Bologna With Student Eyes

15th May: ESIB releases its third survey on how the Bologna Process is implemented around Europe. Covering 36 European countries, the report analyses how the commitments made in the Bologna Process are implemented in practice at national level. The authors deduce that many reforms are carried out only superficially: For example the European credit and transfer system ECTS should facilitate mobility and put the learner in the center, but countries are not implementing it properly. It is shown that credits are notfully comparable within Europe.

Mobility of students, although one of the key Bologna objectives, remains connected to many obstacles. Student grants and loans are not fully portable for studies abroad yet, and additional financial support is missing.

It is clear that not all students can afford to be mobile. The report also reveals the unequal treatment of foreign students in many countries. Problems related to visa regulations and work permits are a major hurdle for non-EU students.

The Social dimension of the Bologna Process, discussed and worked with since 2001, is also still an area in which a lot of work continues to be neccessary. There is still not enough comparable data availible about the social situation of the students and in some countries the social situation has deteoriated.