The EUROSTUDENT project collates comparable data on the social and economic conditions of student life in Europe. Its aim is to provide comparative indicators on the social and economic conditions of studying in European higher education systems as a backbone for policy‐makers at national and European level and for in‐depth comparative and country analyses into specific topics.

In policy debates on national and international levels (e.g. Bologna Process, Lisbon Agenda), students are seen as the building blocks of a knowledge‐based society, the pivotal point of strategies for making higher education more effective and more responsive and, increasingly, as a supplementary source of funding (cost‐sharing). In all of these cases, it is essential to know more about students' lives in order to evaluate current higher education policies (e.g. how high should student support be;how many places at student halls of residence are necessary; and do the framework conditions enable students to act as informed consumers or do certain framework conditions constrain their actions). This knowledge is becoming even more important because demographic and policy changes (incl. initiatives for lifelong learning) are resulting in a much less homogeneous student body.

The project produces comparative data in eight topic areas:

• demographic characteristics of students
• access routes to higher education
• socio‐economic background
• accommodation
• income and student support
• expenses
• employment and time budget,
• and international mobility.

The EUROSTUDENT project is organised on the basis of shared responsibility between all project partners. The EUROSTUDENT study is the product of a decentralised network coordinated centrally. The data comes from national surveys which are implemented by each participating country. However, participation in the EUROSTUDENT project is dependent on the adoption of the EUROSTUDENT core questions and central data conventions.

In Estonia, the project will aim to cover all higher education institutions offering study programs at ISCED 5a and ISCED5b levels. The project would be carried out in spring 2010 in cooperation with the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, Archimedes Foundation, Federation of Estonian Student Unions and higher education institutions. In Estonia, the implementation of the project is funded by European Social Fund through Primus Program.