Challenges and opportunities for student mobility in a Nordic context NUAS, Stockholm Lene Oftedal, Senior Adviser Department for Higher Education

2 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Outline 1.Policy context 2.Challenges for Higher education Institutions (HEIs) 3.Opportunities

3 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Policy Contexts 1.National/regional strategies to foster student mobility 2.Institutional strategies to foster internationalisation 3.The Bologna Process 4.The Nordic Cooperation and EU cooperation

4 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research The Bologna Process 1.Enhance mobility of students and staff 2.Reduce obstacles to mobility 3.20 % of the candidates mobile by 2020 inside European Higher Education Area

5 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research EU cooperation 20 % learning mobility by 2020 world-wide Mobility : 15 ECTS or 3 months stduy abroad (like Erasmus mobility) Europe2020 : 40 % HE attainment, employability : LLP+Erasmus Mundus = Erasmus for All Nordic Cooperation Enhance mobility between the Nordic and Baltic HEIs Both long-term and short term mobility : NORDPLUS

6 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Spain, Latvia and Lithuania. The most popular destination among European students was Spain, which received students, followed by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy. The average monthly EU grant received by students (including both studies and work placements) was EUR 250 – a small decrease on the previous year (EUR 254). The number of zero-EU grant students (6 880) represents around 3 % of the total amount of student mobility periods. This shows the success of the Erasmus ‘branding’, since in situations where the national Erasmus budget for an academic year has already been allocated, for example, additional students can benefit from all the advantages of being an Erasmus student (such as non-payment of tuition fees to the host institution) without receiving EU funding. The average duration of student exchanges was six months. This has remained constant over the past decade. Erasmus also actively supports the participation of students with special needs by offering a supplementary grant. The number of students with special needs taking part has increased in the past few years. In , 254 students with special needs received additional funding to participate in Erasmus, a slight decrease in numbers on the previous year. Although this is a relatively low figure, it reflects the limited low participation rates of students with special needs in Higher Education in general. E R A SMUS S T U D E N T M O B I L I T Y | 5 Some (3 041) European Higher Education Institutions sent students abroad through Erasmus in , out of a total of institutions holding an Erasmus University Charter (EUC) that year. Mobility for Studies Erasmus offers students the possibility of studying at another Higher Education Institution. Erasmus Student Mobility for Studies, which is the most common action, enables students to spend a study period of 3 to 12 months abroad. It aims to provide students with the opportunity of studying in another country, to promote cooperation between institutions and help enrich their educational environment, and to contribute to building a pool of well- qualified, open-minded and internationally experienced young people. In just over students went abroad to study with an Erasmus grant. Out of the Erasmus students, student exchanges for studying were supported in , an increase of 7.2 % on the previous year. This means that on average a student left to study abroad as part of Erasmus every three minutes. Type of student mobility Total Studies Work placements (traineeships) Student mobility Total number of Erasmus students Average EU monthly grant (EUR) Average duration (months) Number of special needs students Top sending countries (absolute numbers) ES, FR, DE, IT, PL FR, DE, ES, UK, PL ES, FR, DE, IT, PL Top sending countries ( % share of the student population) LU, LI, ES, IS, PT LV, LT, LI, FI, DK LU, LI, ES, LV, LT Top receiving countries ES, FR, DE, UK, IT UK, ES, DE, FR, IT ES, FR, DE, UK, IT Level of studies ( % share) Bachelor 69.7 % Master 28.8 % Doctorate 0.9 % Short-cycle 0.6 % Bachelor 56.3 % Master 21.9 % Doctorate 2.35 % Short-cycle % Bachelor 67 % Master 28 % Doctorate 1 % Short-cycle 4 % Zero-EU grant students Average age of students (years) Number of Higher Education Institutions sending students in Gender balance ( % of women) 60.9 % 61.8 % 61.0 %

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8 Challenges

9 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Obstacles to ingoing mobility Scotland. 1. Immigration, 2. Funding 3. Curriculum Sweden : 1. language Norway : 1. Cost of living 2. Language Finland : 1. Language, Student Service and accomodation, 3. Funding Denmark Iceland : No obstacles Source : : National stocktaking reportswww.ehea.info

10 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Obstacles to outgoing mobility Scotland : 1. Motivating students, 2. Duration of Erasmus placements, 3. Recognition Sweden : 1. Information, 2. Motivating students, 3. Curriculum&study organisation Norway: 1.Motivating students, 2. Recognition, 3. Language Iceland : No obstacles Finland : 1. Personal reasons, 2. Curriculum&study organisation 3. Funding Denmark : 1. Personal reasons, 2. Funding 3. Motivating students Source : : National stocktaking reportswww.ehea.info

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15 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Opportunities

16 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Erasmus for All Budget increase of approximately 70% Two thirds of budget targets learning mobility 5 million people could study or work abroad Two key objectives: individual mobility competitiveness of education sector

17 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Youth in Action International higher Education programmes: Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink, bilateral Programmes Grundtvig Erasmus Leonardo Comenius Lifelong Learning Programme One integrated Programme Current Programmes Erasmus for All 1. Learning mobility of individuals 3. Support for policy reform 2. Cooperation for innovation and best practices Specific Actions: Jean Monnet Sport Erasmus for All

18 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Learning mobility of individuals  Staff mobility, in particular for teachers, trainers, school leaders and youth workers  Mobility for higher education student, vocational education and training students  Master degree scheme  Volunteering and youth exchanges Cooperation for innovation and best practices  Strategic partnerships between youth organisations and other relevant actors  Large-scale partnerships between education and training establishments and business  IT-Platforms  Cooperation with third countries Support for policy reform  Open method of Coordination  EU tools: valorisation and implementation  Policy dialogue with stakeholders, third countries and international organisations Erasmus for All – new integrated programme

19 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Key Action 1 : Learning mobility of individuals  Staff: teachers, trainers, school leaders and youth workers  Students: HE students (including joint/double degrees) and VET students  Masters Students: additional opportunities via a new loan guarantee mechanism  Youth mobility: volunteering and youth exchanges  International dimension: HE mobility for EU and non-EU beneficiaries Key action 1: Learning mobility of individuals 1.International opening : more mobility of students and staff between EU – non EU in both directions 2.Joint Master courses of high quality offered by consortium of EU/non EU universities to attract the very best students worldwide 3.Student Loan guarantee to boost degree mobility within Europe What does it mean for education and training?

20 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Key Action 2 : Cooperation for innovation and good practices  Strategic partnerships between education institutions (or between youth organisations) and/or relevant actors  ‘ Knowledge Alliances ’ : Large-scale partnerships between higher education / training institutions and businesses  ‘ Sector Skills Alliances ’  IT support platforms, including e- Twinning  International dimension: Capacity building in third countries, focus on Neighbourhood countries Key action 2: Co-operation for innovation and good practices What does it mean for education institutions? 1.Erasmus Strategic Partnerships: more intense cooperation between institutions. 2.Knowlegde Alliances: structure partnerships between HEI and businesses 3. Specific support with neighbourhood countries: More cooperation between universities for capacity building and more student and staff mobility. 4. Rest of the world: More cooperation between institutions in the EU and rest of the world for capacity building.

21 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Key Action 3 : Support for policy reform  Strategic partnerships between education institutions (or between youth organisations) and/or relevant actors  ‘ Knowledge Alliances ’ : Large-scale partnerships between higher education / training institutions and businesses  ‘ Sector Skills Alliances ’  IT support platforms, including e- Twinning  International dimension: Capacity building in third countries, focus on Neighbourhood countries Key action 3: Support for policy reform What does it mean for HE? 1.Support the OMC, Higher Education Modernisation Agenda, ESL, Bologna/Copenhaqen Process, :. 2.Support development and implemenation of EU transparancy tools and EU wide networks 3.Support Policy Dialogue with third countries

22 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Nordplus objectives - Linking HEIs - Share best practice - Cooperation between HEIs and relevant stakeholders - Cooperation between HEIs and labour market

23 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Nordplus programme for the Nordic and Baltic countries NORDPLUS : 3 actions : 1. Mobility : students, staff, express 2. Network activities 3. Project activities : Intensive courses, joint programmes, curriculum development

24 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Possibilites through NUAS cooperation

25 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research HEIs making recognition decicions for further studies

26 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Personal development

27 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Remove obstacles Recognition and Learning agreements between HEIs Funding ? Mobility windows in study programmes – at least 15 ECTS in the same semester Motivation IT platforms : Closer cooperation between HEIs

28 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Wrap - up Student mobility is part of HEIs internationalisation Motivating students to go abroad is a challenge for the Nordic countries and Scotland Mobility programmes, Nordplus, Nordic Masters and the new integrated Erasmus for All will contribute to student mobility NUAS : common solutions

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30 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Tusen takk for oppmerksomheten, Thank you