Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
College & University - Statistics & Facts
The first signs of higher education can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt. Some of the oldest institutions of higher education were established in Northern Africa, and the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez in Morocco is often regarded as the oldest existing higher education institution in the world. However, as it first gained a university status in 1963, the University of Bologna in Italy is usually regarded as the oldest university in the world. Today, most of the world's highest ranked universities are found in the United States, and more and more people are graduating from universities, colleges, and equivalent institutions around the world. However, the share of people with a higher education degree varies significantly from country to country, from nearly 50 percent in the United Arab Emirates to less than one percent in Burundi.
Higher education is defined as tertiary education that leads to a degree. Universities and colleges are institutions that offer a higher education degree, but the specific distinction can vary from country to country. With both the increasing number of higher education institutions, increasing number of students, and growing number of degrees on offer, some have started to criticize the higher education institutions for producing a range of workers that do not meet the demand on the labor market.
Many students choose to study abroad, either for one or two semesters or for a full degree. One or several years abroad can expand people's horizon, enable students to connect with people from around the world, and to study subjects and at a level that is not offered at home. The United States hosts the highest absolute number of international students, but in terms of share of the total higher education population, Canada is leading the charts.
Higher education is defined as tertiary education that leads to a degree. Universities and colleges are institutions that offer a higher education degree, but the specific distinction can vary from country to country. With both the increasing number of higher education institutions, increasing number of students, and growing number of degrees on offer, some have started to criticize the higher education institutions for producing a range of workers that do not meet the demand on the labor market.
Students: women outnumber men
Looking at the students at universities and colleges, a larger share of the students in most countries are women. However, in most of the highest ranked universities in the world, there is a higher share of male students. Actually, there is a higher share of women than men in the world with a higher education, but despite this, women still earn less than men on average, and there are significantly fewer women than men in leadership positions.Many students choose to study abroad, either for one or two semesters or for a full degree. One or several years abroad can expand people's horizon, enable students to connect with people from around the world, and to study subjects and at a level that is not offered at home. The United States hosts the highest absolute number of international students, but in terms of share of the total higher education population, Canada is leading the charts.
Higher education: free for all or only for the rich?
The principle of free access to education is stated in several charters on human rights. This tends to focus on primary education, but also higher education is often mentioned. However, costs for entering universities and colleges vary greatly around the world. For instance, in the United States, the average tuition fee at master's level was over 12,000 U.S. dollars. As a result, the country's poorest simply cannot afford a higher education degree, with taking on vast levels of debt the only possibility for some students. On the other hand, there were no tuition fees in the Nordic countries, Estonia, and Turkey. Hence, even though higher education may be freely accessible to everyone in many countries in theory, barriers such as tuition fees mean that this is not always the case in practice.
