Early Transition Trends and Differences of Higher Education Attainment in the Former Soviet Union, Central and Eastern European Countries

Abstract

The past trends in tertiary education attainment of selected post-communist countries are investigated through population projections. Did a common higher education policy manifest itself through attainment levels, and how did the situation change after the collapse of the Soviet regime? The approach is based on comprehensive back-projections ranging from year 2000 to 1970. Descriptive findings for most countries show that the level of tertiary education attainment for women has surpassed that of men sooner than in Western Europe. Results are discussed in light of individual countries’ pre-war higher education models and former communist policy, and possible implications are derived for future study of higher education attainment.