1. Luxembourg 30 January-1 February 2006
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Education and training Statistics Working Group
Luxembourg 30 January-1 February 2006
Indicators and Analysis Division
Directorate for Education

2. Finance data and indicators How to improve data collection on Financial aid to students Agenda item Doc. Ref ETS EN

3. Financial aid to students - Introduction
Increasing interest and demand observed on financial aid to students
Many articles in newspapers after the release of EAG 2005
Many studies undertaken at national and international levels
(EPI on student loans , Ireland and CHEPS on student financial support, Eurostat Country profile on UOE, Finance comparability study on UOE)

4. Financial aid to students - 3 levels of improvement
UOE data collection: How to improve the comparability and definitions of financial aid to students?
4 weaknesses highlighted (gross/net student loans, average tuition fees, type of subsidies, tax reductions)
EAG: How to improve indicator on financial aid to students?
Data development : What are the limits of the current data collections? What data developments are needed to improve the indicator and analysis in future editions of EAG?

5. Planned development
Financial aid to students was discussed at the 25th INES TG meeting held in November The main conclusions:
TG members agreed about the relevance of financial aid to students at the national/international level and
welcomed the proposal for development on this subject
A 2-step schedule has been agreed for further development:
First, qualitative improvement:
Target: text of indicator B5 in EAG 2006
Second, data collection development:
Target: tables and text of indicator B5 in EAG 2007

6. 1 – qualitative development
Problems with indicator B5 of EAG 2005: difficulties to interpret and analyse comparative table on financial aid to students as:
No information on all types of subsidies available
No information about relationships between tuition fees charged and scholarship/loans proposed
can not be used to compare expenditure on student loans (reported in gross ) and scholarships
does not provide explanations on the structure put in place by government to provide subsidies
Objectives: add contextual notes on 2 areas (further to decision in 25 INES TG)
types of subsidies available
on average tuitions fees charged by institutions

7. 1 – qualitative development types of subsidies
Method agreed
Update of a table showing all types of subsidies by country
based on table published in EAG 2000 (chart B3.2) and Eurostat survey on country profiles
With information on existence rather than on amount of subsidies (or eligibility criteria)

8. 1- qualitative development type of subsidies

9. 1 – qualitative development average tuition fees
Method agreed
Importance to separate public and private institutions
To report average fees charged by institutions
To report range for average tuitions fees
To weight by enrolment if the minimum and maximum tuition fees present too much differences (Canada, USA)
Possibility to report more than one programme for public or private institutions if the difference between fees charged seems relevant at the national level
Example of Denmark with most of the programme in public institutions with no tuitions fees and some other programmes with tuitions fees

10. 1- qualitative development average tuitions fees
Average tuition fees charged by institutions (academic year 2003/2004 ),
in national currency
Tertiary-type B (5B)
Tertiary-type A (5A)
Annual average tuittion fees charged by institutions
Number or Proportion of students enrolled
Comments 1 2 3
Public institutions
Private institutions

11. 1 – qualitative development
Timetable (for both types of subsidies and average tuition fees)
Proposal of the form to collect information will be sent to the Working Group on finance for comment soon (deadline: 23 February 2006)
Final tables to be filled in will be sent to countries by 24 February 2006
Deadline for data collection: 17 March 2006 (first draft of EAG text to be ready by end of March)

12. 2 – Data collection development
Data not available yet that could improve the international comparison of financial aid to students
What represents the number of students that benefit from scholarship or/and loans?
What are the eligibility rules for scholarships, grants, tax reductions?
What are the loan interest subsidies? How are loans repaid?

13. 2 – data collection development
Method agreed: 2 steps
fill a quick survey to evaluate data availability at national level on tables proposed
Based on the answers to the quick survey, design a survey for a specific data collection
Timetable
Review of the quick survey by the Expert group on finance in March 2006
Quick survey send out in April 2006
Results of the survey to be presented during the 26 INES TG (7-9 June 2006)
Survey design to be ready for a data collection after 27 INES TG meeting (6-8 December 2006)

14. Quick survey on data availability and then design of tables to collect
Summary
Qualitative improvement
Data collection development
Tables to fill in on:
average tuition fees
types of subsidies
Quick survey on data availability and then design of tables to collect
Method
Deadlines for countries
24 February to 17 March 2006
End (after 6-8 December 2006)
EAG 2006
EAG 2007