This volume is the first in a new series of comparative studies carried out by EURYDICE (Education Information Network in the European Community) and is intended to provide in-depth analyses of specific issues of major interest for political decisionmakers and educational cooperation at the European level. The volume is organized into three sections. A general introduction with three sections describes the definition and scope of the study, its contextual elements, and a discussion of public resources devoted to student support. Part 1 describes present systems of student financial support and its chapters are: (1) "Registration and Tuition Fees"; (2) "Grants and Loans"; (3) "Cash Benefits Available to Families with Student Children"; (4) "Other Social Benefits"; (5) "Support for Study Abroad"; (6) "Support for Foreign Students"; and (7) "Models of Financial Support." Three chapters in part 2, "Contextual Analysis," include: (1) "How Support Systems Have Developed"; (2) "The Basis of Systems and Factors Underlying Changes to Them"; and (3) "Recent Debate and Current Prospects." A glossary, definitions of statistical tools, and tables that summarize country by country chronologies of reforms, aims, and context are also included. Appended are lists of EURYDICE network members and national experts. (CH)