Survey Results
What students told us about renewable energy, mobility, internships and joint theses.
The EVERYONE Erasmus+ project is dedicated to equipping the next generation of engineers with the knowledge, skills and experience needed to excel in renewable energy. To shape our educational materials and international opportunities around real student needs, we asked students across partner universities to share their views.
The questionnaire covered five areas: general academic background, attitudes toward renewable energy, interest in studying abroad, international internships, and joint thesis opportunities. The charts below summarise the responses we received, together with a short reading of what each result means for the project.
These results are a snapshot of student opinion and are used to guide curriculum design and mobility support.
Who took part
A first look at the respondents: where they study, what they study, how they reached the survey, and whether they already knew about the project.
Home university location
Responses were evenly balanced across the three partner countries Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, each accounting for 33.3%. This gives the findings a genuinely cross-border perspective rather than a single-country view.
How the survey was reached
Most students completed the questionnaire online, with the remaining 34.4% responding in person. The mix suggests digital channels are the most effective way to reach students for future surveys.
Primary field of study
Students came from many different fields of study. The most common single fields were Electrical Engineering (16.7%) and Mechanical Engineering (14.3%), followed by Chemical, Civil, Industrial and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science and Physics. This diversity confirms that interest in renewable energy reaches well beyond a single engineering track.
Awareness of the EVERYONE project
Awareness was almost evenly split: 48.4% had heard of the EVERYONE Erasmus+ project before taking the survey, while 51.6% had not. Reaching close to half of students is an encouraging start, but it also highlights clear room to grow the project’s visibility on campus.
Renewable energy
Students’ appetite for a career in the sector, the technologies that excite them most, and where they feel the curriculum should primarily focus.
Interest in a renewable energy career
The headline result of the survey: 65.6% of students would like to pursue a career in renewable energy, and a further 29.7% are open to it. Fewer than 1 in 20 ruled it out. Together, more than 95% of respondents see renewable energy as a possible career path. The results might, however, be biased, given the focus were students that had previously learned about renewables.
Technologies students want to learn about
Solar leads, followed by Hydrogen, Offshore Wind and Hydropower. Results show a diverse interest for a broad curriculum rather than one narrow specialisation.
What should be more in the curriculum
When asked what should be more prominent in their studies, students put Solar first, followed by Hydrogen and Offshore Wind. The close match with personal interest signals that current curricula may under-represent the technologies students care about most.
Studying abroad & student mobility
Past participation in mobility programmes, future interest, and how long students expect to stay abroad.
Previous mobility participation
Half of respondents have not yet taken part in an international mobility programme, while 29.7% already have and 20.3% are planning to go.
Interest in future mobility
Looking ahead, 58.8% are interested in international student mobility and another 29.4% might be. With only 11.8% not interested.
Preferred duration of stay
Among those who have gone or plan to go, a one-semester stay is by far the most common choice, with 28.0% opting for a full year. Shorter, semester-length exchanges appear to be the most accessible format for students.
International internships
Hands-on experience abroad; what students have done so far, and how keen they are to do it.
Previous internship participation
International internships are still rare; 70.3% have not taken part, 18.8% have, and 10.9% are planning to. This is the area with the lowest prior participation of all those surveyed.
Interest in future internships
Results show the interest is clearly there; 58.6% are interested and 31.0% are open to it. The large gap between the results points to practical barriers to international internships.
Joint thesis opportunities
Appetite for cross-border thesis collaboration, and the factors that drive decisions.
Interest in a joint thesis
Reactions were positive but tentative; 39.1% are interested and a further 40.6% answered Maybe. The large Maybe group suggests clearer information could convert curiosity into commitment.
What would influence the decision
Career and networking opportunities dominate. Students weigh a joint thesis primarily as a step in their professional development.
Key takeaways
- Strong career pull. Over 95% of students are interested in, or open to, a career in renewable energy.
- Solar leads. Solar is the most requested technology for both personal interest and the curriculum.
- Interest outpaces participation. For both mobility and internships, far more students are interested than have actually taken part. This suggest a significant barrier exists.
- Missing information. Large Maybe groups for joint theses and mobility suggest that clearer, more visible information could turn curiosity into action.
Note: percentages are based on the students who responded to each question and are rounded to one decimal place; figures for a given question may not sum to exactly 100%.