EUA’s monitoring of the impact of the economic crisis on public funding for universities in Europe
EUA has been monitoring the evolution of the economic crisis and its effects on higher education systems in Europe since its onset in 2008 and has published several reports (see below).
The monitoring is conducted in close cooperation with EUA collective members, the National Rectors’ Conferences, who report on developments within their national higher education systems on a regular basis. The continuous feedback from various sources provides up-to-date reports of the situation and highlights the evolving nature of the effects the crisis has had on university funding across Europe.
The main objective of the monitoring is to look at the impact of the crisis on universities’ public funding and to identify in particular the trends in public funding across Europe. It also explores how the crisis has affected the nature of public funding and how such shifts are influencing universities at institutional level.
Monitoring map
Impact of the economic crisis on public funding for higher education in Europe*
* Aggregated budget decisions since 2008, updated first semester 2011. The map only highlights some specific examples; refer to the latest report for further information.
** See the latest report
The map compiles information on most European countries for which EUA has collected data. Figures are sometimes difficult to compare given the different methodologies used to calculate cuts in public funding and the different times when these take place; however, the comparison should give a sense of the trends in public funding and the latest developments across Europe. The map necessarily simplifies often complex situations.
To allow for a comparison at European level the map shows five main categories:
1. Major budget cuts in excess of 10% of the previous year’s budget (red)
2. Substantial cuts between 5 and 10% (orange)
3. Indirect or moderate cuts up to 5% (yellow)
4. Systems where previously agreed investments have been postponed or cancelled altogether (purple)
5. Public authorities have upheld commitments and further invested in higher education (green)
Reports
EUA has published several analysis reports on the impact of the economic crisis on universities in Europe, which further detail the situation in different higher education systems.
Other resources
EUA Report “Financially sustainable universities II: European universities diversifying income streams”
EUA’s work on financial sustainability
EUDIS project on income diversification
EUIMA events on full costing