Below, you can read about the countries' and regions' education systems listed below. The information helps you to get a comprehensive view and general idea about different types of higher educations and how they are embedded into the whole national school system. The first link covers the newly implemented EU norm concerning higher education in the EU. Click on the flag or the excerpt if you would like to see a short summary of the so called Bologna system which is obligatory to inaugurate until 2010 in all the countries of the European Union.

EU - This section tells you more about the Bologna higher education system. According to this, after high school graduation the higher education will be divided into two levels. Bachelor studies(BA, BSc) and Master's studies (MA, MSc.) . More >>>

American - The educational structure of the United States is a very multi-level one. Students have the choice to go to several types of schools even before high school. Besides attending middle schools, students can go to various grammar schools and high schools, too. The American higher education is more or less similar to the divided education described at the EU section but. More >>>

Canadian - The vast majority of the Canadian system is parallel to the American type, especially in terms of admission processes. The main source of the differences may come from the diverse provincial responsibilities and regulations. But generally, you may find the same private and public schools even from Kindergarten. More >>>

English - The educational system in the United Kingdom follows the Bologna norms. The main difference and characteristics of the region is in its standardized tests. Although, international applicants can cope with different admission requirements because they use the UCAS system at their applications. . More >>>

Hungarian - Due to the inauguration of the Bologna system (March 2006) Hungary undergoes its third large educational reform from the early 90'. First, students went through a general curriculum, then the credit system was implemented and now bologna creeps in suddenly. The big advantage of studying in Hungary is the wide range of financial aid. Most levels of education from Kindergarten to university the tuition of the first degree is covered by the State. . More >>>

German- In Germany it is up to the provinces what type of education system the use. For example, elementary schools last for 4 year, generally. But in Berlin and Brandenburg it is 6 years. The palette of secondary education is very different, too according to various regions and specialties. Still there are four main types of high schools: Haupschule, Realschule, Gymnasium és Gesamtschule. After graduation the higher education now - after the reforms of year 1990 and 1998 - follows the EU norms. More >>>

French - The most characteristic feature of French education is their national language. Knowledge of French is almost a must everywhere in the country. The structure of education follows a standard path. Children from 6 to 11 go to primary schools ( Ecole Primaire) and obligatory studies last until the age of 16 when they finish high school (College). More >>>

Italian - The Italians have a diverse system with a lot of options and vocational opportunities. Students after the age of 11 ( Scuola Elementare) may choose professional trainings and schools. The secondary school that follows is - normally - divided into a 3-year lower level and a 5-year higher level studies. Finishing high school they receive the so called Diploma di Maturita after graduation. This is minimum requirement fot university entrance. More >>>

Spanish - After the educational reform in 1990 the primary school in Spain lasts for 6 years. After the further 2-year obligatory studies (ESO) students can graduate and obtain Graduado en Educación Secundaria Certificate. Once they've received this, they can go for their "Bacchilerato" studies until their age of 18. Without this Bacchilerato and the university entrance exam (Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad) they are not allowed to gain admission to higher education . More >>>

On the left side of the picture below you can see the levels of higher education in the Bologna system as the newly implemented and obligatory EU norm in all the countries with European Union membership. (The right side of the picture represents the former and undivided path of studies in higher education.)

On 16 and 17 September last, 40 European education ministers met in Berlin to take stock of progress with the so-called Bologna process and set priorities for the period up to the next ministerial conference scheduled for 2005.

Four years before, the education ministers from around 30 of these countries had met in Bologna and undertaken in a joint declaration (the Bologna Declaration) to establish a European area of higher education by 2010.

The Bologna Declaration of 19 June 1999 involves six actions relating to:

The aim of the process is thus to make the higher education systems in Europe converge towards a more transparent system which whereby the different national systems would use a common framework based on three cycles - Degree/Bachelor, Master and Doctorate.

At the Prague ministerial conference in 2002 the ministers set the European area of higher education the objective of responding to the needs of lifelong learning. They stressed the participation of higher education establishments and students (mainly through their representative associations) in the process and laid emphasis on the need to make the European area of higher education attractive to the rest of the world. The Prague Communiqué also called for the implementation of policies to evaluate quality in each country in order to secure the mutual trust which is indispensable to the validation of studies carried out in another country.

In Berlin , it was decided to speed up the process by setting certain short-term targets . Thus, by 2005, all signatory countries should:

In addition, the doctorate cycle will henceforth be covered by the Bologna reforms, thus promoting closer links between the European higher education area and the European research area.

40 countries are now involved in the Bologna process. Four Western Balkan countries - Albania , Bosnia-Herzegovina, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia " and the Federal Republic of Serbia and Montenegro - joined the Bologna process at the Berlin Conference, along with the Principality of Andorra, the Holy See and Russia . The Commission will look at the adoption of specific support measures for countries covered by the Tempus-Cards and Tempus-Tacis programmes. A joint Socrates-Tempus call for proposals is being prepared.

As far as the European Union is concerned, the Bologna process fits into the broader framework of the Lisbon objectives.

At the March 2000 Lisbon Council, the Heads of State and Government, conscious of the upheaval caused by globalisation and the challenges inherent in a new, knowledge-based economy, set a new objective for the Union for the decade ahead: that of becoming " the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion ".

The Commission is part of the follow-up group monitoring the Bologna reforms and contributes to their implementation by funding transnational pilot projects which correspond to the priorities set at the ministerial conferences. It accordingly cooperates with the national authorities, academic and student networks and associations, with the ENQA (European network for quality assurance in higher education) and the NARIC /ENIC network (network of national academic recognition information centres). In particular, it has supported the creation of European Masters qualifications (others will receive support under the new Erasmus Mundus programme), an EUA-coordinated pilot project focusing on internal development of quality in higher education establishments and an-ENQA coordinated pilot project for external evaluation of quality applying common criteria.

In Berlin , the Ministers entrusted the follow-up group with the task of taking stock in good time ahead of the 2005 Summit and of preparing detailed progress reports on implementation of the interim priorities envisaged for the coming two years.

The Commission will help to organise a coherent inventory exercise in close conjunction with the Bologna Secretariat in order to have a clear picture of the headway made in the signatory states (" Bologna process scoreboard") and to draft an analytical report to be presented to the Bergen Ministerial Conference in May 2005.