Higher Education in Europe is 80% Financed by Public Funding Reports Agence France-Presse. (May 11, 2009)

    The news service AFP reports that Higher education in Europe is 80 % financed by public funding on average, but costs to students are rising, according to a study published Thursday by Euridyce, a European education information network that includes the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway and Turkey.

EU Education Commissioner Jan Figel told AFP, "I am not recommending a drop in public financing," and then pointed out that only the Scandinavian countries were reaching the EU objective of 2% of national GDP's going to higher education.

The Euridyce report makes the point that currently access to studies for a first university degree can be considered to be free to the student in a dozen countries including Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Poland and Sweden.

 The EU Education Commissioner said, "The tendency to demand private contributions is rising, But that must be counterbalanced by aid schemes for students," and according to the report what is happening in many of the countries surveyed is the possibility of an exemption or reduction of the education costs as a result of means testing the students' parents.