Abstract:

Purpose:
This research studies academic mobility of students as a means of higher education systems’ integration. The benefit of this study is the review of European countries’ experience in tackling the financial obstacles to academic mobility of students. The main purpose of the study is to reveal the means of financial stimulation of academic mobility that some European countries use.

Methodology:
The theoretical basis of the study is the conceptual ideas of modern researchers in the study of academic mobility. We used the comparative and systematic approach to study the existing scientific works on the problem of academic mobility and obstacles to its development. We used the analytical method to study the national reports on the subject under study and synthesized its results to make the conclusions and recommendations for the colleagues.

Results:
The research presents various approaches to the definition of the notion “academic mobility” based on the Bologna agreements. The main part of the study analyses the main obstacles to academic mobility of students in European countries, focusing on the financial obstacles. The research reviews national reports on the realization of the main Bologna agreements and presents the statistic data with the main figures on the problem under study. The results of the study show that some European countries use effective instruments to tackle the financial obstacles to students’ mobility development. As this problem remains one of the relevant ones, the results of the study may be used in the new mobility programs creation and improving the existing ones. The materials of the research may be useful for the teachers of Foreign and Comparative Pedagogics, universities’ foreign departments and for those researchers who study the Bologna issues.

Keywords:

Student, academic mobility, Bologna process, obstacle, financial aspect.