Portability of student financial support. An inventory in 23 European Countries

This reports deals with the question to what extent national student support can be used for study abroad. The report shows that such opportunities are much stronger for short-term study visits than for full-degree study abroad. In addition, indirect support (support through students¿ parents) can be more often used for study abroad than direct support (grants and loans). The reports particularly shows the tension between the growing demands for portability of student support in view of internationalisation and recent decisions of the European Court of Justice that make it easier for students to claim financial support in other EU-countries. The concept of EU-citizenship is stretched, which may lead to unintended use of student support (by foreign EU-students). Some governments fear for a development towards a situation of `student finance tourism¿ at the expense of countries with well-developed systems of direct student aid. To limit the risks governments are reluctant about further extending portability opportunities.