Designing a database on university students: data integration, european positioning, and research and policy perspectives

This discussion paper presents the “Database on University Students” developed within WP2, Spoke 3 of the GRINS project, outlining its methodological foundations, European positioning, and future research potential. It describes a panel dataset that integrates key information from partner universities to capture the academic careers and employability of university students, while accounting for their socio-economic context and undergraduate educational paths. This discussion details the main activities underpinning the database design, including data collection, harmonization, integration, and comparability, and highlights the main methodological challenges and opportunities emerging from these processes. Furthermore, it emphasizes the database’s potential to become the first of its kind in Italy and one of the richest in the European landscape, as it addresses the persistent fragmentation that characterizes existing information systems. Finally, the discussion paper provides illustrative examples through a collection of research abstracts, demonstrating the database’s potential to inform education policy and practice.