The rise in student numbers in Europe, but the funding falls

Higher education as a public good and a public responsibility vision is changing. In most European countries, where the use of cost sharing the costs of shifting the burden onto the tendency of students.

Some of the 19-year-old European Students' Union (ESU) organized a research project in the 26 countries with external financing and the name - there are not many countries in Europe that do not charge tuition fees for students from their home remain in some form of Student Future (FINST), to do so.

Denmark, Finland, Malta, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway are tuition-free higher education system, at least undergraduate level. Austria has not formally within its laws to recognize the tuition fees, but the university teaching can decide for them whether or not to charge.

Several countries - including Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - as subsidized places, some students do not pay tuition fees they offer, usually by academic ability.

A worrying situation of international students

Non-European or non-European Economic Area - - the international situation even harder for students.

Norway and Malta (26 countries outside FINST observed) that do not charge special fees for international students are the only countries. Finland is similar to that at the moment, but there is an ongoing pilot study for such fees, and even introducing an initiative on this issue is about the impact of the law change.

FINST also be noted that in some countries, such as Ireland and the UK, tuition fees for international students at home or in the European Union is much higher than for students, and that they have already accepted the notion of a service and education in addition to being a private good.

Funding gap is widening

It is not difficult to conclude that the financing gap is widening. In the last 50 years, there has been a significant increase in the number of students throughout Europe has. This increase can also be observed in a shorter timeline - for example, 10% of Eurostudent-Eurostat showed that the student population in 2009 increased between 2003-04 and 2008-09.

Among students (basifications) there is nowhere rise followed an increase in public funding; In the past few years the level of public funding for higher education has decreased and some countries have cut about 50% of the overall budget for higher education institutions have closed.

This needs to be addressed soon, or both accessibility and quality of higher education will be a very negative impact.

Opt for student loans to create a bubble effect.

What is more serious is that we have not observed any improvement in student funding systems; In fact, we have noticed an increase in loans for use of finance.

Student situation is getting worse and now we conclude that there is no sign of improvement.

Most of the data used in our study were from 2009 or before, which we have not yet managed the economic crisis and austerity measures in higher education funding and how the students to study the effects of impact.

The national higher education budget cuts have already seen the negative consequences, we suppose.

Governments need to invest in education although many ministers say they are committed to public funding to higher education, which is not supported by the data collected. Developments so far have shown that in most countries to cut their future investments, such as higher education.

Changes in public budgets, especially in education, are not in a linear manner or without careful consideration. They should always include discussion on what countries want to get the stakeholders and the appropriate way to achieve these goals is broad.

FINST all those involved in the study agreed that the positive benefits of higher education and diverse, with individuals and societies alike; and that there will always be an agreement, and that higher education is a public good and a public responsibility, we want to believe.

Therefore, public funding should remain the most important source of funding - the teaching and research in higher education institutions, as well, and students.

* Student Financing Future ESU is one of the flagship projects, focusing on financing and in particular the students' views on the European countries to fund higher education. During the two-year time-span of the project, ESU was an article on the most significant areas of higher education funding in writing, designing scenarios for the future funding and policy recommendations to prepare the student on higher education funding. Here you can find more information about the project and its results.

* Rock Primozic is vice president of the ESU.