This document shows an overview of all student affairs/student services in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom. It also includes a short portrait of the 17 member organisations of the ECStA at that time. The data is presented both from an institutional as well as from a task-oriented point of view.
The report concludes that there is no single model of student affairs/ student services in Europe. On the contrary, there exists a large variety and diversity in student support structures:
- national organisations responsible for all sectors (e.g. DSW in Germany or CNOUS in France)
- national organisations responsible for only one specific sector (e.g. the Swedish or Finish Student Housing Associations, or the Studienbeihilfebehörde in Austria)
- local organisations responsible for all sectors (Belgium, Portugal)
- organisations that are part of a university (e.g. departments for student affairs in the UK and Ireland)
But regardless from differences in structure and array of services, most student service organisations are sharing common values and have similar mission statements: to provide the best framework conditions for studies in higher education, and to provide equal opportunities and equal access to higher education for all students.