ANSA thinks the lack of information and money is what keeps students from exchanging.

– We in ANSA think it is great that students enjoy Norway, but that is not really the problem. Other reasons keep students from exchanging even when they want to, but many still choose not to, says Karoline Myklebust, president of the Association for Norwegian Students Abroad, ANSA.
Myklebust refers to a recently published report from the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU). The report covers exchange among Norwegian students, and concludes that family, boyfriends and girlfriends and well-being are the most important barriers among the students who choose not too go on exchange.
– It´s easy to conclude that the most important mobility barriers for students who stay at home are boyfriends, girlfriends and well-being, and that there is nothing else to do to improve the possibilities for foreign exchanges, says Myklebust.

Wrong focus

In 2008, ANSA carried out their own survey among students who were considering studying abroad.
– We found that poor financing, lacking information and few language qualifications were the highest barriers. These are facts we can improve, says Myklebust.

Leader in the National Union of Students in Norway (NSU) Anne Karine Nymoen supports Myklebust´s criticism of SIU.

– Our goal is that everyone who wants to exchange will have the opportunity to do so. There should therefore be a focus on why those who wish to travel, still don´t, says Nymoen.
She also thinks that other conditions that family and well-being can be determining whether students choose to study abroad or not.

Money not a problem

Information leader in SIU, Hanne Alver Krum, rejects ANSA and NSU´s criticism.
– We simply wanted to find out what makes people go on exchange and what makes people stay at home. We therefore chose to interview students studying in Norway, and not the students who are residing abroad, says Krum.
Krum highly doubts that money is an important reason for students choosing to stay at home instead of exchanging.
– The biggest challenge is not the financing. The stay does not need to be expensive, as long as the student chooses a school with small tuition fees and the place is cheaper to live in than in Norway, says Krum.
Myklebust, on the contrary, thinks the report illustrates that financing is one of the problems that needs to be taken care of.
– Financing is in fourth place on the list over the barriers that hinder students in exchanging. If SIU thinks this problem is unreal, they need to improve their information on the existing possibilities, says Myklebust.