Students happy with their universities and optimistic about the future

Six out of every ten students are happy with their experience at university, which they say they are "enthusiastic" about and/or "happy" with. Their expectations about the future are today higher than three years ago when the first Via Universitària survey was conducted. Thirty-six percent believe that their studies will enable them to attain a high social status, a jump up from 25% in 2016. The majority (54%) also believe that their studies will enable them to earn a good income compared to 40% in 2016. Eight out of every ten students believe that their studies will help them improve themselves and get a better job or one related to their studies. Sixty percent of students feel integrated in university life and think that they are well positioned for taking their place in the world of work and society at large. Sixty-eight percent believe the university has helped them a lot.

There is a moderate level of institutional involvement from students. Two out of every ten undergraduate students have participated in a university management body, assembly or association. Likewise, participation in cultural and sporting activities is low, with only three out of every ten students showing an interest. 

Still a lot to do on the gender and social equity front

Students from well-off families are the majority at university: 55% in bachelor's degrees and 58% in master's degrees. Students from lower-income families are the least represented group in both degree types, just 11% of students.

Female students make up the majority (62%), but they are still a minority in engineering degrees (32%) and mixed qualifications (44.6%). The Via Universitària study also shows that course choice reflects gender-based domestic roles. Female students gravitate towards areas of health and care, while male students choose the external sphere of power and decision-making.

The Vives Network report also shows that female students work much harder, especially in traditionally male degrees, where they are the minority. They are more disciplined and conscientious in their studies. A greater percentage of female students demonstrate a high level of dedication (over 40 hours a week) to their studies: 40% versus 34%. Female students invest more time in attending class and studying, in addition to caring for others, doing housework and commuting. Male students dedicate more time to paid work, hobbies and their social lives. 

Furthermore, as age increases, the more difficult it is for women to be students because their family responsibilities more greatly affect them, and they give up more free time than men. Female students have two hours a week less free time than their male counterparts.

Most students still get to university via the traditional route

Most students (82%) get to university via the traditional route, i.e., by doing the university entrance exam, without interrupting or delaying their studies. Only one in ten access by other routes, such as vocational training (an entry path that has dropped by seven percentage points in the last three years) 

Interruptions to study are caused by social, economic and work factors. Children of foreigners and members of families with a low level of education are more likely to delay completing their university studies. As are older students, who enter university with lower marks and study online, in addition to engineering, architecture and experimental science students.

Family support is essential for studying at university

Parents are the primary funders of study, 58% for bachelor's degrees and 43% for master's degrees. For 25% of undergraduate students, money from the family is the only way of paying for university-related expenses. Grants are the second biggest source of income for students. Although 60% of students receive no grant.

Income from work during the academic year or the holidays is the third biggest way students pay for their studies. More than half (52%) of undergraduate students work and study at the same time. Although this percentage has dropped 7% since 2016. Thirty-six percent of master's students study full-time.

Six out of every ten undergraduate students live with their parents

Sixty-three percent of undergraduate students live with their parents. Of students not living with their parents (35%), students from well-off families are most likely to live at university residences. Students from the least well-off families rent with other students. According to Eurostudent 2018, on average 36% of European students live with their parents. So the situation of students in the Vives Network study is similar to in Albania and Croatia (51%), Georgia (65%) and Italy (69%), in contrast to the trend in most countries in the European survey, according to which most students live away from their parents. In Finland, 4% of students live with their parents. In Denmark, the figure is 8% percent; in Norway, 9%.

Studying abroad — room for improvement

Only 8% of university students have studied abroad, although 37% plan on doing so. For nine out of every ten students, financial difficulties are a very or quite important obstacle to studying abroad. 

Students from well-off families study abroad twice as much as students from low-income families; 10% versus 4.7%. Students from middle-class families also study abroad at a lower rate than the most affluent (only 6.3%). Stays abroad are primarily paid for by parents (63%); grants, subsidies and loans (19%); and self-financing (16%). 

Via Universitària is central to Vives Network's student programme, occupying a prominent position among the 150 initiatives in the institution's annual action plan. The first edition of the survey, promoted by the Jaume Bofill Foundation, was published in 2016. This second edition was sponsored by the Government of Catalonia, the Agency for Quality Assurance in the Catalan University System (AQU), the Andorran Quality Agency for Higher Education and La Caixa bank.