Do you think it is important for young people to be able to start a family alongside their higher education studies, and if so, why?

I believe that the world where young people first earn a degree and then start a family has already passed. Family establishment and childbearing have been pushed back, and it is becoming increasingly rare for a family’s first child to be born between the ages of 20 and 25. I think it is important for young people to be able to start a family under orderly family circumstances, in marriage. Being a university or college student should not be an obstacle to this. I would reverse the order perceived in the question: it is not essential for them to be able to start a family alongside their higher education studies, but rather that they can study alongside a family. After all, family is more important!

What does your institution do to support family students, whether at admission, during studies, or after graduation?

The Selye János University in Komárom is considered a family-friendly university. Everyone has an equal opportunity at admission, and after obtaining a degree, there are not many opportunities to support students with children. However, during their studies, they have the opportunity and right to maternal scholarships for mothers raising young children. In other words, they receive the same social benefits as those mothers who entered maternity leave from employment. This is guaranteed by law in Slovakia. Our university provides all possible support to students with young children within the frameworks of higher education law and academic regulations. Currently, we have at least ten students on our faculty who are raising two or three children. Our instructors also take this into account, and without compromising the requirements or performance, we help our family students. In practice, this means we are definitely more flexible with exam deadlines and submission deadlines.

Do you plan to expand on the above, and if so, what guidelines do you expect from the NOE research for this?

We are open to every opportunity, tool, and solution that helps our students—in this case, our family students—to learn effectively. It would be great to completely eliminate the situation where a young mother has to choose between studying and raising or having children. The new opportunities uncovered by the NOE research—supportive constructs—will certainly be incorporated into our practice.

Why do you think the timing of family establishment is increasingly delayed for young people?

Unfortunately, I can only respond to this question as an elder. In our time, we perhaps matured and became adults earlier. I myself got married at 22 and moved out of my parents’ house to start a family with my wife. I do not experience this the same way with my now adult children. Today’s twenty-something generation may be a bit more comfortable, a bit more childish, and a bit more into partying than we were. And these are just the psychological perceived or real reasons. We have not yet considered the reasons found in the realm of mental, existential, or responsible adult behavior. Therefore, my answer is rather subjective and may not be entirely accurate.

What extracurricular programs or support could encourage family establishment, in your opinion?

For me, this is a difficult question, as I am neither a social expert nor a family politician. As a theologian, I can say that adherence to Christian morals and norms would certainly improve our current conditions. A shift in perspective would also help, where we do not always keep our own interests, needs, and desires in mind, as family establishment and childbearing is an important commitment and—at some level—a renunciation, but a pleasant renunciation. This should somehow be instilled in the hearts of the rising generations.

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Do you think it is important for young people to be able to start a family while pursuing higher education, and if so, why?

Yes, I consider it exceptionally important because, in my opinion, supporting students with families during their university studies is value-creating and forward-looking. The parental example can also become exemplary for growing children, showing that a balance between family and study can be achieved, and that family community and knowledge are complementary and not mutually exclusive values. It is essential for our society and our Reformed community that its members grow up in emotionally secure, loving family relationships while also being educated individuals. I hope that this project will help us progress in this endeavor.

What does your institution do to support students with families, whether during the admission process, during their studies, or after graduation?

For family applicants, we have long supported those raising children in the higher education admission process, maintaining this support in the new admission scoring system, awarding a maximum of 40 institutional points out of 100 institutional points for applications to undergraduate programs, undivided training, and higher education vocational training, while master’s degree applicants may receive up to 5 points out of a maximum of 10 additional points for equal opportunity reasons (disadvantage, disability, child care).

The discounted study system offers flexible performance opportunities for students with families, while those participating in self-financed training can apply for installment payments and a self-financing discount, which are decided by the dean of the faculty responsible for training based on the rector’s authorization. In terms of infrastructure, the university’s Institute of Psychology within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has a mother-baby room to assist students arriving with small children. University chaplains are also available to support students with families within the University Chaplaincy framework.

Are you planning to expand on the above, and if so, what guidance do you expect from the NOE research?

After processing the student responses in the NOE research and having that knowledge, we can review potential new support opportunities and propose their implementation; without this knowledge, we do not plan to expand support for students with families.

What extracurricular programs or support do you think could encourage family formation?

I would find it appropriate to provide programs that emphasize the importance of both long-term goals and personal, friendly, and family relationships.

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Why do you think it is important for young people to be able to start a family alongside their higher education studies?

We treat the question of family formation and having children for young people in higher education or those planning to pursue it as a strategic priority. We consider NOE’s involvement crucial, as it concerns the future intellectuals and their children.

Why do you think young people are delaying family formation?

There are several reasons for this. First, Hungarian society has changed significantly in recent decades, as have gender roles. Many uncertainties exist; young people are searching for themselves and each other. One effect of the online world—with many beneficial aspects—is that social skills develop more slowly. Additionally, due to expanding educational opportunities, women have become more independent, often in the majority in many fields within higher education, making professional and career prospects highly attractive. I would also mention the global culture of body and youth, fears stemming from this, and concerns about overpopulation, all influencing decisions. It seems that, increasingly, career success and leisure opportunities are enough for many to feel fulfilled. We also cannot ignore that many lack positive examples and may have negative experiences, which are challenging to overcome. It’s essential, through the power of example, to show that they, too, can lead a happy family life with children.

What suggestions does NOE have to support young people’s childbearing within and outside higher education?

During the preparation-planning phase of the program proposal, NOE has formulated suggestions and ideas across several areas, focusing on positive approaches toward students with children. These cover infrastructure development, professional higher education policy, and social mobility topics. We hope that the research activities under the Erasmus+ program will allow us to make well-founded optimization suggestions concerning the educational activities, academic systems, and dormitory structures of higher education institutions.

Why did you start this higher education research, and what results do you expect?

Observing targeted research programs and emerging statistical data, we noticed that higher educational attainment indirectly or directly increases the likelihood of a second child being born, at least in the plans. We began the current research program in the belief that higher education, the professional and scientific experiences accumulated during university or college years, and not least, the social, cultural, and relational capital could increase the planned number of children in the long run. We primarily expect the program to positively shift perceptions of students with families in partner higher education institutions and to ensure their opportunities are institutionally regulated. As the program progresses, our belief strengthens that the success of research and analysis activities—and the practices tested at the institutional level focusing on positive approaches—can serve as a model for other higher education institutions as well.

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Do you think it is important for young people to be able to start a family while studying in higher education, and if so, why?

“It never crossed my mind to advertise the university as a place specifically for family-oriented students. Young people need to support their families, which means they need to work. The goal should not be to encourage university students to start families prematurely. However, if they already have children, then, of course, we must do everything we can to support them in completing their studies. We had an example this year of a married couple, both in a master’s program. The wife gave birth in January, and by July, both had successfully defended their theses, taking turns holding the baby while the other took exams. These are individual cases, and we support them in any way we can.”

What does your institution do to support students with families, whether at admission, during their studies, or after graduation?

“The most important aspect is the exams, allowing for flexible exam periods. We provide an extra exam period for students with families based on individual requests. We don’t have centralized institutional solutions, but individual ones that we always adapt to specific needs by making the educational system and exam dates more flexible for them. Unfortunately, we cannot permit individual curricula, as we only have full-time programs. If we offered part-time programs, it would be more accommodating in this regard.”

Do you plan to expand upon these measures, and if so, what guidance do you expect from the NOE research?

“We should launch a part-time program, where students with families would have a much more flexible curriculum, receiving course materials and then taking exams on an individualized schedule with some consultations. Full-time study isn’t ideal for those who work and have families. We have a dormitory for families, and students with children also receive social assistance. This was the case for the students I mentioned earlier while they weren’t working. However, the social support was so minimal that they were forced to work, and the husband ultimately took six years instead of four to complete his studies.

He found work elsewhere, commuting to university, which was challenging… This is the issue with these situations. The main problem for today’s young people is that they go to university, and instead of finishing their bachelor’s degree at 22 and their master’s by 26 at the latest and starting work, the average completion time for a three-year program is nearly four years, and more than five for four-year programs, as students work, miss exams, and enroll in supplementary years. It’s not an isolated phenomenon; we have a significant number of students in supplementary years, which extends the study period, followed by a master’s degree. Naturally, this delays family formation. If everyone waited to finish university, they could start a family at a more ideal time. From accreditation data, I see many students struggle, especially in technical fields, where 80% of third-year students are already working. This is where the problem starts: they go for an internship, where their skills are noticed, and they get hired. They work, don’t attend university, fail exams, and fall into a cycle of enrolling again years later. Some take ten years to finish their bachelor’s degree. Ideally, we would provide a scholarship large enough so that students don’t have to work while studying, allowing them to complete their studies smoothly. Young people are forced to work because their parents are employed as cooks or day laborers at minimum wage, so they have to work. We offer less scholarship support than public universities, which technically should be enough for a student to survive, along with a smaller social scholarship. If they receive both, they can barely make ends meet if they stay in a dormitory and eat at the cafeteria. But once they start working, they fall into a vicious cycle. It’s impossible to do everything at once, and if a family comes into the picture on top of that… The state should help by covering students’ financial needs through scholarships while they study so that they can finish their degrees in 3-4 years and then work and start families in good time, while still young.”

What kind of programs or support outside of higher education would you consider beneficial to encourage family formation?

“The most important would be housing assistance, providing students with housing at a reduced rate with state support. Tax incentives would be the next helpful measure, for example, allowing families to pay half the taxes that others do. Counseling would also be essential; I attended a premarital course organized by the church, but there isn’t much like this from the state. Children need to be educated on these issues, explaining the order of life, starting in high school. Things must happen in sequence. Trying to do everything simultaneously is unsustainable.”

Why do you think young people are delaying family formation more and more?

“Of course, society is aging. Decades ago, there were far fewer university students, and a 20-year-old could already have children. Currently, 16% of Romania’s population has a higher education degree, and this percentage is just now starting to improve. The EU is also working toward increasing the number of university graduates. The difference from previous decades is that with more people pursuing higher education, family planning is delayed. In the past, this delay only occurred for those continuing their education, but they were few, and others could start families earlier. The solution isn’t for young people to have children while still in university, but to finish university on time so they can have more children if they start at a reasonable age. If they start having children at 30, it becomes challenging.”

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Do you think it’s important for young people to be able to start a family alongside their higher education studies, and if so, why?

Everyone should be given the opportunity to start a family if they feel ready and their circumstances allow it, regardless of whether they are studying, working, or engaged in other activities. I believe family planning is a significant life decision that shouldn’t be postponed simply because a person is in higher education. Therefore, our role is to not hinder but to support young people facing such a decision.

What does your institution do to support students with families during admission, their studies, or after graduation?

The admission system in Ukraine is highly centralized, which means we cannot provide any additional points, discounts, or other support to young people with families, as the admissions rules are based on central norms that favor war veterans, military personnel, and their families. Unfortunately, we cannot provide support during the admissions process. However, once a student is enrolled, if they have children, we offer certain benefits. For instance, in addition to academic scholarships, we have social scholarship programs that offer higher support for students with young children. We also provide subsidized housing options for students with families who wish to stay in dormitories.

Beyond higher education, our institution has also founded a preschool network, including a kindergarten in Berehove, where students, faculty, and staff can receive discounted spots for their young children. This is beneficial since kindergarten spots are limited in Ukraine, particularly in Berehove.

Within the institution, we have established a “mother-baby room” where students or colleagues with young children can attend to their needs. We support family-oriented students by offering flexible study schedules, including options for remote learning and tailored practical placements closer to home.

We also have a “Nest House” program providing housing to young staff without their own residence, enabling them to apply for institutional housing. We support both students and young staff members in this way.

Do you plan to expand these initiatives, and what insights are you looking to gain from the NOE research?

Our situation is mainly hindered by the unpredictability of Ukraine. This affects our ability to develop long-term family and institutional strategies. However, it is vital for us to support young people who want to start families. Due to the current war, we’ve had to suspend some social programs, such as creating additional housing units for young families.

We are constructing a sports complex and a swimming pool where we plan to offer free swimming lessons for children, which may contribute to a family-friendly future. We’ve also proposed that female faculty with young children be given an age extension on applications, recognizing child-rearing time as equivalent to work experience. For instance, if the application age limit is 35, then those with children could extend this by two years per child, making the process more accommodating.

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NOE launches comprehensive research for university students to have children

The National Association of Large Families (NOE) is conducting a wide-ranging survey to explore the opinions, plans and fears of higher education students about having children. The project, supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors that influence students’ decisions to have children and to make professional recommendations to higher education institutions and policy-makers to increase the propensity to have children.

In the first phase of the research, project staff will assess students’ life circumstances, priorities and challenges related to having children through focus group discussions. In the second and third phases, they will analyse administrative data and documents from participating institutions and interview teachers to identify best practices already in place and formulate possible ways of extending them, with new suggestions.

Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó, President of the NOE, said: “This project offers a unique opportunity to understand students’ childbearing patterns and to create an environment where starting a family is not a barrier but can be part of the university years.”

This will involve not only identifying but also analysing in detail the barriers that prevent students from having children, whether it is financial difficulties, time constraints, inflexible study requirements or societal expectations. The partner institutions of the research include Károli Gáspár Reformed University, Selye János University, Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College and Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, who are actively involved in the research, providing the necessary data and participants.

This comprehensive research is not only intended to directly support students, but also to contribute to the long-term solution of the demographic challenges in the country. Professional recommendations based on the results can help higher education institutions to provide a more supportive and flexible educational environment for students with families.

“The NOE is committed to working to create a supportive and inclusive environment for students with families, helping them to start a family and successfully combine higher education studies.” – adds Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó. Through the Erasmus+ project, the association can further strengthen its role in supporting students’ family formation and develop proposals that can make a real difference to the functioning of higher education institutions and to the lives of students. The experiences and results of the research will be published by the NOE on a dedicated website, where all the results of the project will be available.

Budapest, 24 May 2024.

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