International Policy Conference on Student Loans

This one and a half day Conference will turn the spotlight on the latest developments and prospects of Student Loans. Philippe Maystadt, President of the European Investment Bank, will open the Conference.

Objectives

The conference will aim to bring the topic of student loans to the forefront of the policy arena in the EU, and initiate the discussion in other countries (e.g. Mediterranean Partner Countries, Balkans, etc.). The conference will examine and discuss the alternative student loan initiatives that are currently in place in EU member countries and in other parts of the world, and will foster opportunities for discussion and dialogue among administrations and/or banks thinking about introducing a student loan scheme. In particular the conference will aim to:

• synthesize experiences on student loan programmes and disseminate this knowledge among participants;
• identify innovative and successful initiatives and practices;
• facilitate the exchange of lessons and experiences among institutions and countries; and
• identify programme options and the conditions under which they are successfully implemented. In addition, the conference will brainstorm on how additional funding mechanisms, such as student loans, can complement the existing Erasmus grant scheme to enhance the mobility of students across Europe.

Target Audience
The conference is targeted at Tertiary Education senior policymakers, financial institutions and the wider education concerned with funding of Tertiary Education in general, and student loans in particular. Participants will include:

• Representatives from the European Commission;
• Representatives from Student Loan Agencies;
• Official Representatives from Ministries of Higher Education and Finance and other Agencies;
• Representatives from European financial intermediaries;
• Representatives from Student Institutions;
• Representatives from OECD, World Bank, UNESCO;
• Researchers from Tertiary Education Institutions.

The Conference will have five sessions:

• Student loans as a key piece of a Higher Education Financing Model;
• Practical experiences: lessons learned from case studies in the EU;
• Roundtable on critical success factors for Student Loans - guests from Student Loan Agencies, Ministries of Higher Education and Banks.
• Advancing student mobility through new financing solutions;
• Roundtable to brainstorm possibilities for collaboration at an EU level to facilitate access to loan facilities for students wishing undertake part of their studies in another country, inter alia, the viability of a pan-European scheme to enhance mobility at EU-level.