Yugoslavia also made significant progress in university education in the postwar period. Until 1987 the system was available to all who could qualify. At that time, however, fiscal problems caused a cut in student acceptance by 7 percent, and course offerings were cut. The number of universities, art academies, and advanced vocational schools rose from 26 in 1939 to 322 in 1987, and the number of students attending them increased from 20,000 to 347,000 in the same period. Higher education in Yugoslavia also faced serious problems at the beginning of the 1990s. University dropout rates were high, and students who remained in school took an average of seven years to complete a four-year degree and five years to finish a two-year program. High tuition and living expenses made it difficult for many students to attend full-time, and put university education beyond the reach of other Yugoslav families.
Data as of December 1990