Participants from across Europe gathered online to provide input on developing a tool that will help students navigate higher education opportunities continent-wide

On 29 September 2025, the European Higher Education Sector Observatory (EHESO) hosted an online policy workshop bringing together more than 50 students, student representatives and policy experts to shape the development of the European Student Hub – a new tool designed to help students make informed decisions about where to study in Europe.

The three-hour workshop, attended by participants from across the continent, marked a significant milestone in ensuring that student voices directly influence the design of this ambitious initiative.

A one-stop shop for student information

The European Student Hub, being developed as part of EHESO with funding from Erasmus+, aims to become a comprehensive online platform where mobile European students and international students can compare universities and study programmes across Europe. Unlike traditional university rankings, the tool will allow students to define their own priorities and preferences, showcasing the diversity of European higher education.

Marc Goffart, Policy Officer for Higher Education at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC), emphasised that students should not only be users of the tool but also take ownership of it. "The tool builds on substantial and long-standing EU investment in higher education data," he explained, highlighting policy dimensions including inclusion and diversity, teaching and learning, future-proof skills, and the value of mobility and European identity.

Beyond academics: what students really want to know

The workshop revealed that students prioritise practical, immediate concerns when choosing where to study. Through interactive discussions and polls, participants consistently emphasised housing availability, cost of living and financial requirements as their top concerns – often ranking these above traditional academic indicators.

"Housing crisis and accommodation availability were identified as critical issues requiring explicit data and disclaimers, especially in major cities," noted Arno Schrooyen of the European Students' Union, who co-moderated one of the breakout sessions.

Social and cultural life emerged as equally important as academic factors in university selection. Participants emphasised that the tool should capture the holistic student experience, including campus life, accessibility for students with disabilities, and diversity and inclusion data.

Interestingly, long-term career outcomes ranked relatively low in importance, with students explaining that current economic uncertainty makes present-day practical information more pressing than distant career prospects.

Design principles for a student-centred tool

Caroline Friedhoff and Gero Federkeil from CHE presented the concept and roadmap for the European Student Hub, outlining key design principles including transparency about data sources and methodology, a non-commercial approach with no featured universities, and synergies with existing EU tools like Eurostudent, Eurograduate and Study in Europe.

The intention is that the tool will be launched in several phases, beginning with a student benchmarking tool in winter 2025, followed by expansion phases that will add city and country-level information.

Crucially, the benchmarking tool will start with user preferences rather than institutional similarities, allowing students to filter by field of study, degree level, university characteristics, fee levels and geographic region. Results will be presented through institutional profiles, visual performance charts and student survey results using accessible five-star ratings.

Reaching students where they are

The workshop's discussion on the communication strategy revealed the complex challenge of reaching diverse student populations. Participants identified multiple channels including social media, secondary school teachers, student counsellors, career fairs, family members and connections with existing trusted European tools like Europass and Euroguidance.

Panagiotis Chatzimichail of the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) highlighted the importance of transitions from secondary to higher education: "Each teacher reaches approximately 30 students, making them a crucial dissemination channel."

Participants emphasised that the tool's communication should be tailored to different student levels and diverse populations, combining an authoritative tone with authentic student testimonials. Visual content and videos, potentially student-created, were identified as essential for engagement.

Ensuring inclusivity and accessibility

Throughout the workshop, participants raised important concerns about ensuring that the tool serves all students. Questions were posed about whether institutions excluded from Erasmus would be disadvantaged, how the tool would support students with disabilities and whether diversity and inclusion data would be adequately represented.

The EHESO team confirmed that the tool will be built in compliance with European Commission accessibility standards and emphasised that indicators will reflect student preferences rather than quality judgements. A working group focused on diversity and inclusion perspectives has been proposed for the tool's second development phase.

Next steps and continued engagement

The workshop produced valuable insights that will directly inform the tool's development. Marc Goffart emphasised that EHESO needs to commit to continued stakeholder engagement, including inviting students to test the benchmarking tool before its public release.

When asked to imagine a 2028 newspaper headline celebrating the Hub's success, participants envisioned outcomes like "European Student Hub: the go-to source for students worldwide" and "Making informed decisions easier for all students."

The European Student Hub represents an ambitious effort to provide comprehensive, student-centred information about higher education opportunities across Europe. With students' voices at the heart of its development, the tool aims to help the next generation of learners make informed decisions about their educational futures.