Higher Education The Key in The Development of The European Union Economy

Pana Elena Cristina, Nisulescu- Ashrafzadeh Ileana

Higher education is a key element in the knowledge-based society, encompassing education, research and innovation. Higher education graduates manage to find a job on average twice as fast than those who have attained lower secondary education. The purpose of the article is to perform a comparative analysis of Romania-EU higher education. In this respect, the total number of students per 1000 inhabitants was followed, in conjunction with some of the most important influential factors, such as admission restrictions, population age group, and financial support for students. The degree of participation and the results obtained by the students during the study period are influenced by the capacity of the education systems in each country to meet the needs of the students, to ensure that their financial situation does not constitute a barrier to either access or for educational progress and to provide them with appropriate services to support them during the period of study.