One of the basic human rights is the right to education, which is under the category of social, economic and cultural rights. The purpose of liberalism was to achieve individual freedom, but it also resulted in the distribution of wealth from the poor to the rich countries. A highly educated population positively affects the growth and development of the country's economic system. Therefore, the goal of countries is to provide higher education to as many citizens as possible. In this context, the concept of education as a public good, intended for common use and realization of the public interest, appears. Also, the common denominator of the human right to education and education as a public good is the fact that all people are guaranteed equal access to public goods. Education is one of the most important factors in creating a knowledge society which is responsible for improving the quality of life. Croatia has one of the lowest rates of educated population, which is why a system of education vouchers is implemented. The Croatian education system underwent two major changes, in 1998 a division into university and professional studies was created, and the Bologna Declaration initiated the reform of higher education. According to ISVU (2024), there are 11 universities and 27 polytechnics in Croatia. Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek have the most universities. Studies in Croatia can be enrolled in regular or part-time status. The types of studies are as follows: university and professional undergraduate, university and professional graduate and university integrated undergraduate and graduate, specialist, professional short and doctoral studies. The number of students enrolled in higher education institutions in the academic year 2022/2023. is 151,827, which follows the downward trend in the number of students from 2018 to 2023. Socio-demographic characteristics of students were analyzed in the paper: gender and age structure, social background, students with children, educated migrant students, students with disabilities. The variable material conditions of studying are analyzed in the paper: spatial arrangement and migrations outside the place of residence, accommodation, food, school fees and financing of studies.