)
HIS (Dominic Orr, Nicolai Netz)
Ulrich Teichler, Ute Lanzendorf, Sandra Bürger
Coverage (32 countries):
Trends in international mobility of students and “academic staff”(?)
Assessment of the quality of international statistical data and recommendations for improvement
National policies on mobility
Mobility obstacles and incentives etc.

3. Roadmap Some conceptual clarifications Inflows: 2.1 ‘Degree mobility’
2.2 Credit mobility
Outflows:
3.1 ‘Degree mobility’
3.2 Credit mobility
Balance?
Conclusions

4. 1. Some conceptual clarifications
Student ‘mobility’
Nationality-based definition
Foreign students: students with a nationality different from that of the country of study
Study abroad students: national students enrolled abroad. A foreign student in one country is a study abroad student of another.
b. Genuine mobility definition (country of prior education/permanent residence)
Inwards mobile students: inwards mobile students move into a country for the purpose of study or study related activity. These students are in most cases also “foreign students”, but they can also be “national students”
Outwards mobile students: students who leave their country to another for the purpose of study or a traineeship in the context of study. An inwards mobile student of one country is an outwards mobile student of another

5. 1. Some conceptual clarifications (2)
Type of mobility
Diploma/degree mobility: mobility aimed at the acquisition of a whole degree or certificate in the country of destination.
Credit mobility: temporary mobility in the framework of ongoing studies at a “home institution”. Credit mobility is mostly for study, but it can also take other forms, such as a traineeship. The temporary period abroad, be it enrolment or internship, has to be ‘recognisable’ as a regular component of the study programme at home. After the mobility phase, students return to their “home institution” to complete their studies.

6. Inflows:
2.1 ‘Degree mobility’
2.2 Credit mobility

7. 2.1 ‘Degree mobility’ 1 216 526 5.6 47% Total enrolment
Foreign students
% of foreign students of total enrolment
ALL
From non-European countries
1998/99
n.a.
5.4
2002/03
5.8
2006/07
6.9
Growth over period
43%
82%
5.6
47%
Data source: EUROSTAT

8. Variety of country profiles
2.1 ‘Degree mobility’ (2)
Variety of country profiles
Country
All foreign students
% of foreign of all LI
Liechtenstein
594
88.3 CY
Cyprus
5 973
26.9 GB
United Kingdom
19.5 CH
Switzerland
41 058
19.3 LT
Lithuania
1 920
1.0 SK
Slovakia
2 010
0.9 PL
Poland
13 021
0.6
All inwards mobile students
% of inwards mobile of all
582
86.5
5 590
25.1
14.9
29 777
14.0
1 991
1.0
1 901
0.9 *
Data source: EUROSTAT

9. 2.2 Credit mobility Data sources
No Europe-wide data source to cover all inwards credit mobility
Only mobility within the ERASMUS programme (2008/09 – SMS and SMP combined)
Few countries collect data at the national level on inwards credit mobility (mostly within programmes), but many seem to plan to do so in the future

10. Outflows:
3.1 ‘Degree mobility’
3.2 Credit mobility

11. 3.1 ‘Degree mobility’ Total enrolment (own nationals)
Nationals studying abroad
Study abroad nationals to Europe in %
% of total national enrolment
1998/99
82.2
3.5
2002/03
82.0
3.1
2006/07
85.0
3.3
Growth over period
48%
40%
2.7
17%
Data source: EUROSTAT

12. Variety of country profiles
3.1 ‘Degree mobility’ (2)
Variety of country profiles
Country
All study abroad students
% of study abroad of all nationals LI
Liechtenstein
747
90.4% CY
Cyprus
22 411
58.0% IS
Iceland
3 771
20.0% IE
Ireland
30 204
14.8% PL
Poland
41 896
1.9% ES
Spain
29 027
1.7% GB
United Kingdom
23 393
1.2%
All outwards mobile students
% of outwards mobile of all nat.
884
91.8%
22 900
58.5%
2 480
14.2%
19 358
10.0%
32 889
1.5%
23 920
1.4%
24 119
1.3%
Data source: EUROSTAT

13. Data sources: 3.2 Credit mobility Flows:
ERASMUS statistics
Other programme mobility
National level statistics (limited)
Stocks (event-driven logic): survey data
Student surveys: EUROSTUDENT + national-level surveys
Graduate surveys (national-level only)

14. 3.2 Credit mobility – stocks
Data source: EUROSTUDENT III, p. 132

15. 3.2 Credit mobility – stocks (2)
Data source: EUROSTUDENT III, p. 132

16. 3.2 Credit mobility – stocks (3)
Data source: EUROSTUDENT III, p. 133

17. 3.2 Credit mobility – stocks (4)
National-level Graduate surveys
Germany: 22% of graduates of fach. and 35% of univ. graduates report a stay abroad during their studies (not restricted time period)
United Kingdom: 15% of graduates spent ‘time abroad’ during their studies; 4% spent up to one year abroad for study purposes
Poland: Less than 12% of graduates report to have spent more than 2 weeks abroad during their studies
Norway: 21% of all graduates have had a period of study abroad of at least one semester as part of their Norwegian degree
The Netherlands: 23.3% of all graduates were temporarily mobile during their studies
Italy: 13.9% of graduates had a study period abroad

18. 4. Balance? … If ‘balance’ in terms of degree mobility flows…
Country
IN:OUT ratio GB
United Kingdom
19.66 BE
Belgium
4.56 CH
Switzerland
4.17 FR
France
4.0 CY
Cyprus
0.27 LT
Lithuania
0.23 SK
Slovakia
0.08

19. 5. Conclusions: further needs…
In terms of data collection improvements…
Data differentiated by academic level (Bachelor/Master) and type of higher education institution
Flows:
Complete transition to genuine mobility data collection (currently only 24 of the 32 EURODATA II countries);
In practice, full separation of degree mobility from credit mobility
Annual Europe-wide collection of credit mobility data (in and outside of programmes)
Stocks:
An extended EUROSTUDENT-type of survey
Or/and a Europe-wide graduate survey
In analytical terms…
A regular Europe-wide mobility report