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General information about the higher education system in the country

Montenegro is a signatory country of Bologna process as of 2003 and the elements of the Bologna process are incorporated in Montenegrin Higher Education (HE) legislation. Implementation of HE is based on the principles of the Law on HE. The new Law on Higher Education was adopted in 2025, laying the foundations for a modern, fair, and internationally recognized higher education system. The Law introduces a flexible three-cycle study model – undergraduate (180 or 240 ECTS), postgraduate (60 + 60 or 120 ECTS) and doctoral studies (180 ECTS), with the possibility of organizing integrated study programs of 300 ECTS or 360 ECTS. Practical training becomes a mandatory part of undergraduate studies, with a minimum scope of 30 ECTS credits, enabling students to complement theoretical knowledge with experience in a real working environment. The new Strategy for the Higher Education Development in Montenegro was adopted in 2024, for the period 2024-2027.

According to the Law, HE in Montenegro may be provided by the universities and other higher education institutions accredited and licensed in accordance with the Law on Higher Education. Montenegro has one public and three private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), one independent public faculty and four independent private faculties. The University of Montenegro (UoM) is the only public university established in 1974. Public as well as private HEIs are covered by the same Law on HE. The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro issues the license to an institution after the accreditation process. The body in charge of the quality assurance in HE and the regulation of the accreditation process is the Agency for Quality assurance of Higher Education, established in 2017. Law on HE recognizes three types of external evaluation of HEIs:

• Accreditation of study programmes
• Reaccreditation of institutions
• Accreditation of Life Long Learning programmes which the Agency is obliged to implement based on European Standards and Guidelines through the help of selected experts.

Educational activities are carried out through academic and applied study programmes. The applied study programmes are more work-related and do not have the possibility to organize the doctoral level of studies. HEIs in Montenegro may be financed from different sources like founder’s funds, tuition fees, donations, property income, projects and contracts, technology transfer as well as other sources in accordance with the Law. Private HEIs can also receive limited financial support from the Ministry. Support is limited to those students who attend the study programmes that are of public interest and not carried out at the public HEIs. At the Montenegrin HEIs, study programmes are organized in 3 levels; undergraduate (180 or 240 ECTS), postgraduate (60 + 60 or 120 ECTS) and doctoral level (180 ECTS), with the possibility of organizing integrated study programs of 300 ECTS or 360 ECTS. Within the public HEIs, the first two cycles are tuition-free for those students who pass the exams regularly. For doctoral studies, tuition fee is mandatory and its level is proposed by the faculties and adopted by the Governing board of the University. The total number of students in Montenegro is approximately 26000 out of which 21000 (approx.) attending education at the UoM. Percentage of doctoral students among the students’ population is quite low and does not exceed 2%. Strategic goals of the HE in Montenegro are in the domain of improving the quality of education and the creation of competitive staff, harmonization with the labor market needs, creation of better performances of the scientific and research work going along with the increased scientific visibility of the universities as well as better ranking possibilities, internationalization (especially by attracting the incoming mobility of students and staff).

Information on recent policy updates, major reforms and related news

Since 2010, there have been many changes when it comes to laws on higher education as well as study models. These changes did not allow for the continuity needed in higher education. Due to the necessity to prepare legal framework that will have a long-term orientation, and in order to create new mechanisms for ensuring the quality of higher education, improve practical and new methodology for teaching and learning, the status of academic staff, enrolment policy and internationalization, a working group was created in order to start the drafting of the new Law on Higher Education. However, due to the lack of consensus between the Ministry on one hand and members of the working group from HEIs, students, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders on the other hand, the process was stopped. In the meantime, the new Ministry of Education was formed and drafting of the Law was initiated again, but the process was stopped and, unfortunately, it was not completed. In accordance with the identified needs, new trends in higher education, recommendations from the European Commission Report for Montenegro, it was necessary to adopt new regulations. In the end, the new Law on Higher Education was adopted in 2025.

The new Strategy for the Higher Education Development in Montenegro adopted in 2024, for the period 2024-2027, is currently in force. The Strategy focuses on improving the model of students' practical training, as well as on defining clear criteria and conditions for enrollment in higher education institutions. Emphasis was also placed on ensuring thorough implementation and evaluation of learning outcomes, continuing activities to improve quality and ensuring the alignment of the Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education with the ESG, as well as its inclusion in EQAR through an appropriate review process.

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