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European Union: European Union Education Profile 2012

2012/03/09

Studying in the European Union

The EU's 27 member countries boast a vast number of higher education institutions, offering qualifications recognised throughout the EU.

All higher education systems are nationally run. The EU role is centred mainly around improving comparability between systems and helping students and teachers move between them more easily.

EU-China European Studies Centres Programme

Funding programmes

There are a number of funding programmes that complement the European Commission's policy-related work and contribute to priorities agreed by the EU institutions and Member States. These mechanisms give financial and technical support to organisations and individuals, enabling them to run or participate in thousands of projects each year all over the European Union and beyond. The Commission is assisted in this work by the Audiovisual, Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), together with networks of national agencies and offices.

The Lifelong Learning Programme, lasting from 2007 to 2013, is the flagship European funding programme and means that, for the first time, a single framework covers all learning opportunities from childhood to old age. With a budget of €7bn, it supports projects and activities that foster exchange, co-operation and mobility across the EU, building on initiatives previously grouped under the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and eLearning programmes.

In addition, there are efforts with a wider reach. The Tempus programme, first launched in 1990, helps modernise higher education in countries surrounding the EU. Meanwhile, the Erasmus Mundus Programme, launched in 2004, opens up EU education systems to students and organisations around the world.

Find a course (PLOTEUS portal)
Learning, training and exchange opportunities throughout the EU

EU lifelong learning programme
Umbrella programme for all EU education and training initiatives (Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Comenius, Grundtvig, Jean Monnet, Tempus, Erasmus Mundus)

Study in Europe (Erasmus programme)
Erasmus helps students study in other European countries via exchange programmes, and encourages cooperation between higher-education institutions;

While each EU Member State is responsible for the organisation and content of its education and training systems, there are advantages in working together on common issues. The European Commission supports national efforts in two main ways:

Through the Comenius programme, it invests millions of euros each year in projects that promote school exchanges, school development, the education of school staff, school assistantships and more.
The Commission works closely with national policy-makers to help them develop their school education policies and systems. It gathers and shares information and analysis and encourages the exchange of good policy practices.

Priority areas

The present inequalities in education and training have significant hidden costs for individuals, societies and economies. Education should be efficient in producing a high standard of excellence and equitable in raising the general level of skills. Social inclusion is another key concern.

Education ministers from EU Member States have set themselves four broad areas to work on to improve national school systems, including priorities such as teacher education, key competences, language learning, ICT, maths, science and technology, active citizenship and social cohesion.

Challenges in these areas are considerable. One-quarter of young people under the age of 15 only attain the lowest level of proficiency in reading; 15% of young people aged 18-24 leave school prematurely; only 78% of 22-year-olds have completed their upper secondary education; the level of interest in some subjects, such as science and mathematics, is low.

The European Commission produces regular studies on the situation across Europe. Read more about monitoring progress.

Key competences

Schools should help pupils take responsibility for their own learning and personal development throughout their lives and provide them with the essential ‘competences ’ – i.e. knowledge, skills and attitudes – for successful membership of society and the workforce.

The European Union's Framework of Key Competences identifies these fundamental competences and aims to help countries to revise their school curricula to reflect the changing needs of society and the economy.

Pupils and students This table includes the total number of persons who are enrolled in the regular education system in each country. It covers all levels of education from primary education to postgraduate studies. It corresponds to the target population for education policy.

Foreign languages learnt per pupil - The average number of foreign languages learned per pupil in secondary education (ISCED 2 and 3) is obtained by dividing the total number of pupils learning foreign languages by the number of pupils at that level. A foreign language is recognised as such in the curriculum or other official document relating to education in the country. Irish, Luxembourgish and regional languages are excluded, although provision may be made for them in certain Member States. Allowing for exceptions, when one of the national languages is taught in schools where it is not the teaching language, it is not considered as a foreign language.

Unemployment rates of the population aged 25-64 by level of education - The indicators focus on the 25 to 64 years old. They show the "probability" of being without a job for those who would like to have one, broken-down by level of education. The indicators provide a measure of difficulties that people with different levels of education have to face in the labour market and offer a first idea of the impact of education in reducing the chances of being unemployed.

Private expenditure on education as % of GDP - Expenditure on educational institutions from private sources comprises school fees; materials such as textbooks and teaching equipment; transport to school (if organised by the school); meals (if provided by the school); boarding fees; and expenditure by employers on initial vocational training.