Regulating student standard rights of students

🏛️ Changes introduced by the new Act on Higher Education concerning the regulation of student standard rights

In accordance with Article 78, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Act on Higher Education and Scientific Activity (Narodne novine, No. 119/2022; hereinafter: the Act), a student studying in full-time status on a university or professional undergraduate or graduate programme, a university integrated undergraduate and graduate programme, or a professional short-cycle programme, who is not in an employment relationship and does not carry out an independent craft or other freelance activity, is entitled to health insurance, subsidised accommodation and meals, the right to perform student jobs in accordance with the act governing the performance of student jobs, and the right to state scholarships and other financial support; likewise, a student studying in part-time status who is not in an employment relationship nor carries out an independent craft or other freelance activity, is entitled to perform student jobs in accordance with the act governing the performance of student jobs.

⚠️ Consequently, a person with full-time student status who is in an employment relationship or carries out an independent craft or other freelance activity is not entitled to the above-mentioned student standard rights; likewise, a person with part-time student status who is in an employment relationship or carries out an independent craft or other freelance activity is not entitled to perform student jobs.

In accordance with the aforementioned provisions of the Act, Ministarstvo znanosti i obrazovanja obtains data from the Hrvatski zavod za mirovinsko osiguranje on the employment status of students and proceeds to adjust the calculation of students' student standard rights.

🏛️ The rights of students who are in an employment relationship or carry out an independent craft or other freelance activity are regulated as follows:

• The right to perform student jobs under the Act on the Performance of Student Jobs (Narodne novine, No. 96/18 and 16/20) is suspended with immediate effect.

Data on employment status will be implemented in the ISSP REST API used by intermediaries in the performance of student jobs to verify the right to perform student jobs, i.e. to issue student-job contracts.

• As of 1 March 2023, the right to coverage of student meal costs regulated by the Ordinance on the conditions and manner of exercising the right to coverage of student meal costs (Narodne novine, No. 120/13, 8/14 and 113/22) is suspended.

Through the modification of the calculation of the right to coverage of student meal costs, the right in question will be suspended automatically.

• As of 1 March 2023, the subsidy for accommodation costs in student and pupil dormitories and with private landlords, regulated by the Ordinance on the conditions and manner of exercising the right of full-time students to subsidised accommodation (Narodne novine, No. 63/19), is suspended.

Students accommodated in student and pupil dormitories retain the right to continue residing there on the basis of the right granted for the 2022/2023 academic year, on condition that they cover the full accommodation cost at their own expense.

• When processing applications for the right to a state scholarship under the Ordinance on the conditions and manner of exercising the right to a state scholarship on the basis of socio-economic status (Narodne novine, No. 110/22) and the Ordinance on the conditions and manner of exercising the right of full-time students to a state scholarship in STEM fields of science (Narodne novine, No. 106/22), data on the employment status of students will be verified.

• When processing applications for the right to financial support to cover part of the transport costs for full-time students with disabilities under the Ordinance on the conditions and manner of exercising the right to financial support to cover part of the transport costs for full-time students with disabilities (Narodne novine, No. 23/15), data on the employment status of students will be verified.

ℹ️  Information on their employment status will be visible to students in the Student Rights Information System, which can be accessed using their AAI@EduHr electronic identity.