Dr. Dominic Orr presented a summary of student costs in 19 European countries using data from the EUROSTUDENT project. Key findings include: accommodation costs are the largest monthly expense; tuition fees account for a significant portion of monthly income in some countries; and public support through grants and loans helps reduce financial disparities between student groups and worries about affording costs. Considering student costs comprehensively and across countries reveals differences that can influence students' decisions, progress, and success.

1. Dr. Dominic Orr
Former head of international coordination EUROSTUDENT
Affiliated researcher at DZHW Hannover (http://www.dzhw.eu/en)
Affiliated researcher at FiBS Research Berlin (http://fibs.eu/en/)
dominicjorr@gmail.com and @DominicOrr
Student costs in comparison
of 19 European countries –
who has the best deal?
Higher Education Research Group, University of East London
19th May 2015, 1- 2pm., UEL Cass School of Education and Communities, room venue: ED2.01
Rob Lee, CC BY 2.0 Flickr

2. 2London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
Student costs – the complete picture
An unhelpful,
but typical approach…
Source: http://one-europe.info/eurographics/how-much-does-your-education-cost

3. 3London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
Outline
• Q: Who has the best deal?
• A (often): Those who don’t pay fees.
Objective of talk: To explore student costs
• …more comprehensively than usual
• …in a wider cross-country comparison than usual
• …looking at differences between student groups

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Introduction to EUROSTUDENT

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EUROSTUDENT V (2012-2015)

6. 6London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
EUROSTUDENT V (2012-2015)
EUROSTUDENT is an international network consisting of
• 30 countries in the EHEA
 29 data contributors | 2 observing countries |4 pilot countries
• Organisations from 7 countries directly involved in the Consortium
• 3 European-level organisations & 5 ministries/ country representatives in
the Steering Board

7. 7London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
Basic principles
•Working groups with external participation
•Reference to on-going discussionsRelevance
•Core questionnaire
•Handbooks on data cleaning & delivery
•Standard target group
Comparability
•National comments
•National profilesInterpretation
•Different reporting formats
•Publicly available dataAccessibility

8. 8London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
Reporting formats for different purposes
(DRM)
Intelligence
Briefs
Website
www.eurostudent.eu
Twitter
@EUROSTUDENTtwt
Bologna Process
Implementation
Report
Data reporting
module
incl. national
profiles
Synopsis of
Indicators

9. 9London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
A look at student costs using EUROSTUDENT data
Rob Lee, CC BY 2.0 Flickr

10. 10London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
How much does it cost to study?
-
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
SE DK NL IE FI AT DE EE SI CZ HR ME SK LV HU PL BA RS RO
MONTHLY COSTS FOR BA STUDENTS (NOT LIVING WITH PARENTS) IN EUROS AND
PURCHASE POWER PARITY
Euros Purchase power parity Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set, subtopic F2
Two broad bands
by PPP

11. 11London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
How much does it cost to study?

12. 12London, 19/05/2015Dominic OrrStudent costs
How much does it cost to study?
Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set, subtopic F2
17,900 17,600
13,600
11,300 11,200
9,800
7,000
-200
-3,900
-4,800
-5,900
-6,600
-7,400 -7,900
-8,600 -8,900 -9,300
-11,000
-13,900
SE DK NL IE FI AT DE EE SI CZ HR ME SK LV HU PL BA RS RO
DIFFERENCE IN SIMPLE COST OF 3 YEAR COURSE (EST.) BASED ON AVERAGE
OF 19,300 € (STUDENTS NOT LIVING WITH PARENTS)
Difference in simple cost of 3 year BA course (est.)
Germany: 19,300 +
7,000 = 26,300
Poland: 19,300 -
8,900 = 10,400
Sweden: 19,300 +
17,900 = 37,200

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0.4
1.3
1.5
1.7
2.7
3.6
3.8
6.6
7.2
8.3
10.1
21.5
31.8
- 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
social welfare contributions
other regular study-related costs
health costs
childcare
debt payment
learning materials
communication
social/leisure activities
transportation
fees
other regular living costs
food
accommodation
AVERAGE MAKE-UP OF (ALL) STUDENTS' MONTHLY COSTS
(STUDENTS NOT LIVING WITH THEIR PARENTS)
Major expenses by category
Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set, subtopic E2
Key costs

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-
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
-
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
NL EE SE DK AT DE ME IE FI CZ HR BA PL HU SI SK RS LV
Comparativetotalmonthlycostsinpurchasepowerpartiy
Shareofmonthlyexpensesin%
KEY EXPENSES FOR BA STUDENTS (NOT LIVING WITH PARENTS)
Accommodation Transportation Fees Monthly costs in purchase power parity
Major expenses in cross-country comparison
Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set, subtopic E2
Key cost:
accommodation
Key cost: fees

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0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
NL IT PL HU RS
Shareofmonthlyincomepaidastuitionfee(orsimilar)in%
BA
MA
low-intensity
without HE
with HE
depend. family support
depend. own earnings
depend. pub. support
Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set,
subtopics F2, F3, F4
Who pays fees? The forgotten difference between student groups
Public support (grants and loans) minimises
financial impact

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56%
91%
92%
25%
53%
32%
88%
65%
77%
102%
64%
49%
67%
74%
56%
71%
80%
78%
143%
-34%
-49%
-31%
-22%
-26%
-22%
-46%
-49%
-34%
-44%
-38%
-38%
-54%
-41%
-33%
-36%
-52%
-44%
-62%
NL EE SE DK AT DE ME IE FI CZ HR BA PL HU SI SK RS LV RO
percentage diff. min. income of top 20% of (all) students by income to median income level
percentage diff. max. income of bottom 20% of (all) students by income to median income level
Differences in student income levels (financial disparity)
Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set, subtopic G5

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-
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
NL EE SE DK AT DE ME IE FI CZ HR BA PL HU SI SK RS LV RO
SHARE OF (ALL) STUDENTS WITH FINANCIAL WORRIES
(NOT LIVING WITH PARENTS)
Not at all / slightly worried Seriously / very seriously worried
Students’ own assessment of having financial difficulties
Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set, subtopic F7

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NL
EE
SE
DK
AT
DE
ME
IE
FI
CZ
HRBA
PL
HU
SI
SK
RS
LV
RO
R² = 0.1116
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Differencebetweenmedianincomeandmax.incomelevelofstudentsinthe
bottomincomequintile
Share of students with (very) serious financial worries
POOREST (ALL) STUDENTS' INCOMES (BOTTOM QUINTILE) VERSUS
SHARE OF (ALL) STUDENTS WITH SERIOUS FINANCIAL WORRIES
Link between worried students and difference in poor students’
incomes compared to average students’ incomes
Source: EUROSTUDENT V data set, subtopic F7 & G6

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Resulting statements for consideration & discussion
• Attending higher education is never free
• There are disparities in students’ income levels
• It is necessary to investigate how these disparities can
influence students’ decisions, progress and study success
• Re: expenses – accommodation costs and tuition-related fees
are key expenses and thus are central policy issues
• Re: income – pulic support through grants and loans are key
financial instruments for reducing differences in affordability
• NB: widening participation (i.e. increasing student diversity)
makes these issues more challenging
• NB: we also have to look at what students get out of HE?
(i.e. impact and “value-added” of HE)