International Cooperation at the European Student Affairs Conference (ESAC) 2026

ESAC 2026 was a wonderful example of international cooperation. Naturally, the topic itself was also a significant highlight of the conference programme.

On the first day, the session on Supporting International Students explored how international students are enriching European higher education and what their needs are when it comes to student services:

• Sebastian Parte: "International Christmas Guest" – Intercultural exchange and social participation for international students

This presentation introduced the "International Christmas Guest" project run by the Hamburg Student Union. In order to promote social integration, the project pairs international students with local hosts to spend the Christmas period together, addressing the challenges of loneliness and disconnection. The programme grew from 19 students to 111 students since its start in 2014. In total, 603 students have participated, with students from 62 different countries. The presentation showed how low-threshold and voluntary participation foster intercultural exchange and create lasting personal connections.

• Olha Vakhrina: From arrival to belonging: PUT good practices

Olha Vakhrina presented how Poznan University of Technology helps students feel safe, informed, and included from arrival to full participation in campus life. Practical activities such as Orientation Day, Campus Game, and Intercultural Café help students understand the university, discover the campus, and learn about Polish culture while sharing their own traditions. The Buddy Programme connects new students with experienced peers and digital support is provided through the Onboarding Application. The presentation also pointed out Intercultural Café, an activity running successfully for almost 10 years.

• Dr Melanie Van Oort-Hall: Student support services for refugees and newcomers in Flemish higher education

This presentation examined the availability and accessibility of student support services for Refugee and Newcomer students in Flemish higher education institutions. Across the EU, 47% of highly educated immigrants are either overqualified or unemployed, compared with 30% of native-born peers. Almost 4 in 10 employed non-EU citizens work below their qualification level, which translates to a loss of human capital ("brain waste"). The presentation highlighted that while Flemish HEIs offer a broad range of student services, these are rarely tailored to the situation of non-EEA or R&N students. Information is often fragmented, hard to navigate, and sometimes only available in Dutch.

The following presentation on European Cooperation in Student Affairs focused on French-German cooperation as a pillar for European exchanges. It addressed the question, how can we capitalise on this foundation to further multilateral exchanges and institutional change?

• Jérémy Rossignol: OFAJ-DFJW

Each year, the Franco-German Youth Office supports an average of 8,000 exchanges, including 300 trilateral programmes, and 180,000 young people, of whom more than 20% have limited access to mobility programmes. The presentation highlighted the importance of intercultural exchange and cooperation in strengthening European exchanges.

• Doreen Steudte: French-German cooperation as institutional internationalisation

The presentation highlighted an example of vibrant German-French cooperation at institutional level. The Studierendenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz has maintained a partnership with the Crous Clermont Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand since 1978. Each year, the two organisations jointly organise a student exchange in one country and a staff exchange in the other. The presentation also highlighted the benefits of participation for staff and students.

• Mathilde Jacq & Clara Lebigre: Cross-Border cooperation for a sustainable and affordable European student life

Using the example of Eucor – The European Campus, this presentation highlighted the potential of cross-border cooperation to enrich student life in Europe. For more than 35 years, the universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace, Strasbourg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have been working together. Today, cooperation involves more than 120,000 students, including more than 25,000 international students. The presentation showed how geographical proximity can be powerful for developing more affordable and sustainable international mobility opportunities.

The theme continued with the French-German Workshop on the next day, focusing on innovative examples of international cooperation and how challenges relating to organisation, financing and project cooperation can be overcome:

• Andreas Vögele: Voices against racism and populism, a French-German project

Andreas Vögele presented a project that created a forum for students from Germany and France focusing on racism and populism in everyday life and on the internet. Participants reflected on these phenomena and learned journalistic basics in text, film, and podcast formats through editorial workshops. The project ran for five years, from 2020 to 2025. Some of the challenges of the project included the need for courage to speak up against populism and racism, the sensitivity and difficulty of the topic, and at times, individual conflicts among participants.

• Clara Lebigre: Franco-German Week of Encounters and Theater

Clara Lebigre shared an innovative and creative project from Crous de Strasbourg: Franco-German Week of Encounters and Theater. The presentation delved into the objectives, weekly schedule, successes and challenges of the project in fostering Franco-German cooperation.

• Jutta Berger: Launching a new partnership of international cooperation – why, for whom, and how?

The presentation highlighted that, against the backdrop of wars, political tensions, climate change, economic crises, uncertainty, and instability, partnerships are gaining even more importance. Jutta Berger shared the historical background of Franco-German cooperation and friendship, as well as reasons for starting and building a partnership now. These included increasing internationalization of universities, with 17% international students in Germany and 15% in France, the rising importance of European university alliances and collaborations are gaining importance, increasing mobility of European students, securing skilled workers in Europe and many more.

• Kamila Chlebnikow: International exchange examples in student affairs

The presentation shared examples of international exchange in student affairs at STW Düsseldorf, such as a German-French student exchange since 1981 and a German-Polish student exchange since 2007. After a discussion of what student exchange brings, the presentation also highlighted concrete steps to make international cooperation happen.

These sessions showed that in a time increasingly affected by waves of populism and racism, we need to ensure international cooperation and unity remain possible. ESAC 2026 was an important step in this direction. While ensuring that international students are effectively supported, international mobility is encouraged, and international partnerships remain prioritized, we can ensure further friendship and unity among all in Europe.

If you're interested in finding out more about these sessions and delving into the content more in-depth, take a look at the documentation on the ESAC 2026 website to access the full presentations: