European Universities Still Lack Autonomy, Report Says

Europe’s overwhelmingly public higher-education systems remain too constrained by government control, despite efforts in many countries to modernize and reform universities by increasing institutional autonomy, according to a report out today from the European University Association. Universities, the report says, are especially limited in terms of financial autonomy, which at a time of diminishing government spending on higher education poses a fundamental threat to the sustainability of European universities. For example, many countries prohibit or limit university tuition, which can be a “competitive disadvantage” in an increasingly international higher-education market.