E-Value-ate Your Exchange: Research Report of the ESNSurvey 2010 Emanuel Alfranseder, Julia Fellinger & Marge Taivere Erasmus Student Network AISBL, Brussels 2011
E-Value-ate Your Exchange: Research Report of the ESNSurvey 2010 Emanuel Alfranseder, Julia Fellinger & Marge Taivere Erasmus Student Network, Brussels 2011
ESNSurvey 2010 Team Emanuel Alfranseder Julia Fellinger Marge Taivere Ewa Krzaklewska
Copyright Š 2011 by the Erasmus Student Network AISBL. All rights reserved. E-Value-ate Your Exchange: Research Report of the ESNSurvey 2010 By Emanuel Alfranseder, Julia Fellinger & Marge Taivere Published by Erasmus Student Network AISBL Design: Josefin Svensson Editing: Emanuel Alfranseder, Leo Smith & Marco La Rosa This information can be freely used and copied for non-commercial purposes, provided that the source is acknowledged (Š Erasmus Student Network) For ordering additional copies of the publication, please contact secretariat@esn.org Erasmus Student Network AISBL Rue Hydraulique 15 1201 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 256 74 27 Electronic version of this report is available through www.esn.org
Index
Preface 6 Introduction Survey 2010 7 Key Results 8 Recommendations 10 Methodology 11 Student Characteristics 12 Overall Satisfaction with Stay and Study abroad 16 Financial Situation 19 Fees and Cost of Living 23 Expectations and Personal Development 31 Satisfaction with Studies and Stay abroad 34 Student Organisations and their Help to Students 38 Further Analysis 40 Concluding Remarks 44 Acknowledgements 45 Figures and Tables 46 Sources 47 Annex 1: About ESN 48 Annex 2: Questionnaire 51
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Preface
Dear reader, We started the ESNSurvey project in 2005. Our first topic was “The Experience” and the aim of the research was to evaluate the experience of studying abroad and the quality of services offered to foreign exchange students at European universities. ESNSurvey continued to be carried out every year, with different topics: “2006: Students’ Rights”, “2007: Generation Mobility”, “2008: Exchanging Cultures”, “2009: Provision and Quality”, now we arrived at the 6th research report: E-Value-ate Your Exchange. Many people ask “why study abroad?” This is why in this edition we would like to explore what are the benefits of having done an academic exchange. Moreover, this edition investigates the financial issues that a student going abroad in exchange might face and their impact on mobility. We are approaching the 25th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme, the most successful among the exchange programmes. Education in Europe has evolved as well in the past years moving from a formal-approach-only to a wider holistic approach, which takes into consideration the validation and recognition of non-formal and informal education. Now more than ever, evaluation and analysis is needed to understand how to move forward and improve the European mobility programmes in the next framework starting in 2013. A special thanks goes to the ESNSurvey Team, without whose constant work you would not read this booklet: Emanuel Alfranseder, Ewa Krzaklewska, Julia Fellinger, Marge Taivere. They are all volunteers yet incredibly professional when working on the project. We wish you a pleasant reading. Marco La Rosa ESN International Board
6
Introduction Survey 2010
E-Value-ate Your Exchange is the title of this year’s survey. The main part of this sixth edition of the ESNSurvey covers a crucial element of student mobility: Financing the studies abroad. It additionally explores international students’ evaluations of their personal development and the differences between their home and host Higher Education Institutions (HEI). The general aim of the report is to make a contribution to enhance the quality of exchange studies and widen the scope of cross-border mobility in education. The current and future challenges of European integration can only be mastered if people are willing and able to understand each other. The impact of student mobility can hardly be overemphasised in this context. Getting to know different cultures, languages, and educational systems is a unique contributor to create and foster European identity and mutual understanding. The ongoing negotiations about the budget and design of future mobility programmes from 2014 on, when the current Lifelong Learning Programme expires, are the main motivation to gather information on the impact of finances for mobile students. This study also shows what students who have experienced different HEIs in different countries consider important characteristics of higher education studies. We can only develop target-oriented policies if we have sufficient information about the needs and effects of financial matters on international students. Providing the necessary resources to enable potentially mobile students to go on exchange is pivotal for the promotion of student mobility. Our hope is to encourage policy makers to design future programmes that are sufficiently funded. The following report gives some insight where action is most needed and which areas to focus on. Sincerely, Emanuel Alfranseder
7
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Key Results
General satisfaction with studies and stay abroad. Social life and the atmosphere of the host city and country are the two aspects students are most satisfied with (more than 80 % are satisfied or very satisfied). Contact with local culture is valued third highest considering very and rather satisfied students (79 %). In general, mobile students tend to rate the host institution higher than their home institution. Satisfaction with studies abroad. The level of satisfaction with the studies abroad is highly correlated with the evaluations of the courses offered at the host institution. The extent to which students improve their academic knowledge and the quality of teaching are additional important factors explaining students’ satisfaction with the study period abroad. Satisfaction with the stay abroad. Ratings for social life are highly correlated with satisfaction levels of the stay abroad in general. Also, high ratings for improving critical thinking skills and positive assessments of the atmosphere of the host city and country are correlated with substantially higher satisfaction with the stay abroad. The findings show that it has a negative effect on satisfaction levels if going abroad is mandatory for students. Funding the stay abroad. Around 10 % of responding students lack funding to finance even basic necessities during their period abroad. 35 % of the respondents would not have gone abroad without financial support and 30 % are not certain whether they would have gone abroad. Financial situation. More than 90 % of students receive an official grant for their studies abroad. For 80 % of students the grant covers less than 60 % of the total expenses. For 30 % the amount does not even cover rent expenses. The rest of the expenses are most frequently covered by family support (80 %) and personal savings (51 %). The grant amount affects 25 % of students in choosing a place to study. Expectations and personal development. Students go abroad for a number of reasons; the most frequently mentioned one being “meeting new people”. Expectations like “improving academic knowledge” are generally fulfilled. A stay abroad also increases various soft skills : 93 % feel that their intercultural awareness has increased, 91 % find their adaptability improved, 87 % think they are more flexible, 78 % feel more tolerant, 74 % have higher problem solving skills, 71 % improve their planning and organizing skills, 65 % feel more innovative,
8
62Â % are better team workers, 59 % return more creative, and 58 % think their stay abroad has improved their analytical competence. Assessing institutions. More than half of the respondents state that the most important aspect when assessing a university is the teaching quality followed by the employability of graduate students. Satisfaction with ESN and other student organisations. On a scale from 1.00 to 5.00, the average satisfaction with ESN is 4.00 compared to 3.85 with other student organisations. Activities students appreciate the most are social gatherings, trips, visiting tours and welcome days. Providing assistance with finding housing and administrative tasks (e.g. banking, visa issues), representing students in front of institutions and getting students in contact with local students are potential areas for improvement.
9
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Recommendations
In order to improve the quality and scope of student mobility and enhance the quality of higher education studies in general, we recommend, based upon our analysis, the following: For national governments and EU decision makers: • Additional financial support is necessary to overall reduce the dependence on family support, to make studying abroad independent from the financial background of students’ families and thus more equally accessible. • Additional selective financial support is necessary for certain groups of students whose grants cannot cover basic living expenses. • It is absolutely crucial to extend the current funding level for international students if student mobility is to be further increased in the future. For higher education institutions: • Findings show that the courses offered and the academic knowledge conveyed mainly determine the satisfaction with studies abroad. HEIs are thus encouraged to further improve the quality and quantity of academic courses for international students. • The analysis shows that to improve satisfaction levels of students, HEIs should develop their libraries, IT infrastructure and provide access to information on existing research . • Furthermore, institutions should provide accurate and up to date information to prospective international students. For organisations providing services to international students: • About one fifth of responding students are not satisfied with the possibilities of getting in contact with local students during their stay abroad. ESN and other organisations providing services to international students should put more effort into establishing ties between local and international students.
10
Methodology
The ESN research team carefully designed the questionnaire which is attached in full length in the appendix. The ESNSurvey 2010, E-Value-ate Your Exchange, was open for five months from June until December 2010 on the ESN website www.esn.org/content/esnsurvey. During this period 8,444 students completed the survey to share their opinions and experiences about studying or working abroad. Local branches of the ESN network were the main promoters of the ESNSurvey 2010 and mainly websites and channels of social media were used to reach students. Other associations in the field of education helped to additionally promote the survey. Furthermore, LLP/ Erasmus National Agencies and international relations offices of single HEIs disseminated the information about the project. The authors of the report thoroughly applied statistical techniques of various kinds to analyse the obtained data and to extract the essential information contained in the survey data. The specific methodological procedures are described in the individual parts, if they are not obvious to the reader.
11
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Student Characteristics By Emanuel Alfranseder
Exchange Programmes and Destinations Around 88 % of all students answering the survey went abroad via the Erasmus programme. Bilateral agreements facilitated about 7 % of all exchanges while governmental programmes, private foundations and self-arranged stays accounted for a minor part of the sample. Nordplus, Erasmus Mundus, ISEP, Campus Europae, CREPUQ are among the more frequently named programmes falling into the category “Other”. Erasmus programme
7467
Bilateral agreement between…
611
Other
179
Arranged by myself
133
Governmental programme
32
Private foundation
22 0
2000
4000
6000
8000
Figure 1 Exchange programmes students go abroad with (n=7467).
When analyzing the host countries of survey respondents, Spain (15.3 %) followed by Germany (8.9 %), France (7.8 %), Italy (6.8 %) and Sweden (6.8 %) turn out to be the most frequent destinations. Compared to the official numbers provided by the European Commission, our survey reflects the composition of Erasmus exchange students quite well. France and the United Kingdom are somewhat underrepresented whereas Sweden and Finland are slightly overrepresented. International students’ characteristics The average age of ESNSurvey respondents is 22.91 . More than 92 % of respondents are between 20 and 26 years old. About two thirds of all students are female and only one third 1 Note that the survey question asks for an indication of below 19 and above 40 which leads to a slight inaccuracy of the average value.
12
of all respondents are male. 5.7 % of international students indicate they come from an ethnic minority. Only 0.6 % of all responding students report a physical or any other type of disability. The number is even lower than in previous years and shows that studying abroad continues to be a difficult venture for disabled students2. Table 1 Host countries of ESNSurvey respondents (n=7546).
Rank
Host Country
Number of ESNSurvey respondents
Percentage ESNSurvey respondents*
Percentage European Commission*
1
Spain
1152
15.3
16.6
2
Germany
673
8.9
10.6
3
France
586
7.8
12.3
4
Italy
513
6.8
8.5
5
Sweden
512
6.8
4.5
6
United Kingdom
493
6.5
10.6
7
Finland
448
5.9
3.1
8
Belgium
321
4.3
3.4
9
Netherlands
303
4.0
4.0
10
Denmark
260
3.4
2.9
11
Poland
231
3.1
2.8
12
Portugal
200
2.7
3.5
13
Norway
193
2.6
1.8
14
Czech Republic
178
2.4
2.2
15
Austria
155
2.1
2.3
16
Ireland
141
1.9
2.4
17
Turkey
113
1.5
1.6
18
Hungary
108
1.4
1.3
19
Switzerland
100
1.3
-
20
Estonia
80
1.1
0.4
*Source: European Commission (2011). Displays the data for the total number of incoming Erasmus students
The overview of the countries of origin reveals that Italy (20.2 %) and France (19.4 %) account for about 40 % of all outgoing international students in our survey. Poland (6.9 %), Ger2 ESN addresses this issue http://exchangeability.esn.org/)
via
its
ExchangeAbility
project
(for
more
information,
please
visit
13
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
many (6.3 %), and Spain (6.9 %) follow in the list of the most active countries when it comes to sending students abroad. This composition does not fully reflect the true student population and shows a slight bias towards Italy and France. This does not make the answers less valid, but the reader shall keep the main countries of origin in mind while reading this report. Table 2 Countries of Origin of ESNSurvey respondents (n=8401).
Rank
Country of Origin
Number of ESNSurvey respondents
Percentage ESNSurvey respondents*
Percentage European Commission*
1
Italy
1701
20.2
9.9
2
France
1627
19.4
14.2
3
Poland
579
6.9
6.6
4
Germany
527
6.3
13.5
5
Spain
506
6.0
14.6
6
Latvia
280
3.3
1.4
7
Netherlands
280
3.3
3.6
8
Turkey
268
3.2
4.1
9
Finland
264
3.1
2.1
10
Slovenia
241
2.9
0.6
11
Belgium
221
2.6
3.0
12
Hungary
207
2.5
1.9
13
Lithuania
159
1.9
1.4
14
Greece
143
1.7
1.5
15
Rumania
127
1.5
1.9
16
Estonia
110
1.3
0.4
17
Ireland
99
1.2
1.0
18
Portugal
92
1.1
2.5
19
Austria
84
1.0
2.4
20
USA
78
0.9
-
*Source: European Commission (2011). Displays the data for the total number of outgoing Erasmus students
The majority of our respondents are in a first cycle degree (53.3 %), while 44.9 % are pursuing a Master degree while studying abroad. 1.7 % are in a PhD or doctoral programme during their stay abroad.
14
Table 3 Level of studies of respondents (n=8368).
Number of Respondents
Percentage
BA (3-4 years)
4464
53.3
MA (5-6 years)
3758
44.9
PhD, doctoral studies
146
1.7
The most popular areas of studies for international students are Business and Management Studies (14.6 %), Languages and Philology (12.4 %) and Engineering (10.9 %) followed by Economics (9.1 %) and Social Sciences (8.8 %) in general. Table 4 Majors and areas of studies of respondents (n=8217).
Majors
Number of Respondents
Percentage
Business Studies/Management Science
1197
14.6
Languages and Philological Sciences
1015
12.4
Engineering Technology
898
10.9
Economics
748
9.1
Social Sciences
727
8.8
Other Areas of Study
620
7.5
Humanities
470
5.7
Law
463
5.6
Natural Sciences
376
4.6
Medical Science
370
4.5
Communication and Information Sciences
283
3.4
Architecture/Urban and Regional planning
229
2.8
Mathematics/Informatics
226
2.8
Education/Teacher Training
191
2.3
Agricultural Sciences
144
1.8
Art and Design
127
1.5
Geography/ Geology
92
1.1
Music
41
0.5
15
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Overall Satisfaction with Stay and Study abroad By Marge Taivere and Emanuel Alfranseder
The results are quite positive feedback for the international study experience. The overall level of satisfaction of the students who answered the survey is as follows: 35.7 % of respondents are very satisfied with their studies abroad, 44.7 % are rather satisfied, 11.1% are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 6.5 % of the students are rather dissatisfied and 2 % are very dissatisfied. The overall level of satisfaction is higher when evaluating the stay abroad in general. Here, 65.4 % of responding students answer that they are very satisfied, 25.8 % are satisfied, 3.6 % neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. In comparison with the ESN Survey 2009 these numbers have basically remained the same. The average satisfaction with the stay abroad is even higher than the satisfaction with the studies abroad; the mean is 4.06 for studies and 4.49 for the stay. The largest difference comparing stay and study abroad is found in the group of very satisfied students: 65.4 % are very satisfied with their stay abroad versus 35.7 % who are very satisfied with their studies abroad. This underlines once again that spending a period abroad goes beyond the mere study experience and students gain more than purely academic credentials. 70,0
65,4
60,0 50,0
44,7
40,0
35,7
30,0
Stay
25,8
Study
20,0 10,0
2,6 2,0
2,6
6,5
11,1 3,6
,0 Very dissatisfied Rather dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied
Rather satisfied
Very satisfied
Figure 2 Overall level of satisfaction with studies and stay abroad (in percentage, n=8430-8432).
Table 5 presents average satisfaction levels across different countries. Students are most satisfied with their studies in the USA, Denmark and Switzerland and least satisfied with their
16
studies in France, Hungary and Greece. International students are most satisfied with their stay in Estonia, Portugal and Austria. Although evaluations indicate still quite high satisfaction levels with the stay abroad, respondents are least satisfied with their stay in Greece, Norway and Switzerland3. Table 5 shows that respondents do distinguish between satisfaction with their stay and their studies abroad and the questions do not measure the same thing4. This gives our analysis in the final part additional validity. Table 5 Average satisfaction levels for studies and stay by host country institution (on a scale from 1 – very dissatisfied to 5 – very satisfied) (n>65, varies across countries).
Country
Satisfaction with studies (mean)
Country
Satisfaction with stay (mean)
USA
4.32
Estonia
4.74
Denmark
4.28
Portugal
4.62
Switzerland
4.26
Austria
4.61
Ireland
4.23
Sweden
4.58
Sweden
4.22
Hungary
4.56
Canada
4.19
Spain
4.55
Austria
4.19
Lithuania
4.55
Netherlands
4.18
Canada
4.54
Germany
4.17
Poland
4.53
Estonia
4.15
Denmark
4.50
Norway
4.13
Germany
4.50
Finland
4.13
Italy
4.50
United Kingdom
4.12
Finland
4.50
Portugal
4.12
Average
4.49
Average
4.06
USA
4.48
Czech Republic
4.03
Turkey
4.48
Lithuania
4.01
Czech Republic
4.47
Poland
3.99
Netherlands
4.45
Belgium
3.98
Ireland
4.45
Turkey
3.95
France
4.42
3 The results should not be understood as a fully-fledged ranking as the error margins would not always allow to clearly rank neighbouring countries with high statistical significance. The results are merely what is called point estimates in statistics. 4 Simple correlation between satisfaction with the stay and studies is 0.48.
17
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Italy
3.94
Latvia
4.41
Spain
3.93
United Kingdom
4.39
Latvia
3.93
Belgium
4.38
France
3.89
Greece
4.36
Hungary
3.85
Norway
4.35
Greece
3.68
Switzerland
4.33
18
Financial Situation By Julia Fellinger
Grants
A vast majority of 91.5 % of respondents have received an official grant. In two thirds of cases, the money is paid out at different times; in one third it is paid out all at once. In these cases, the money is usually paid out during the exchange (46.6 %) or before the exchange (41.6 %). Only 11.7 % receive the money after their exchange period. For almost one third of respondents the grant is not enough to even cover the cost of accommodation. 16.8 % of respondents use up the entire grant to cover their rent. Less than 20 % have more than € 250 left after paying the rent. 35% 29,8%
30% 25% 20,0%
20%
16,9%
15%
12,7%
10,9% 10%
8,4%
5% 1,3% 0% > €400
€400 - 251
€250 - 101
< €100
Only rent covered
Rent not covered
Did not pay rent
Figure 3 Money left from the grant after paying accommodation fees (in percentage, n=7573).
Answers to a different question show which part of total expenses the official grant does cover: for 11.6 % of respondents the grant covers more than 80 % of expenses, for 16.6 % it covers 60-80 %, for 30.9 % it is enough to cover 40-60 % of all expenses. In more than 25 % of cases, however, the grant covers less than half of the expenses, namely 20-40 %. For 15.5 % of students, the grant can only account for less than 20 % of overall expenses.
19
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
A small part of my expenses (less than 20%)
15,5
Around a quarter of my expenses (20%-40%)
25,4
Around half of my expenses (40%-60%)
30,9
Most of my expenses (60%-80%)
16,6
Almost all of my expenses (more than 80%)
11,6 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 4 What part of your overall expenses did your official overall grant/scholarship cover? (in percentage, n=7590).
How are the rest of the expenses covered? Almost 80 % of students receive support from their families, 6.8 % take out a loan, 51.9 % use personal savings, 4.9 % work legally in the host country and 1.6 % work illegally. 4.8 % state other sources of income, such as working online for a company in their home country. 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
79,7
51,9
Family support
6,8
4,9
Loan
Own savings Legal work in Illegal work in the host the host country country
1,6
4,8 Other
Figure 5 How are the rest of the expenses covered? (in percentage, n=7626).
Besides the main official grant, 32 % state they also receive a grant from their home institution, 28.3 % from the home country, 4.6 % from the host country and 2.6 % from the host institution. 9.8 % say they receive money from private foundations, mainly banks and re20
gional governments or university foundations. 31.3 % state other sources, those being mainly family support, personal savings, personal income, or a combination of the three. Some also mention the Life Long Learning Programme, Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus grants. This either shows that international students received their â&#x20AC;&#x153;main official grantâ&#x20AC;? from another source, or that they misinterpreted the question. 18.9 % state that they do not receive any other financial support. However, we cannot be sure if they were supported by their family or had own savings, without stating this in the question before. Inequality in Grants and other Services Regarding financial benefits, 55 % say it is sometimes justifiable to distribute grants unequally, opposed to 35 % who think this is never justifiable and 10 % who think it is always justifiable. Particularly, shifting financial support towards students from a low-income background seems to justify unequal distribution of grants: 39.8 % think this is always justifiable, 42.9 % think it is at least sometimes justifiable and only 17.3 % think this is never justifiable. Vice versa, 43.5 % think it is never justifiable to give less or no scholarship to students from a high-income background, 47.1 % think it is sometimes justifiable and only 9.4 % think this is inappropriate. Charging international students money for courses is seen as not justifiable by a large majority of 61.2 %. Even though the Erasmus Student Charter guarantees Erasmus exchange students a term abroad without having to pay any tuition fees (cf. European Commission, 2010), 31.7 % think it is sometimes justifiable and only 7.1 % say it is acceptable to do so. Also, charging international students more than local students for the accommodation provided seems to be unacceptable: 59.1 % say it is never, 30.3 % say it is sometimes and 10.6 % say it is generally justifiable. Grants and Choice of Host Country 26.1 % of respondents claim their choice of study place was affected by the amount of the grant. A majority of 64.4 %, however, say it has had no effect on their choice and 9.4 % are not sure. Table 6 Did the amount of your grant affect you in choosing a place to study? (in percentage, n=7602).
Definitely yes
10.5 %
Rather yes
15.6 %
21
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Rather no
24.7 %
Definitely no
39.7 %
Difficult to say/ I do not know
9.4 %
Out of the 23.5 % (n=1982) of respondents answering this question, 16.7 % say they chose a country with a lower cost of living than their home country, 51 % chose a “not-so-expensive” city and only 6.9 % say it was the other way round: a high grant or scholarship gave them the opportunity to go to a more expensive country. 4.9 % choose an institution which offers extra grants and support for international students, 28.5 % say the grant or scholarship did not affect their choice and 15.6 % don’t know. Travel Expenses Travelling to the host country and back home can be a financial burden for international students. Only 20.7 % state their travel expenses were fully covered. 18.5 % receive partial coverage, but 60.8 % of students have to pay themselves. When covered, travel expenses are either included in the official or additional grant or taken care of by the home institution.
20,7% Full coverage 60,8%
18,5%
Partial coverage Self-payment
Figure 6 Extent to which expenses are covered by the grant (in percentage, n=7590).
22
Fees and Cost of Living By Emanuel Alfranseder
In general, most international students are exempt from fees. About a quarter of all respondents have to pay for registration and language courses. 8.4 % of the responding students have to cover tuition fees. This partly reflects the fact that full-degree students and freemovers also participate in the survey and some students might consider student union fees or similar as tuition fees. Language course
24,7
75,3
Registration
24,6
75,4
Tuition at host university
8,4
91,6
Access to the library
6,0
94,0
Orientation
5,5
94,5
Access to laboratory 4,8
95,2
Examinations 2,8
97,2
Had to pay fees No fees
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Figure 7 Students who have to pay fees at the host institution (in percentage, n=8183-8283).
Concerning different categories of expenses, students report that the basic necessities such as rent and community expenses, to a lesser extent also personal hygiene, cosmetics and study materials could be covered by their available funds. Travel, hobbies, sports, entertainment, clothes and interior decoration are among the items students have to cut down most often. Around 22 % of responding students say that they either partly or completely lacked funds for medication.
23
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
Entertainment and hobbies
5
Travel
3
Sport
Study Materials Personal Appearance/ Hygiene/Cosmetics Medicines
Decoration of room
Community expenses
House rent
Clothes
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
5
32
28
21
14 0%
13
68
12
2 5
11
56
10
4
20
4
20
16
20
39
8
39
14
8
32
9
52
23
9
7
9
51
22
8
10
7
33
18
17
25
6
32
39
20
6
35
39
15
60%
70%
80%
Did not need or spend on the item
Insufficient funds - gave it up entirely
Only partly sufficient funds
Generally sufficient funds
90%
100%
Funds more than sufficient
Figure 8 Sufficiency of funds for various expense categories (in percentage, n=8303-8353).
Exclusion due to Financial Constraints Figure 9 shows that 77.8 % of students do not feel excluded owing to a lack of financial means. 12.6 % report that they felt left out due to financial constraints while 9.6 % do not have an opinion on that question.
24
Did not feel excluded
77,8
Felt excluded
12,6
No opinion
9,6 ,0
20,0
40,0
60,0
80,0
100,0
Figure 9 Students feeling excluded due to their financial situation (in percentage, n=5091).
Figure 10 confirms the results from figure 9 as those two questions are closely related. 9.9 % of responding students had difficulties to live with the money they had. More than a third of all international students say their financial means allowed them to live well during their stay abroad.
It was very difficult to live with the money I had.
9,9
I had enough money to get by
55,3
I had money to live well
34,8
,0
10,0
20,0
30,0
40,0
50,0
60,0
Figure 10 Students agreeing to the following statements (in percentage, n=8374).
Figure 11 also confirms that around 10 % of responding international students have serious financial difficulties during their period abroad. 10.7 % say they had to worry often or very often about basic living expenses. One third report that they had to worry about financing basic necessities at least sometimes.
25
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
I do not know
0,5
Never
27,3
Almost never
27,0
Sometimes
34,0
Often
8,4
Very often
2,8 ,0
10,0
20,0
30,0
40,0
Figure 11 How often students have to worry about basic living expenses (in percentage, n=8385).
Table 7 gives an overview of the previous questions sorted by countries with at least 40 responding students. While it is evident that students from wealthier countries fare better than those from less affluent states, there are some notable exceptions. Students from the UK and Ireland most often claim that they need to worry often or very often about basic living expenses. Students from Estonia, Turkey and Ireland felt excluded from student life most often and international students from Turkey, Estonia and Poland most often report difficulties to get by with their available funds. Table 7 Country overview of the effects of financing constraints (in percentage, n differs across home countries).
Question
Feel excluded from student life (yes)
Grant amount affects choice of study (yes or rather yes)
Agree on statement ”Very difficult to live with the money they had”
Worry often or very often about basic living expenses
Austria
2.4
11.3
6.0
4.8
Switzerland
6.5
9.3
2.1
2.1
Netherlands
7.4
11.5
7.2
6.8
Greece
7.8
22.7
6.3
9.1
26
Finland
8.9
7.3
1.9
8.7
France
9.0
29.4
6.9
12.8
Germany
9.1
15.1
7.6
2.5
Spain
9.7
33.2
9.9
12.3
Italy
9.8
28.3
13.8
12.4
Belgium
9.9
13.4
3.7
7.3
Portugal
10.6
38.0
2.2
17.4
Average
12.5
26.1
9.9
11.2
Slovenia
12.9
26.9
5.4
10.4
Latvia
13.0
27.6
5.0
6.8
United Kingdom
13.2
14.9
8.3
19.7
Lithuania
14.1
29.5
6.9
13.2
Hungary
17.8
26.4
12.6
4.9
Slovakia
17.9
27.6
13.8
12.1
Rumania
19.0
37.0
14.4
16.5
Czech Republic
20.0
21.1
12.9
12.9
Poland
20.2
28.0
17.3
10.9
USA
21.4
26.8
2.6
14.1
Ireland
24.5
23.2
6.1
20.4
Turkey
26.4
38.3
21.0
19.1
Estonia
30.4
13.1
20.0
19.1
27
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
Figure 12 depicts what international students consider to be important non-monetary support. Free housing tops the list, followed by free university services and free local transportation. Being exempt from tuition fees while staying abroad is considered very important by 49.1 % of all responding students. Free Housing Free university services (photocopying, internet etc.) Free local transportation No tuition fees at home university during exchange Free access to academic information Free study books Free canteen food Free student trips and social activities Free sport facilities 0
20
40
60
80
100
Very important Important Figure 12 Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; evaluation of non-monetary support (in percentage, n=8040-8080).
When international students compare their living standard to that of local students, 53.3 % say they had a similar standard. 31.3 % report lower living standards and 15.4 % perceive higher living standards as compared to local students. Most international students (59.7 %) report that they had the same student benefits as local students. 9.2 % say they enjoyed even more benefits and discounts than local students. However, 15.5 % feel they received fewer benefits being a foreign student compared to a local student.
28
Much lower standard
4,7
Lower standard
26,7
Similar standard
53,3
Higher standard
12,8
Much higher standard
2,6 ,0
10,0
20,0
30,0
40,0
50,0
60,0
Figure 13 Comparison of international studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; living standards with local student standards (in percentage, n=8356).
Less benefits
15,5
Same benefits
59,7
More benefits
9,2
No benefits in general
4,1
No opinion
11,5 ,0
10,0
20,0
30,0
40,0
50,0
60,0
70,0
Figure 14 Student benefits of international students compared to local students (in percentage, n=8378).
Around 35.1 % of responding international students say they would have gone abroad without a scholarship provided. 34.8 % affirm that they would not have gone abroad without financial support and 30.1 % are not sure whether they would have managed to go abroad without a scholarship. The results show quite clearly that funding is essential to enable student mobility on a broad scale, as many potentially mobile students would be locked out from going abroad without appropriate funding. 29
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
30,1
35,1
Would still go on exchange Would not go on exchange Do not know/maybe
34,8 Figure 15 Students who would still go abroad without a scholarship (in percentage, n=7600).
30
Expectations and Personal Development By Julia Fellinger
Pull and Push Factors The main reasons for students to go abroad are meeting new people (92.6 %), learning about a different culture (92.4 %) and developing as a person (92 %). Other commonly stated reasons are spending a semester away from home (88.2 %), improving foreign language skills and experiencing a different educational system (83.5 %). Many also strive to improve their academic knowledge (81.8 %), broaden their European identity (79.2 %) and enhance their employment prospects (73.8 %). Less importance is given to factors such as new contacts in the field of study (62.5 %) or support for a thesis (30.5 %). This low number might be due to the fact that the majority of respondents pursue a Bachelor degree.
18.3 % of respondents say it is compulsory for them to go study abroad. In Latvia going abroad is most often mandatory, with 26 % of respondents stating that their stay abroad is compulsory, followed by 11 to 16 % in Cyprus, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Romania, Hungary, France and the Czech Republic. Only 4 % of Turkish respondents state they have to go on exchange. Meeting new people
92,6
Learning about a different culture
92,4
Developing as a person
92,0
Spending a semester away from home
88,2
Improving language skills
88,1
Experiencing a different educational system
83,5
Widening academic knowledge
81,8
Strengthening European identity
79,2
Improving employment prospects
73,8
Gaining new contacts in the field of studies
62,5
Getting support for the thesis
30,5
It was compulsory
18,3 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Figure 16 Reasons for going abroad (n=8353-8420).
31
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
Meeting Expectations Comparing expectations before going on exchange (as shown in figure 16) with the experience made during the exchange shows that the exchange experience mostly lives up to or even exceeds studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations, especially regarding cultural aspects. The expectation to improve academic knowledge only comes true for 74.5 %, even though 81.8 % expected this. Figures are even lower for the expectation to enhance future employment prospects (73.8 % expected this but only 58.5. % saw this expectation to be fulfilled) or to gain new contacts in the field of study (50.7 % from 62.5 %). New Skills In general, studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; skills and competences increase during a stay abroad. 67.4 % say they gain more specific knowledge in their field of study, 66.4 % are able to see different perspectives of a case or argument, 57.2 % think they have learnt how to evaluate study material from a critical point of view, 54.2 % have developed better analytical skills and 50.5 % have learnt how to implement theoretical knowledge in practical life. Intercultural awareness
93,0
Adaptability
6,5
91,0
Flexibility
8,5
86,6
Tolerance
12,7
78,4
Problem solving skills
19,4
73,5
Planning and organising
23,6
70,6
Innovativeness
26,4
64,9
Team work skills
34,0
62,2
35,3
Creativity
59,1
39,4
Analytical competence
57,7
40,7
0%
10%
20%
Better skills
30%
40%
Same skills
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Worse skills
Figure 17 Skills developed during the period abroad (in percentage, n=8362-8398).
93 % feel that their intercultural awareness has increased during their stay abroad, 91 % find their adaptability improved, 86.6 % think they are more flexible after their term abroad, 78.4 % feel more tolerant, 73.5 % have higher problem solving skills, 70.6 % improve their planning and organising skills, 64.9 % feel more innovative, 62.2 % are better team workers, 59.1 % return more creative, and 57.7 % think their stay abroad has even improved their analytical competence. 32
This reads like the wish list of every European employer, but of course students are reluctant to state weaknesses in an online questionnaire, which makes the responses slightly subjective. The overall positive impact on personal development can, however, hardly be denied. Assessing the Host Institution When assessing institutions, 51.8 % of respondents state “Teaching quality of the university” as the most important factor, followed by 21.6 % believing it is the “Employability of graduate students”, which makes a institution interesting for them. 13.8 % name the “international outlook of the university”, 7.5 % refer to an institution’s quality of research and 5.3 % state none of the above mentioned. The subsequent part will investigate more closely on different characteristics of HEIs.
Teaching quality of the university
51,8
Employability of graduate students
21,6
International outlook of the university
13,8
Research quality of the university
7,5
None of the ones mentioned above
5,3 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Figure 18 Most important factor when assessing a HEI (in percentage, n=8358).
33
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
Satisfaction with Studies and Stay abroad By Marge Taivere
Evaluation of the Stay abroad When students are asked to evaluate different aspects of their stay abroad we find the following information: 24.8 % of responding students state that the information provided prior to their studies abroad is dissatisfying (6.6 % very dissatisfied, 18.2 % dissatisfied). 13.8 % of students find that the information provided by the host institution is not satisfying. 75.3 % of students are rather or very satisfied with the courses at the host institution opposed to 9.7 % who find them very or rather dissatisfying. As for the quality of teaching, 77.7 % are rather or very satisfied with the quality of teaching and the same per cent of students are satisfied or very satisfied with the facilities at the host institution.
The two aspects students are most satisfied with (more than 80 %) are social life and the atmosphere of the host city and country. Contact with local culture comes third, considering very and rather satisfied students (79.2 %). On the other hand, 57.7 % are rather satisfied or very satisfied when it comes to contacts with local students whereas 19.3 % of students answer that they are very or rather dissatisfied with this aspect of their stay abroad. Atmosphere city & country
64,2
Social life University facilities
45,5
Help from IRO
43,9
Quality of teaching
39,3
Student organisations
38,5
Sufficiency of info (from host) Local language courses
32,4 32,4
Contacts with local students
33,7
38,6
10%
11,5 15,5
35,9 24,7
16,0 12,6
42,9
11,6
30,3
21,2
30,8 20%
Rather satisfied
11,5 12,3
28,6
20,2 0%
10,8
28,7
27,4
Info prior to studies abroad
5,7
29,5
32,5
Courses at host university
5,5
22,2
48,4
Contact with local culture
Very satisfied
20,0
61,7
30%
40%
Neither/nor
22,7 50% Dissatisfied
60%
70%
80%
Very dissatisfied
90%
100%
NA
Figure 19 Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; evaluations of different aspects of their stay abroad (in percentage, n=8182-8421)
34
Comparison of Home and Host Institution When students are asked to compare their home and host institutions, we investigate whether certain aspects at the home institution are evaluated higher or lower. The largest difference is found in terms of courses being more difficult at the home institution (65.6 %). For the host institution, the courses are evaluated as being more interesting (60 %) and more students believe that the teaching quality is better at their host than at their home institution (53.5 %). Results vary the least in the aspect of whether courses are more beneficial: 51.7 % of students believe that they are more beneficial at the home institution. 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Courses need more Teaching is better preparation
Courses more interesting
Home institution
Courses more beneficial
Courses more difficult
Host institution
Figure 20 Comparing courses at the home and host institution (in percentage, n=8182-8267).
According to students who have studied in at least two different countries, the most important factor when assessing HEIs are rich libraries. Over half of the students claim this aspect to be very important (51.3 %). IT infrastructure of the institution (in both quality and quantity) and good access to information on existing research rank second and third. Three factors are assessed as less important: more than half of the respondents claim that the number of Nobel laureates is not important, making this factor the least important. Second least important is the institutionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position in international rankings. Third and fourth are the number of international students and the number of students per professor, respectively.
35
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10 Rich libraries (availability and quality)
13,8
39,9
42,5
IT infrastructure (quality and availability)
16,0
31,4
44,0
Good access to information on previous researches
11,8
32,6
51,3
Labs/machinery/technology (availability and quality)
15,6
43,4
37,5
International contacts of the university
37,1
39,1
17,5
International reputation of the university
36,4
38,8
17,7
Social student life
34,2
41,4
17,4
National reputation of the university
32,8
42,1
17,8
Reputation in the eyes of employers
Number of Nobel laureates
0% Very important
Important
30,8
13,0 10%
28,3
37,2
19,4 5,9
26,9
33,5
22,8
Number of international students
22,9
38,8
27,4
Position in International rankings
22,4
35,5
28,1
Internationally known academic staff
23,4
34,5
31,3
Number of students per professor
20%
30%
Not important or unimportant
40%
50%
60%
Not important
70%
80%
90% 100%
Not at all important
Figure 21 Importance of different aspects of HEIs (in percentage, n=8328-8367).
Overall, mobile students tend to rate the host institution higher. For both home and host institution, the students rate professors’ teaching skills highest; 73 % claim that the host university professors have good or very good teaching skills versus 77 % who claim the same for the host institution. The largest difference can be singled out in terms of the availability of professors outside the class: 50 % of students evaluate the home institution as good or very good compared to 68 % at the host institution. Substantial differences can also be found in the evaluation of the sports facilities (40 % good or very good for the home institution and 60 % good or very good for the host institution). 4,5 4 3,5 3 2,5 2 1,5 1 0,5 0 Sports facilities
The Professors Social life possibilities availability to do outside class research Home institution
Variety of classes offered
Professors' The teaching possibilities skills to study abroad
Host institution
Figure 22 Comparison of evaluations of different aspects at the home and host institution (on a scale from 1 – very satisfied to 5 – very dissatisfied), (in percentage, n=8396).
36
The results are very similar when it comes to social life and the variety of classes offered (in the host institution only classes that can be transferred to the home institution are evaluated); in both cases about 50 % of students evaluate them as good or very good. Course Evaluation When assessing HEIs, 51.8 % of students answer that the teaching quality of the institution is the most important aspect, followed by the employability of the graduate students with 21.6 % and an international outlook of the institution with 13.8 %. When students are asked to compare their home and host institutions, over 50 % of the students agree or mostly agree to have gained more knowledge in a subject at their host institution. They also claim to enjoy a greater variety of lectures at the host institution. 64 % of students do not skip more classes in the host institution than at the home institution. On the other hand about 60 % of students state that they do not have to study more at the host institution in order to pass exams. About half of the students say that it is more difficult to succeed in the host institution. I had more seminars and workshops at the host universtiy
22,1
I had a larger variety of lectures at the host university
20,9
I had better access to academic information at the host university
20,3
I gained more knowledge in a subject at the host university
19,8
In order to pass exams I had to study more at the host university than at the home university
14,0
I was expected to make more academic effort at the host university
13,1
It was more difficult to succeed at the host university than at the home university
12,8
I skipped more classes at the host university than at home university
0% Agree
Mostly agree
23,1
23,4
20,1
14,7
13,4
19,7
13,5
16,6
19,0
23,3
19,3
9,5
25,4
25,9
16,7
25,3
18,7
16,5
22,9
31,3
18,0
13,0
8,8
17,5
29,5
19,7
18,8
16,3
23,1
27,0
23,5
46,4
17,2
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Dont know
Mostly disagree
Disagree
Figure 23 Comparing different aspects of studying at the home and host institution (in percentage, n=8373-8395).
37
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Student Organisations and their Help to Students By Emanuel Alfranseder
In total 47 % of all respondents participate in activities organised by ESN and a further 21 % use services of other student organisations. Students name mostly student unions (36.8 %) when they indicate other student organisations. The remaining ones such as AIESEC (0.8 %) or AEGEE (1.8 %) do not feature very prominently.
ESN 38%
41%
Other student/youth organisation Both None
9%
12%
Figure 24 Students participating in activities or using services of ESN or another student/youth organisation (in percentage, n=8358).
The overall satisfaction with ESN on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0 is on average 4.0 (compared to 3.85 of other student organisations) which is an improvement compared to last year’s result (3.63). This indicates that students are, on average, rather satisfied with the services ESN provides. ESN achieves the highest satisfaction levels when it comes to international students getting in contact with their peers (4.5), informal meetings (4.4) and organising trips and visiting tours (4.4). Students rank the satisfaction of ESN in terms of information provision on average with 4.2. This is a positive result with respect to the importance of information provision highlighted in the ESNSurvey 2009, “Information on Exchange”. Areas with less favourable satisfaction levels include the help ESN provides on issues such as accommodation (3.4) and visa or banking problems (3.5). In addition, helping international 38
students getting in contact with local students (3.6) could be improved. Overall, the ranking shows an improvement of average satisfaction levels of ESN compared to previous years. Other Organisation
ESN
Helping with finding accommodation
3,6 3,4
Helping with settling in a new place (visa, banking)
3,6 3,5
Intervening on your behalf when having problems
3,7 3,6 3,8 3,6
Getting in contact with local students
3,7 3,7
Tandem project/language Representing my rights as an exchange student
3,8 3,8
Buddy/mentor/tutor system
3,8 3,8 4,0 3,9
Practicing your foreign language skills
3,9 4,0
Overall level of satisfaction
4,1 4,1
Learning the culture of the host country Providing information
4,1 4,2
Exchange programme
4,0 4,2
Orientation week/welcome days
4,2 4,3
Organising trips and visiting tours
4,3 4,4
Organising parties and informal meetings
4,3 4,4 4,4 4,5
Getting in contact with other exchange students 0,0
1,0
2,0
3,0
4,0
5,0
Figure 25 Satisfaction with ESN’s and other student associations’ activities (On a scale from 1 – very satisfied to 5 – very dissatisfied) (mean, n=3812-3873, n=1670-1701).
39
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Further Analysis By Emanuel Alfranseder
In previous editions of the ESNSurvey the analysis of the data has been, for the most part, descriptive. This part is more technical and requires basic understanding of statistical methods. For completeness and scientific accuracy we decided to explain our applied methods for the interested reader. It should, however, not be a problem to understand the outcome of the analysis even without full knowledge of the applied methodology. In the following we attempt to gain more insight into which factors determine the satisfaction levels of international students. This is of paramount importance for both HEIs and other interested parties. As resources are always limited, information on improvements highly valued by students is of great value. The basic idea of this part is to analyse the determinants of students’ satisfaction with • their stay • their studies The descriptive analyses of the results are displayed in Figure 2 on page 12. Since we have a large sample we are able to initially test for the significance of most variables. We subsequently remove insignificant variables and estimate a more parsimonious model with variables which are found to be statistically significant or of specific interest5. This means that we only include variables which will give us a result with a very high chance of being relevant for the majority of international students, and not only our sample. Due to the nature of the survey data, ordinary regression (ordinary least squares) is not optimal and we apply a standard ordered probit model6. In general, a negative sign of an estimated coefficient indicates that a high value of the variable has a negative impact on the satisfaction levels of international students. A positive sign indicates the opposite. Since it is rather complicated to exactly interpret the estimates in an ordered probit model, we are merely interested in the sign and to a lesser extent in the relative size of the estimates. As we have a very large sample we set our level of significance to 99 %, loosely translating to the outcome having a 99 % chance of being true7.
5 We apply what is often referred to in the literature as a general-to-specific approach. 6 Ordered probit models are used when the dependent variable is not continuous. In our case the dependent variable can only take the numbers 1,2,3,4 and 5. 7 We are aware this is a very intuitive explanation and not completely accurate in statistics.
40
Factors influencing the satisfaction of international students with their studies abroad The basic model can be expressed as follows:
satsifaction with studies=β1*explanatory variable1+β2*explanatory variable2+… …+βk* explanatory variable k+error
where the β’s will be our estimates for the k different explanatory variables. The explanatory variables are given in Table 8. Table 8 Factors influencing the satisfaction of international students with their studies abroad.
Explanatory Variable
Probit Estimate
Statistical Significance (99% level, p-value in parenthesis)
Courses at the host institution
0.515948
yes (0.0000)
I improved my academic knowledge
0.213795
yes (0.0000)
Quality of teaching
0.145263
yes (0.0000)
Analytical competence
0.112025
yes (0.0000)
Tolerance
0.101873
yes (0.0000)
University facilities
0.092330
yes (0.0000)
Gained more specific knowledge in 0.082688 field of studies
yes (0.0000)
I found academic support (professors, study material etc.) for my thesis
0.087614
yes (0.0000)
Sufficiency of information while studying abroad (from host institution)
0.078550
yes (0.0000)
Difference in availability of professors
0.060771
yes (0.0000)
Received Grant (Yes-No)
0.023846
no (0.6653)
Went abroad to find academic support for my thesis
-0.067552
yes (0.0000)
Note: The pseudo R-squared of the estimation is 0.234.
The regression in Table 8 gives a good indication of what influences international students’ satisfaction with their studies abroad. A positive sign of the estimate indicates that a higher evaluation of this question is positively correlated with higher satisfaction levels. Likewise, a negative sign indicates the opposite. All variables are statistically significant except for the one asking for the grant which is positive but not statistically significant8 and cannot be 8 A reason for this is the low variation in the variable as only around 8.5 % of all respondents do not receive a grant.
41
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
reasonably interpreted. Not at all surprising, the most important factor when it comes to satisfaction with the studies is the quality of “courses at the host university”. High values in the sections “improvements in academic knowledge” and “quality of teaching” also lead to substantially higher satisfaction levels. Moreover, high ratings in developing analytical competence and tolerance substantially influence students’ satisfaction. University facilities are another important factor, as is the specific knowledge which students gain in their field of studies. While the negative sign for the last variable in Table 8 indicates that students studying abroad and expecting academic support for their thesis are rather dissatisfied, the positive sign for high ratings when actually getting academic support for their thesis shows that this is an essential part of the study experience. Sufficiency of information provided by the host institution is additionally important to students. This confirms the importance of the topic treated in the ESNSurvey 2009, “Information on Exchange”. The difference in the ranking of the availability of professors is significant and shows that academic support is a key factor of satisfaction as well. Factors influencing the satisfaction of international students with their stay abroad We apply the same general-to-specific methodology for the satisfaction of international students with their stay abroad and report the results in Table 9. Table 9 Factors influencing the satisfaction of international students with their stay abroad.
Explanatory Variable
Probit Estimate
Statistical Significance (99% level, p-value in parenthesis)
Social Life
0.364001
yes (0.0000)
Learned to evaluate study material 0.239289 critically
yes (0.0000)
The atmosphere of the city and country where the university was located
0.203533
yes (0.0000)
Studied in a different educational system
0.142811
yes (0.0000)
Sufficiency of information while study- 0.105318 ing abroad (from host institution)
yes (0.0000)
Went abroad to meet new people
0.087651
yes (0.0000)
Went abroad because they wanted to have a semester/year away from the home country
0.078730
yes (0.0005)
42
Help from International Office at the host institution
0.055010
yes (0.0028)
It was compulsory to study abroad
-0.044408
yes (0.0001)
Note: The pseudo R-squared of the estimation is 0.158.
The results indicate that the factors of students’ satisfaction with their stay abroad are quite different from the purely academic ones. All factors Table 9 are significant on a 99% significance level. Only the variable “sufficiency of information from the host university”, turns out to be important for both the stay and the studies. The only academic factor strongly correlated with satisfaction with the stay abroad is “having learned to evaluate study material critically”. The most important factor for students’ satisfaction is social life. The atmosphere of host city and the host country are further contributing to satisfaction levels. Having studied in a different educational system seems to be of value for students as well. Two specific aspects of social life, namely meeting new people and wanting to live in a different country, are relevant predictors of satisfaction levels. Help from the International Office is also a considerable factor for students’ satisfaction with their stay. The only significant variable having a negative influence on satisfaction levels is if going abroad is compulsory.
43
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
Concluding Remarks
It is important to stress that the variables in the two previous tables are not picked randomly but selected from all available data of the survey questionnaire and found to be the statistically most significant ones. The only exception is whether students receive a grant or not, which we would be specifically interested in getting answers on. But as only very few students answering our questionnaire do not receive a grant, the data is not sufficient to draw meaningful conclusions on the importance of this aspect.
44
Acknowledgements
Gathering more than 8.000 complete responses has only been possible thanks to the help of all the local sections of the Erasmus Student Network and the support of many other associations and institutions active in the field of international education. Our special gratitude goes to all ESNSurvey partners of 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AEGEE, Academic Cooperation Association (ACA), British Council, Centre for International Mobility (CIMO), Coimbra Group, Compostela Group, Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA), European Students Union (ESU), Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA) and European Association International Education (EAIE). Furthermore, ESN wishes to thank the Erasmus Unit of the European Commission for their kind and highly appreciated support of the ESNSurvey. Our gratitude goes to all the National LLP Agencies and universities that helped us spread the word about the ESNSurvey and reach their students and members. Last but not least, the ESNSurvey is a product of countless days of work of the ESNSurvey team, composed of ESN members from different countries and cultures. It consists of Emanuel Alfranseder, PhD student in Economics at Lund University (Sweden), Julia Fellinger, graduate of Socioeconomics at the University of Economics and Business Vienna (Austria), Ewa Krzaklewska, PhD student in Sociology at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland), Marco La Rosa, member of the ESN International Board and Marge Taivere, Master student in Social Sciences at the University of Tartu (Estonia). It is thanks to their dedication, motivation and enthusiasm that the ESNSurvey continues to be one of the most successful projects of ESN.
45
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Figures and Tables
FIGURE 1 EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES STUDENTS GO ABROAD WITH (N=7467). 12 FIGURE 2 OVERALL LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH STUDIES AND STAY ABROAD (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8430-8432). 16 FIGURE 3 MONEY LEFT FROM THE GRANT AFTER PAYING ACCOMMODATION FEES (IN PERCENTAGE, N=7573). 19 FIGURE 4 WHAT PART OF YOUR OVERALL EXPENSES DID YOUR OFFICIAL OVERALL GRANT/SCHOLARSHIP COVER? (IN PERCENTAGE, N=7590). 20 FIGURE 5 HOW ARE THE REST OF THE EXPENSES COVERED? (IN PERCENTAGE, N=7626). 20 FIGURE 6 EXTENT TO WHICH EXPENSES ARE COVERED BY THE GRANT (IN PERCENTAGE, N=7590). 22 FIGURE 7 STUDENTS WHO HAVE TO PAY FEES AT THE HOST INSTITUTION (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8183-8283). 23 FIGURE 8 SUFFICIENCY OF FUNDS FOR VARIOUS EXPENSE CATEGORIES (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8303-8353). 24 FIGURE 9 STUDENTS FEELING EXCLUDED DUE TO THEIR FINANCIAL SITUATION (IN PERCENTAGE, N=5091). 25 FIGURE 10 STUDENTS AGREEING TO THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8374). 25 FIGURE 11 HOW OFTEN STUDENTS HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BASIC LIVING EXPENSES (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8385). 26 FIGURE 13 COMPARISON OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ LIVING STANDARDS WITH LOCAL STUDENT STANDARDS (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8356). 29 FIGURE 14 STUDENT BENEFITS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS COMPARED TO LOCAL STUDENTS (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8378). 29 FIGURE 15 STUDENTS WHO WOULD STILL GO ABROAD WITHOUT A SCHOLARSHIP (IN PERCENTAGE, N=7600). 30 FIGURE 16 REASONS FOR GOING ABROAD (N=8353-8420). 31 FIGURE 17 SKILLS DEVELOPED DURING THE PERIOD ABROAD (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8362-8398). 32 FIGURE 18 MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN ASSESSING A HEI (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8358). 33 FIGURE 19 STUDENTS’ EVALUATIONS OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THEIR STAY ABROAD (IN PERCENTAGE, N=81828421) 34 FIGURE 20 COMPARING COURSES AT THE HOME AND HOST INSTITUTION (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8182-8267). 35 FIGURE 21 IMPORTANCE OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HEIS (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8328-8367). 36 FIGURE 22 COMPARISON OF EVALUATIONS OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS AT THE HOME AND HOST INSTITUTION (ON A SCALE FROM 1 – VERY SATISFIED TO 5 – VERY DISSATISFIED), (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8396). 36 FIGURE 23 COMPARING DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF STUDYING AT THE HOME AND HOST INSTITUTION (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8373-8395). 37 FIGURE 24 STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN ACTIVITIES OR USING SERVICES OF ESN OR ANOTHER STUDENT/YOUTH ORGANISATION (IN PERCENTAGE, N=8358). 38 FIGURE 25 SATISFACTION WITH ESN’S AND OTHER STUDENT ASSOCIATIONS’ ACTIVITIES (ON A SCALE FROM 1 – VERY SATISFIED TO 5 – VERY DISSATISFIED) (MEAN, N=3812-3873, N=1670-1701). 39 TABLE 1 HOST COUNTRIES OF ESNSURVEY RESPONDENTS (N=7546). 13 TABLE 2 COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF ESNSURVEY RESPONDENTS (N=8401). 14 TABLE 3 LEVEL OF STUDIES OF RESPONDENTS (N=8368). 14 TABLE 4 MAJORS AND AREAS OF STUDIES OF RESPONDENTS (N=8217). 15 TABLE 5 AVERAGE SATISFACTION LEVELS FOR STUDIES AND STAY BY HOST COUNTRY INSTITUTION (ON A SCALE FROM 1 – VERY DISSATISFIED TO 5 – VERY SATISFIED) (N>65, VARIES ACROSS COUNTRIES). 17 TABLE 6 DID THE AMOUNT OF YOUR GRANT AFFECT YOU IN CHOOSING A PLACE TO STUDY? (IN PERCENTAGE, N=7602). 21 TABLE 7 COUNTRY OVERVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF FINANCING CONSTRAINTS (IN PERCENTAGE, N DIFFERS ACROSS HOME COUNTRIES). 26 TABLE 8 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SATISFACTION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WITH THEIR STUDIES ABROAD. 41 TABLE 9 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SATISFACTION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WITH THEIR STAY ABROAD. 42
46
Sources
European Commission, 2011. Outgoing and incoming Erasmus student mobility in 2009/2010, available electronically: http://ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus/doc/stat/0910/students. pdf (retrieved: 08/06/2011). European Commission, 2010. Erasmus Student Charter, available electronically: http:// ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus/doc1057_en.htm (retrieved: 14/06/2011).
47
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Annex 1: About ESN
Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is the biggest inter-disciplinary European student organisation in the field of mobility. ESN is a non-political, non-profit and non-religious organisation with over 12,000 volunteer members from local student groups (so called sections) in more than 370 Higher Education Institutions in 35 countries. ESN supports educational, social and cultural integration of international students and provides practical information for incoming and outgoing students about various exchange programmes. Furthermore, ESN provides intercultural experiences to students who cannot access a period abroad (internationalization at home). The vision of ESN is the enrichment of society through international students – thus, ESN works to foster the mobility of students under the principle of SHS – students helping students. ESN provides its services annually to about 150,000 international students in Europe and beyond. ESN’s activities comprise hundreds of projects developed at all levels. The main international projects of Erasmus Student Network are: 1. ESNSurvey (visit: http://esn.org/content/esnsurvey) is a European-wide research project covering different topics concerning mobility and education. It is conducted annually and surveys students at higher education institutions, with an average response rate of 8,000 answers. Starting in 2005, the ESNSurvey is arguably the biggest regular European research project planned and carried out entirely by students for students. So far, the ESNSurvey has investigated upon the following topics – Experience of Studying Abroad (2005), Exchange Students’ Rights (2006), Generation Mobility (2007), Exchanging Cultures (2008), Information for Exchange (2009) and E-Value-ate Your Exchange (2010). 2. PRIME (Problems of Recognition in Making Erasmus, visit: http://www.prime.esn.org/) is a research project conducted at about 100 European universities concerning the recognition procedures for outgoing exchange students. According to the results of the ESNSurvey 2006 and 2007, recognition of courses studied abroad continues to be a barrier for student mobility. The aim of PRIME is to collect best practices among participating higher education institutions and through their dissemination contribute to the improvement of the situation. 3. SocialErasmus (visit: http://socialerasmus.esn.org/) gives international students the opportunity to in several ways help local communities through the interaction between students and local communities. At the same time, international students gain experience, knowledge, openness and discover their love for Europe! 4. ExchangeAbility (visit: http://exchangeability.esn.org/) aims at allowing students with disabilities to be fully involved in the activities of the local sections of ESN. Sections are encour-
48
aged to engage disabled students at their universities in the work for international students. Through participation and involvement in different activities, students with disabilities will be given an opportunity to experience the international and intercultural atmosphere associated with the exchange programmes. The long term goal of the project is to encourage an increasing number of disabled students to go for an exchange. 5. ESN Card is the membership and discount card of ESN and ESN sections distribute the card to their volunteers and international students. The card offers a number of discounts at the local, national and international level. Annually, ESN issues about 80.000 cards. 6. ESN Galaxy (visit: https://galaxy.esn.org/) is a web platform based on the Web 2.0 technology. It brings all ESN sections together, allows them to communicate and share information in real time. This unique system allows international students and ESN members to look for accommodation or to get information about their host country. ESN Galaxy also supports local sections via the provision of web-based services. 7. eXpress, the ESN Magazine (visit: http://esn.org/magazine) is published three times a year. It is an informative, high-quality magazine about issues concerning ESN, Europe and the European Union in particular, exchange and mobility. The articles are written by ESN volunteers and students from all around Europe. 8. ESN Newsletter (visit: http://esn.org/newsletters) is an ESN online communication tool, sent twice per month (at the beginning and in the middle of each month) to over 7.200 subscribers informing them about the network, ESN events and about other interesting initiatives happening in Europe and beyond. 9. ESN Events â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the International Board of ESN conducts open calls for various international events, taking place every year. These events include Regional Platforms (Central European Platform, Northern European Platform, South Eastern European Platform, South Western European Platform and Western European Platform), Committee Meetings, National Board Meetings, Cultural Medley, Councils of National Representatives, Council of National Delegates and the Annual General Meeting of ESN. Erasmus Student Network is a full member of the European Youth Forum since April 2010 and was awarded participatory status with the Council of Europe at the end of December 2008. ESN is a courtesy member of the European Association for International Education and a full member of the European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning (EUCIS-LLL).
Contact: If you have any questions or would like to know more about ESN, please contact us directly at secretariat@esn.org.
49
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
ESN AISBL Rue Hydraulique / Waterkrachtstraat, 15 B-1210 Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode / Sint-Jost-ten-Node Brussels BELGIUM Tel.: +32 (0) 22 567 427 Mob.: +32 (0) 475 612 677 www.esn.org
50
Annex 2: Questionnaire
Dear student,
The aim of this survey is to investigate what are the benefits of academic exchanges, what are the economical benefits of exchanges programmes and to research what are the most important indicators to assess the quality the university. Answering the questions is easy. The survey consists of multiple-choice questions, so you just need to choose the most appropriate answer which reflects your own thoughts and opinions. Please read the survey questions carefully. We ask you to answer the questions honestly, according to your own beliefs and views. There are no right or wrong answers. All answers will remain anonymous. The results will be analyzed in a general way; no answer will be related to a particular person. This survey targets at students who were exchange students or have studied abroad for at least 3 months. Answering the survey may take up to 15-20 minutes. Thank you for your time and attention! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Survey Team: survey@esn.org 0. Where did you hear about the ESNSurvey? • University/International Relations Office • Erasmus Student Network (ESN) • AEGEE • Other student organisation • European Association for International Education (EAIE) • National Agency • From a Student Union • Courier of the European Youth Forum (YFJ) • Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA) • Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) • Other • I don’t know
51
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
Survey 2010: Erasmus: value for money PART I. Your stay ABROAD
1. Through which programme did you study abroad? (Please refer to your most recent exchange) a) Erasmus Programme b) Bilateral agreement between universities c) Governmental programme d) Private foundation e) Arranged by myself f) Other 2. Please choose the country of your host university? 3. Please choose the university you stayed in? 4. How long was the period of your stay? • 3 months • 4 months • 5 months • 6 months • 7 months • 8 months • 9 months • 10 months • 11 months • 12 months • >12 months 5. What is your overall level of satisfaction with your studies abroad? Very dissatisfied 1
rather dissatisfied 2
neither dissatisfied nor satisfied 3
rather satisfied 4
very satisfied 5
6. What is your overall level of satisfaction with your stay abroad? Very dissatisfied 1
52
rather dissatisfied 2
neither dissatisfied nor satisfied 3
rather satisfied 4
very satisfied 5
7. Please evaluate the following aspects of your stay abroad: Very dissatisfied
Rather dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied
Rather satisfied
Very satisfied
Not applicable (NA)
Courses at the host university
1
2
3
4
5
6
Quality of teaching (Professors, Lecturers etc.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
University facilities
1
2
3
4
5
6
Local language courses at the university
1
2
3
4
5
6
(from home university)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sufficiency of information while studying abroad (from host university)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Help from International Office at the 1 host university
2
3
4
5
6
Contacts with local students
1
2
3
4
5
6
Contact with the host countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture
1
2
3
4
5
6
Social life
1
2
3
4
5
6
The atmosphere of the city and country where the university was located
1
2
3
4
5
6
Student organisations
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sufficiency of information prior to your studies abroad
PART II : Personal Development
8. How strongly do you agree with the following statements regarding your plans and intentions before going aboard? Strongly disagree
I went abroad to improve my academic knowledge
1
Rather Disagree
2
Neither agree nor disagree 3
Rather Agree
4
Strongly agree
NA (Not Applicable)
5
6
53
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10 I went abroad to gain new contacts in my field of studies (from the professional point of view)
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad to find academic support (professors, study material etc.) for my thesis
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad to study in a different educational system
1
2
3
4
5
6
It was compulsory by my home university to go study abroad
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad because I wanted to have a semester/year away from home country
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad because I wanted to learn/ improve the foreign language
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad to learn about different cultures
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad to enhance future employment prospects
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad to meet new people
1
2
3
4
5
6
I went abroad to develop as a person
1
2
3
4
5
6
I wanted to broaden my European identity/ experience European culture
1
2
3
4
5
6
9. After staying in the host university for some time, how would you evaluate your success in the same fields? Strongly disagree
Rather Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Rather Agree
Strongly agree
NA (Not Applicable)
I improved my academic knowledge
1
2
3
4
5
6
I gained new contacts in my field of studies (from the professional point of view)
1
2
3
4
5
6
I found academic support (professors, study material etc.) for my thesis
1
2
3
4
5
6
I studied in a different educational system
1
2
3
4
5
6
54
I learnt/ improved a foreign language
1
2
3
4
5
6
I learned about different cultures
1
2
3
4
5
6
I enhanced my future employment prospects
1
2
3
4
5
6
I met new people
1
2
3
4
5
6
I developed as a person
1
2
3
4
5
6
I broadened my European identity/ experienced European culture
1
2
3
4
5
6
11. How strongly do you agree with the following statements concerning your academic skills after your exchange? Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
I learnt to evaluate study material from a critical point of view
1
2
3
4
5
I have developed better analytical skills
1
2
3
4
5
I can see different perspectives of a case or argument
1
2
3
4
5
I gained more specific knowledge in my field of studies
1
2
3
4
5
I learnt how to implement theoretical knowledge in practical life
1
2
3
4
5
12. Asses how the following skills have developed thanks to your exchange: Much worse
Worse
No change
Better
Much better
Intercultural awareness
1
2
3
4
5
Adaptability
1
2
3
4
5
Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Innovativeness or creativity
1
2
3
4
5
Problem solving skills
1
2
3
4
5
Analytical competence
1
2
3
4
5
Planning and organising
1
2
3
4
5
Team work skills
1
2
3
4
5
55
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10 Tolerance
1
2
3
4
5
Part III UNIVERSITY comparison
13. Compare your home and host university by answering following questions: I disagree
Mostly disagree
Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know
Mostly agree
I agree
I skipped more classes in host university
1
2
3
4
5
It is more difficult to succeed in host university
1
2
3
4
5
In order to pass the exams I must study more in host university
1
2
3
4
5
I am expected more academic effort in host university
1
2
3
4
5
I have more variety in lectures in host university
1
2
3
4
5
I have better access to academic information In host university
1
2
3
4
5
I gain more knowledge in a subject in host 1 university
2
3
4
5
I have more seminars and workshops in host 1 university
2
3
4
5
14. On scale 1 (insufficient) - 5 (excellent) grade your home university on the following subjects: Insufficient
Sufficient
Good
Very good
Excellent
Professors teaching skills
1
2
3
4
5
Professors availability outside the class
1
2
3
4
5
The possibilities to do research
1
2
3
4
5
The possibilities to study abroad
1
2
3
4
5
Variety of classes/Offer of courses
1
2
3
4
5
There are easy ways to make new social contacts
1
2
3
4
5
The sports facilities
1
2
3
4
5
56
15. On scale 1 (insufficient) - 5 (excellent) grade your host university on the following matters: Insufficient
Sufficient
Good
Very good
Excellent
Professors teaching skills
1
2
3
4
5
Professors availability outside the class
1
2
3
4
5
The possibilities to do research
1
2
3
4
5
The possibilities to study abroad
1
2
3
4
5
I have a big range of subjects that I can transfer to my home university curricula
1
2
3
4
5
There are easy ways to make new social contacts with local students
1
2
3
4
5
The sports facilities
1
2
3
4
5
16. Please compare your home and host university and choose which one is better in the following issues: Home university
Host University
The courses are more interesting in:
1
2
The courses are more beneficial in:
1
2
The courses are more difficult in:
1
2
The courses are more preparation-demand in:
1
2
The study materials of taken courses are better available in:
1
2
I liked the way of teaching better in:
1
2
I consider teachers to be the specialist in the area more often in:
1
2
17. There are different ranking of universities worldwide, they all value various components. What is the key element in assessing the level/quality of the university for you? Not at all important
Very important
International contacts of the university
1
2
3
4
5
Number of International students per university
1
2
3
4
5
Internationally well known academic staff
1
2
3
4
5
57
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10 International citations used from this university
1
2
3
4
5
Number of students per professor
1
2
3
4
5
Good access to information and previous researches
1
2
3
4
5
Rich libraries (availability & quality)
1
2
3
4
5
laboratories/machinery/technology (availability and quality)
1
2
3
4
5
Reputation of the university to employers
1
2
3
4
5
Rich social network of the university
1
2
3
4
5
Citations per student body
1
2
3
4
5
Number of Nobel laureates
1
2
3
4
5
Social student life at university
1
2
3
4
5
National reputation of the university
1
2
3
4
5
International reputation of the university
1
2
3
4
5
International rankings of the university
1
2
3
4
5
IT infrastructure (quality and availability)
1
2
3
4
5
There are many foreign professors and foreign Phd students
1
2
3
4
5
18. What of the following is the most important factor for you when assessing a university? o International outlook of the university o Teaching quality of the university o Graduate employability of the students o Research quality of the university
PART IV Financial situation during exchange
19. Please answer each of the following statement whether you think it can always be justified, never be justified, or sometimes justifiable regarding your experience. Never justifiable Home university distributing exchange students grants unequally
58
1
Sometimes justifiable 2
Always justifiable 3
Host university to charge money for courses from exchange students
1
2
3
Home university not providing equal info to all target groups about international grants
1
2
3
Give out larger international scholarships to students from financially lower income families
1
2
3
Give out no scholarship for students who come from financially higher income families
1
2
3
Host university financial support to be available only to students of the hosting country
1
2
3
The university was charging more for the accommodation the exchange students
1
2
3
20. Do you get an official grant/ financial support to study abroad? o Yes o No 21.[If, 20. YES]Besides your main scholarship (e.g. Erasmus grant) please mark other sources of financial support: a) My home university b) My host country c) My host university d) My home country e) Private foundation [if 21.e then Which one: ___________________ ] f) Other: [if 21.f then Specify: ___________________ ] 21. [If, 20. YES] How did you receive the money of the official grant/scholarship? a) All of it at the same time b) At different times 22. [If, 20. YES] & [If, 21.a] When did you receive the money? a. Before exchange b. During exchange c. After exchange 23. [If, 20. YES] Were your travel costs between home country to host country covered? a. Yes b. No c. Partly 24. [If, 20. YES] & [If, 23.a & 23.c] Who did cover you expenses? a) They were covered by the official grant/scholarship
59
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i)
The other grant that I received besides the official grant My home university My host university My home country My host country Private foundation Other: [if 24.h then Specify: ___________________ ] I don’t know
25. [If, 20. YES] What part of your overall expenses did your overall grant/scholarship cover? a) Almost all of my expenses (more than 80%) b) Most of my expenses (60%-80%) c) Around half of my expenses (40%-60%) d) Around a quarter of my expenses (20%-40%) e) A small part of my expenses (less than 20%) 26. [If, 20. YES] After paying for rent, how much money you had left from the grant? a) I have more than 401 EUR left b) 251-400 c) I have 101-250 EUR left d) I have less than 100 e EUR left e) It just covers my rent f) I cannot cover my rent with the grant g) I didn’t have to pay for the rent 27. [If, 20. YES] How did you pay for the expenses that were not covered by the grant? a) My parents/relatives supported me b) I took a loan c) From my savings d) I worked legally in the host country e) I worked illegally in the host country f) Other 28. [If, 20. YES] Did the amount of your grant affect you in choosing a place to study? a) Definitely yes b) Rather yes c) Rather no d) Definitely no e) Difficult to say, I do not know 29. [If, 20. YES] [If, 28.a] [If, 28.b] How did the scholarship affect your decision in choosing the destination country/ university? a) My scholarship was too low therefore I have chosen a cheaper country then my home country
60
b) My scholarship was quite high therefore I have chosen a more expensive country then my home country c) My scholarship was low therefore I have chosen a university that is not in the capital or expensive city c) I have chosen a university that offers extra grants and support for exchange students d) The amount of grant/scholarship did not affect my choice of exchange destination e) I do not know 30. Did you have to pay any fees for: No
Yes
Tuition at host university
1
2
Registration
1
2
Examinations
1
2
Access to the library
1
2
Access to laboratory
1
2
Orientation
1
2
31. Have you had enough money to cover the following costs of living abroad? I do not need it, I do not spend on it
Not enough, I had to give it up
Sometimes enough sometimes not
Generally enough
Food
1
2
3
4
Clothes
1
2
3
4
Pay the rent
1
2
3
4
Medicines
1
2
3
4
Personal Appearance/ Hygiene
1
2
3
4
Community expenses (water, heating)
1
2
3
4
Study materials
1
2
3
4
Decoration of my room/ apartment
1
2
3
4
Sport
1
2
3
4
Travel
1
2
3
4
Entertainment and hobbies
1
2
3
4
61
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
32. Compared to other exchange students at your host university did you feel that you were equal when it comes to money and financial situation? a) Yes b) Mostly equal c) Mostly unequal d) No e) I do not know 33. [If, 32.c] [If, 32.d] Did you feel excluded from the exchange student life due to your financial situation? a) Yes b) No c) I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know 34. Thinking about your exchange periods which of the following statements is in the most accordance with you: a) I had money to live well b) I had enough money to get by c) It was very difficult to live with the money I had. 35. Did you at times have to worry about money for basic living expenses (like food, rent)? a) Very often b) Often c) Sometimes d) Almost never e) Never f) I do not know 36. If the grant was not given out in money, what benefits would you prefer to gain instead. Not important at all
Not important
Not sure
Important
Very important
Free housing
1
2
3
4
5
Free local transportation
1
2
3
4
5
Free canteen food
1
2
3
4
5
Free access to academic information (library, e-databases)
1
2
3
4
5
Free from tuition fees in home university (for the period of exchange)
1
2
3
4
5
Free books
1
2
3
4
5
Free student trips and social activities
1
2
3
4
5
62
Free sports facilities
1
2
3
4
5
Free university services (coping, internet etc)
1
2
3
4
5
37. How would you compare your living standard with that of the local students? a) My standard was much higher b) My standard was higher c) They were similar d) Local students’ standard was higher e) Local students’ standard was much higher 38. In your host country did you had equal student benefits as local students? a) I had more b) I had the same c) I had less d) I didn’t have any e) I don’t know 39. [If, 20. YES] If there was no scholarship would you still have gone on your exchange? a) Yes b) No c) I don’t know/ maybe
PART V. ABOUT ERASMUS STUDENT NETWORK (ESN)
40. Did you participate in activities or used services of ESN or another student/youth organisation? a) Yes, of a local ESN section b) Yes , of another student/youth organisation c) Yes, both of ESN and other student/youth organisation d) No (Skip part 5) 41. [If, 40.b] [If, 40.c] Which other student/youth organisation? o AEGEE o AIESEC o Student Union o BEST - the Board of European Students of Technology o ELSA – European Law Students’ Association o IFMSA - The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations o JADE - European Confederation of Junior Enterprises o EMA - Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association o other
63
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10
42. [If, 40.a] [If, 40.c] Please evaluate the help of Erasmus Student Network in the following areas: Very dissatisfied
Rather dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied
Rather satisfied
Very satisfied
I did not use (not applicable)
Providing information
1
2
3
4
5
6
Helping with finding accommodation
1
2
3
4
5
6
Helping with settling in a new place (visa, banking)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Intervening on your behalf when having problems
1
2
3
4
5
6
Getting in contact with local students
1
2
3
4
5
6
Getting in contact with other exchange students
1
2
3
4
5
6
Learning the culture of the host country
1
2
3
4
5
6
Practicing your foreign language skills
1
2
3
4
5
6
Representing my rights as an exchange student
1
2
3
4
5
6
43. [If, 40.a] [If, 40.c] Please evaluate the services provided by Erasmus Student Network, if applicable. Very dissatisfied
rather dissatisfied
neither dissatisfied nor satisfied
rather satisfied
very satisfied
I did not use (not applicable)
Buddy/mentor/tutor system
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Tandem project/language exchange programme
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Orientation week/welcome days
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Organising trips and visiting tours
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Organising parties and informal meetings
1
2
3
4
5
NA
44. [If, 40.a] [If, 40.c] What is your overall level of satisfaction with the help and activities provided by the Erasmus Student Network? Very dissatisfied
64
1
2
3
4
5
Very satisfied
45. [If, 40.b] [If, 40.c] Please evaluate the help of the other student/youth organisation in the following areas: Very dissatisfied
Rather dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied
Rather satisfied
Very satisfied
I did not use (not applicable)
Providing information
1
2
3
4
5
6
Helping with finding accommodation
1
2
3
4
5
6
Helping with settling in a new place (visa, banking)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Intervening on your behalf when having problems
1
2
3
4
5
6
Getting in contact with local students
1
2
3
4
5
6
Getting in contact with other exchange students
1
2
3
4
5
6
Learning the culture of the host country
1
2
3
4
5
6
Practicing your foreign language skills
1
2
3
4
5
6
Representing my rights as an exchange student
1
2
3
4
5
6
46. [If, 40.b] [If, 40.c] Please evaluate the services provided by the other student/youth organisation, if applicable. Very dissatisfied
rather dissatisfied
neither dissatisfied nor satisfied
rather satisfied
very satisfied
I did not use (not applicable)
Buddy/mentor/tutor system
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Tandem project/language exchange programme
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Orientation week/welcome days
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Organising trips and visiting tours
1
2
3
4
5
NA
Organising parties and informal meetings
1
2
3
4
5
NA
47. [If, 40.b] [If, 40.c] What is your overall level of satisfaction with the help and activities provided by the student organisation you mentioned?
65
E-Value-ate Your Exchange | Results of the ESNSurvey â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10 Very dissatisfied
1
2
3
4
5
Very satisfied
PART VI. DEMOGRAPHICS 48. Age: Under 19 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Over 40
49. Gender: a) Female b) Male 50. Please choose the country of origin: 51. Do you belong to a ethnic minority group in the country of your home university? a) Yes b) No 52. What is your home the university? 53. Level/type of studies: a) BA (3-4 years) 66
b) MA (5-6 years) c) PhD, doctoral studies 54. Major/area of studies: o Agricultural sciences o Architecture/Urban and Regional planning o Art and Design o Business Studies/Management Science o Communication and Information Sciences o Economics; Education â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Teacher Training; Engineering Technology o Geography/ Geology o Humanities o Languages and Philological Sciences o Law o Mathematics/informatics o Medical Science o Music; Natural Sciences o Social Sciences o Other Areas of Study 55. Do you have a disability? a) Yes b) No 56. [If, 55.a] Please mark what disability form do you have: a) Physical impairment b) Hearing impairment c) Visual impairment d) Speaking impairment e) Intellectual impairment f) Mental health conditions (depression, stress, schizophrenia) g) Other [If, 56.g then Specify: ___________________ ] 57. How would you describe your familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total income? a) Above my country average b) Average c) Below my country average d) hard to say 58. Could you please indicate how much is your programme assigned grant (Note: This survey is anonymous): a) Less than 100 EUR b) 101-200 EUR c) 201- 300 EUR
67
E-Value-ate Your Exchange |Results of the ESNSurvey ‘10
d) 301-400 EUR e) 401-500 EUR f) 501- 600 EUR g) More than 600 EUR 59. What is your favourite low cost airline company: • Ryanair • WizzAir • Easy Jet • Air Berlin • Pegasus • Condor • Blue Air 59. If you want to participate in our contest please leave us your e-mail: (Note: the questionnaire is anonymous your answers will not be connected to the e-mails) Thank you for your effort! ESN Survey team
68
ESN AISBL Rue Hydraulique / Waterkrachtstraat, 15 B-1210 Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode / Sint-Jost-ten-Node Brussels BELGIUM Tel.: +32 (0) 22 567 427 www.esn.org If you have any questions or would like to know more about ESN, please contact us directly at secretariat@esn.org. For any information regarding the ESNSurvey, directly contact the ESNSurvey team at survey@esn.org.
ESNSurvey 2009 Provision and Quality
ESNSurvey 2008 Exchanging Cultures
ESNSurvey 2007 Generation Mobility
ESNSurvey 2006 Exchange studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; right
ESNSurvey 2005 The experience of studying abroad for exchange students in Europe
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.