European Higher Education Sector Observatory – EHESO  

The European Higher Education Sector Observatory (EHESO) is a user-centred data and information platform on the higher education sector in Europe. The Observatory enables the comparison, analysis, and showcasing of the sector’s performance across multiple levels, actors, and themes. 

EHESO integrates various data platforms and tools, including the previous U-Multirank tools, data from the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER), data from Erasmus+ plus other data sources. 

Step by step, EHESO is developing a number of tools: 

1. A European Higher Education Sector Scoreboard (EHESS) 

EHESS, the first tool launched in EHESO, is an interactive data visualisation platform to monitor the policy agenda of the European Education Area by showcasing relevant indicators on countries and higher education systems. It presents higher education data and information at country level, organised according to the key EU higher education policy objectives. 

2. A Benchmarking Tool for Higher Education (by Summer 2025) 

The EHESO Benchmarking Tool for Higher Education Institutions enables institutions to compare and benchmark against a large set of similar HEIs in Europe and beyond. 

The EHESO Benchmarking Tool for Higher Education Institutions supports HEIs in developing their own information systems and institutional research capability to improve strategic leadership and management, help monitor and enhance performance and quality, build transparency and trust between HEIs and the public. 

This Benchmarking Tool for Higher Education Institutions builds upon the methodological work performed in the predecessor U- Multirank project and currently largely maintains the same structure and approach for visualisations.  A redesigned tool is expected to be developed in 2025; a transitional version of the Benchmarking Tool for Higher Education Institutions is available here.  

3. A European Higher Education Student Observatory (by 2026)  

Once fully developed, the European Student Observatory will be a tool to inform students about the comparative diversity of university profiles and study programmes across Europe.  At the current stage, a feasibility analysis is being conducted, and a roadmap developed in cooperation with stakeholders to provide a conceptual and technical plan for implementing the Student Observatory in 2026. 

4. A Data Centre with microdata on European Higher Education Institutions 

EHESO microdata, covering around 3,500 higher education institutions across EU-27, EFTA, and candidate countries (2011–2022), is the foundation of all EHESO user tools. It includes self-collected institutional data, official education statistics, and external sources like Erasmus+ mobility and EU research projects, with additional custom indicators available for download. 

Microdata Access allows users to download EHESO data at different aggregation levels—country, institution, and institution type—supporting higher education stakeholders and researchers. 

Role of CHE and Partners 

EHESO, is a project published by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and funded by the European Commission.  CHE Centre for Higher Education is a partner in an international consortium running EHESO. Other partners include PPMI, the Austrian Institute of Technology, Joanneum Research the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) at the University of Twente.  

In EHESO, CHE is mainly responsible for two parts: First, the further development and implementation of institutional data collection, which will feed the Benchmarking Tool. And, second, for the development of the new Student Observatory, which will draw on the further development of the U-Multirank student survey (among other data).