Foreign students on the rise in Croatian universities.
The mobility of students within the European Union, in which Croatia has so far participated quite modestly, is extremely valuable for them in finding a job and progressing in their professional careers. The capacity to adapt, communication skills, willingness for teamwork, analytical and problem-solving skills – these are qualities which are becoming more developed when students spend some time abroad, especially when it comes to students from Southern and Eastern Europe, according to the research published by the European Commission, reports Novilist on February 14, 2016.
In the past six years, since Croatian students became eligible to participate in the Erasmus program, a little more than 4,000 Croatian students took the opportunity to study abroad. Most of them went to Germany, Austria, Spain, Slovenia and Poland, which have proved to be the most popular destinations. Student exchanges are the most popular with students in the fields of social sciences, humanities and natural sciences.
At the same time, Croatian higher education institutions were attended by more than 2,000 students from abroad, mainly from Poland, Spain, France, Germany and Slovenia. However, the popularity of Croatian universities among students and teachers from abroad is growing. It is expected that in the academic year 2015/2016 more than 1,500 foreign students will come to Croatia, mostly from member states of the European Union.
During the 27 years of the implementation of Erasmus program, grants to study or train abroad have been received by 3.3 million students. In the poorer countries of the European Union, the lack of financial support is the main obstacle to student mobility. While the Erasmus program provides an average of 274 euros per student, other costs have to be borne by the students themselves.
Reluctance to participate in mobility programs is more frequent in families where parents do not have an academic education, which generally means they have lower incomes as well. Thus, 57 percent of students from non-academic families in the countries of Southern Europe and 54 percent in Eastern Europe will not take part in mobility programs due to financial reasons, while in the families with academic “backgrounds” about 45 percent of students will decide to stay at home due to the lack of money. Most students are ready to go abroad if they are provided with sufficient financial support. In the more developed parts of Europe, finances prevent the mobility of only 30 percent of students.
