Ljubljana/Maribor/Koper - A new academic year started for over 65,000 university students today with optimism prevailing that learning and socialising will not be affected by Covid restrictions. Faculties have been receiving students all day and after a three-year break, Ljubljana will host the traditional annual welcome event for freshmen.

Ljubljana University Rector Gregor Majdič said in his address to students that the "biggest, oldest and the most successful university" would do all it could to make the new academic year "pleasant, inspiring and satisfying".

Majdič told the STA the University of Ljubljana, which has some 40,000 students, enabled students to get involved in research during their studies and this year two new student awards would be introduced to encourage research. Students are also encouraged to take part in international exchanges, while last year the Student Rights Ombudsman Office was set up.

A challenge in this academic year will be space issues at some faculties. "We're counting on being able to start building at least two new faculties this year - the Veterinary Faculty and the Faculty of Medicine - and then soon the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering," he said.

This year higher education programmes will be overhauled to promote digitalisation, sustainable development and interdisciplinary studies, and the university programmes are to follow suit in the future.

Student Ronja, who starts her studies at the Faculty of Economics today, is upbeat about the future. She thinks it was helpful that the faculty organised an open house for freshmen last week so they could see lecture rooms and hear about the activities offered by the faculty. She expects quality education, new acquaintances and the faculty-organised parties and events.

The new academic year started on a positive note also at the University of Maribor, which has some 14,000 students. Acting Vice-Rector Nina Kotnik said the positive atmosphere was due to no Covid measures being required, which is reflected in the energy of the students and their interest in the studies.

"I feel like they're finally back on track. The socialising and the interest are back. They are asking questions during lectures again, so things are very different," she told the STA.

The head of the Maribor student organisation, David Bohar, said he was happy to see "students have come back to the university city of Maribor and that the streets and campuses are full again".

Unlike in Ljubljana and Koper, there are no problems with providing accommodation to students in Maribor, which is an additional reason for joy for many students.

The University of Primorska symbolically started the new academic year in Izola at the Livade campus, which again opened its doors after the 2017 fire.

Freshmen were received there this morning by mayors of all four coastal municipalities, the university leadership and representatives of the local student organisation.

Rector Klavdija Kutnar said she was happy that student activities were under way at the campus again. "So we believe the academic year will be carried out even better than in the past."

She noted that the number of students was pretty much unchanged in recent years, but that more students were finishing their studies within the deadline, which she welcomed.

The head of the student organisation of Primorska, Jure Ciglar, said today's start of the new academic year was running smoothly. The organisation welcomed foreign students last week and was expecting students from Slovenia this week.

According to the most recent data available, less than a third of students finished higher education in 2020, while the share for the first university level is almost 67%.

In all types of education, the share of women finishing their studies is higher than of men. The difference between them is the biggest with university education, where almost three-quarters of women finished their studies, while the share for men is at 57%, the Statistics Office said today.

Statistics show that children of parents who have tertiary education have more chances of finishing their studies.