7.2Student Entrepreneurship in Flanders

By Johanna Vanderstraeten (UAntwerpen), Hendrik Slabbinck (UGent), Riyaad Ismail (UAntwerpen), Erika Branca (UAntwerpen & UGent) en Eugenie Delzenne (UAntwerpen & UGent)

This chapter presents a descriptive analysis of student entrepreneurship in Flemish higher education, using data from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS). The chapter is structured to distinguish between students enrolled at universities and those enrolled at colleges. Each consists of five sections: a description of the sample from which the data reported in this chapter are drawn; whether the students' parents are self-employed; the students' career intentions; whether the students participated in entrepreneurship education; and whether the students are nascent, active or non-entrepreneurs.

Next to the subdivision between university and college students, the findings also provide insights into how entrepreneurship is perceived and pursued by different student groups. More specifically, the data is further categorised according to gender and study domain. For university students, the results are further categorised according to study level. To improve representativeness, all results are based on weighted data. It is important to note that no statistical significance is tested; all figures are descriptive.

In summary, various patterns are visible in the data. A notable proportion of students (more than one in three) say they have at least one self-employed parent. Ambitions for a career as an entrepreneur are already present at graduation, but increase significantly when students look five years into the future, with starting a business becoming the most frequently mentioned ambition. Participation in entrepreneurship education varies greatly by gender and study domain, with the highest involvement among male students and those in Business & Economics.