Future of higher education: Europe's universities in transition!

Future of higher education: Europe's universities in transition!

On July 6th and 7th, 2025, an important meeting of the rectors of the European universities of the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA) will take place at Viadrina. The event is titled “Vision Forward” and aims to improve the Alliance’s impact at local, regional and international levels. The influence on European higher education is also discussed. Members of the Board of Rectors and the Steering Committee of the ERUA take part in the workshop. The official opening of the working meeting will be followed by a meeting of the ERUA Steering Committee in the Lodge Hall.

A central element of the event is the evaluation by four external experts, which is carried out in the Senate hall. In addition, a student ERUA team will introduce the campus to the external evaluators as part of a “Walk and Talk”. The tour through Frankfurt city center is led by Prof. Dr. Werner Benecke directed. europa-uni.de reports that improving higher education in Europe is not only a current challenge but also requires a comprehensive strategy.

European dimension of higher education

The European higher education sector comprises almost 5,000 institutions, 17.5 million students, 1.35 million teachers and 1.17 million researchers. These statistics highlight the crucial role that the higher education sector plays in education, research and innovation. An important goal of the EU is the realization of the European Education Area (EEA) and the European Research Area (ERA). By 2030, 45% of 25- to 34-year-olds in the EU are expected to have a university degree.

The EU is planning a comprehensive higher education strategy with four main objectives: strengthening the European dimension in higher education and research, supporting universities as beacons of the European way of life, promoting the role of universities in the green and digital transition and supporting universities as actors in Europe's global leadership. education.ec.europa.eu highlights the need for coherent implementation of this strategy at different political levels.

Measures to promote cooperation

In order to strengthen transnational cooperation in the higher education sector, various initiatives have been launched. This includes the “European Universities” initiative, which is to be expanded to 60 universities by mid-2024, supported by 1.1 billion euros. The aim is also to create a legal status for alliances of higher education institutions and to examine a common European qualification.

The European Commission also initiated a European higher education strategy and a proposal for a recommendation to create effective structures for European higher education cooperation. These proposals include measures such as automatic recognition of academic qualifications and improving quality assurance in higher education. eur-lex.europa.eu highlights the need to protect university autonomy and strengthen mutual trust through quality assurance.

These strategic approaches show that European higher education can make a crucial contribution to shaping sustainable, resilient societies and a more inclusive digital future. The upcoming discussions during the ERUA Rectors meeting are expected to lead to important progress in this area.