Student numbers rise by 4,155 over five academic years; health and social protection lead fields

The number of undergraduate students in North Macedonia rose by 4,155 — an 8.2 percent increase — between the academic years 2020/2021 and 2025/2026, the State Statistical Office reports. Total enrolment climbed from 50,881 students in 2020/2021 to 55,036 in 2025/2026.

Enrollment in first year programmes saw an even sharper rise. First-year registrations grew from 12,365 in 2020/2021 to 16,212 in 2025/2026, an increase of 3,847 students or 31.1 percent.

Not all first-year registrations were first-time entrants: of the 16,212 students enrolled in first year in 2025/2026, 14,995 were recorded as enrolling for the first time.

Fields of study and student distribution

By field of study, health and social protection attracted the largest cohort in 2025/2026 with 14,088 students, followed by business, administration and law with 11,016 students, and information and communication technologies (ICT) with 8,998 students.

The balance between public and private higher-education institutions also shifted. In 2020/2021, 83.8 percent of students attended public institutions and 15.5 percent attended private institutions. By 2025/2026 the share at public institutions fell to 77.8 percent while the private-sector share rose to 22.2 percent — a gain of 6.7 percentage points for private providers over five years.

Women remained the majority of the student body throughout the period. In 2020/2021 there were 29,482 female students (57.9 percent); by 2025/2026 their number had increased to 32,957 and their share to 59.9 percent.

Photo: Sloboden pechat - Slobodan Gjurikj