Higher education is the oldest component of the European educational vertical. First universities which still operate were founded in Italy, England, France, Germany and Spain already in XI–XII centuries. While there were many changes in all facets of universities structure and functioning, closely related to political, social and economic milieu, basic principles and targets of higher education had not changed. This paper considers main trends of reforms of contemporary higher education in historic perspective.
Main issues are: societal functions of higher education; changes in enrollment and composition of the students’ body; teacher’s component; reforms in the methods of instructions; role of globalization and its impact on higher education; students’ and professors’ mobility: past and present; evaluation of the changes, the Bologna process.