1) The exception of the Italian undergraduates

How do University students live and study? This is what the fourth Eurostudent survey focuses on. The research project is based on the results obtained from a questionnaire addressed to students coming from 25 European countries. It is a comparative survey analysing the situation of Italian students within the larger European landscape. The aspects the study focuses on are age profile, work and study time management, housing conditions and the involvement in international mobility experiences.

Age profile

In Italy, the student population is quite young. Students, indeed, are on average 23 years old and only 5% of them are more than 30 years old. Only Croatia and Turkey register a lower percentage of “old” students (2%). This datum gives food for thought as to the capacity of the Italian University system to attract – or to create specific learning paths for – the so called non-traditional students, especially if we consider that in other countries, such as Norway, Denmark and Austria, the number of students aged more than thirty years is equal to one third or one fifth of the total student population.

Those aged more than thirty years decide to go to University after a transition period and, generally, come from poor families. Vice versa, in the countries taken into account, younger students (aged less than 24 years) have, on average, a better socio-cultural and family background. These people enrol at University just after the end of high school.

Since age is the variable that influences the most the probability of a student being parent, it is understandable that Italy (together with Croatia and Turkey) registers the lowest percentage of students having children (3%). In northern Europe this datum is definitely much higher (in Norway it is equal to 26%). In any case, even focusing only on students aged more than thirty years, in Italy the percentage of those who have children is lower than the European one, 42% vs. 56%.

Time mangement

How do students manage their time? What do they generally do during the week? Logically, most of their time is devoted to studying (this time includes the hours for courses and those for individual study) but, almost in every “Eurostudent” country, a certain amount of hours is devoted to working activities. On that regard, Italy (together with Turkey) is an exception. Italy, indeed, registers one of the lowest percentages of students regularly employed – 19% vs. the European average of 50%[1] – and a reduced number of hours dedicated weekly to working activities.

This different way of balancing time between study and work depends especially on students’ age and cultural background. Students aged more than thirty years and those belonging to weaker social contexts devote more hours to working and have, consequently, less time to study. This trade-off is particularly evident in Italy.

Moreover, compared with other countries, Italy reflects other differences.

The gap generated by social origins is stronger. Only 11% of students coming from families with a University background work. The percentage increases (40%) if the education level of parents is low. Compared with students having a higher background, those having parents with no University education devote much more time to paid working activities (Tables 1-2).
Students spend many hours studying individually.
As well as Portugal, Italy registers the highest percentage (35%) of students unsatisfied of the way they manage time. The European average is 24% and, maybe, it is no coincidence that in such countries the number of hours dedicated to studying activities is much higher (around 40 hours).