According to the 2022 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings conducted by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, the level of literacy and educational attainment in Serbia has improved since 2011. Among the population aged 10 and over, the share of illiterate persons decreased from 1.96% in 2011 to 0.63% in 2022. Regarding computer literacy, 45.7% of the population aged 15 and over is computer literate, compared with 34.2% in 2011. A further 30% have partial computer skills, while 24% are considered computer illiterate.
The 2022 Census also showed the following educational attainment levels among residents aged 15 and over: 22.4% have higher or high education, 53.1% have completed secondary education, 17.8% have completed primary education, and 6.3% have no formal education or have not completed primary education. For the remaining 0.4%, educational attainment was unknown. These figures represent an increase in the share of residents with higher education and a decrease in the share with incomplete or no primary education compared with the 2011 Census.
Education in Serbia is regulated by the Ministry of Education. Formal education starts in either preschools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools at the age of seven. Compulsory education consists of eight grades of elementary school. Students have the opportunity to attend high schools and vocational schools for another four years, or to enroll in vocational training for 2 to 3 years. Following the completion of high schools or vocational schools, students have the opportunity to attend university. Elementary and secondary education are also available in languages of recognised minorities in Serbia, where classes are held in Hungarian, Slovak, Albanian, Romanian, Rusyn, Bulgarian as well as Bosnian and Croatian languages. Petnica Science Centre is a notable institution for extracurricular science education focusing on gifted students.
Serbia has a higher education system comprising state and private universities, as well as state academies and private colleges of applied studies. In the 2025/2026 academic year, a total of 248,509 students were enrolled at higher education institutions across the country, including all levels of study. Of these, 210,050 attended universities: 174,440 at state universities and 35,610 at private universities. A further 30,022 students attended state academies and colleges of applied studies, while 8,437 attended private colleges of applied studies. An additional 3,295 students were enrolled at faculties that are not part of universities.
The principal state universities are the University of Belgrade, the country’s oldest and largest university; the University of Novi Sad, founded in 1960; the University of Niš, founded in 1965; the University of Kragujevac, founded in 1976; the University of Priština, temporarily based in North Mitrovica; and the State University of Novi Pazar. Serbia also has specialised state universities, including the University of Arts in Belgrade, the University of Defence, and the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies.
According to the latest official figures, the University of Belgrade had 89,577 enrolled students in 2025/2026, followed by the University of Novi Sad with 42,048, the University of Niš with 21,245, and the University of Kragujevac with 14,375. Among private institutions, the University of Business Academy had 8,460 students, while Singidunum University had 8,300 and Union–Nikola Tesla University had 4,627.
The University of Belgrade and the University of Novi Sad are among Serbia’s most prominent institutions of higher education. The University of Belgrade has a long academic tradition dating back to 1808 and maintains an international research profile. Its standing, together with that of other Serbian universities, is assessed through international rankings and research indicators that vary by ranking system and year.
The beginnings of education in Serbia date from 11th and 12th century with the establishment of schools at Roman Catholic monasteries in Titel and Bac in today’s Vojvodina, which was then part of the Kingdom of Hungary. People were also educated in Serbian Orthodox monasteries like Sopocani, Studenica and Patriarchate of Pec.
After the fall of medieval Serbian state, among newly established schools were Slavic and Latin schools. In 1778, Serbian primary school Norma was established in Sombor. In 1791, Gymnasium of Karlovci, the oldest Serbian high school, was established.
During the First Serbian Uprising, Belgrade Higher School was established in 1808. In 1838, in Kragujevac, Liceum of Serbian Principality was established. It was moved to Belgrade in 1841. In 1863, it merged into the Belgrade Higher School. It had 3 faculties: philosophy, engineering and law. Later, it became the University of Belgrade.
University of Belgrade was established in 1905. After World War II, more universities were established, including University of Novi Sad (1960), University of Nis (1965), University of Pristina (1969), University of Montenegro (1974) and University of Kragujevac (1976). In 2006, the State University of Novi Pazar was established.
Serbia has a long tradition of achievement in mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science, supported by its universities, research institutes and scientific community. Although research and development investment has historically been constrained by limited funding and the departure of many scientists during the 1990s, the country continues to develop its scientific and technological capabilities. Its growing information technology sector, particularly software development and IT services, has become an important contributor to the economy and export earnings.
Serbia became a full member of CERN on 24 March 2019, strengthening opportunities for Serbian researchers and engineers to participate in international scientific collaborations.
Research and development remain important areas for Serbia’s long-term economic development. The country’s research institutions include the Mihajlo Pupin Institute and the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, both based in Belgrade. The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA), founded in 1841, is the country’s leading national academic institution, bringing together prominent researchers and scholars in the sciences, humanities and arts.
Serbia also has a strong tradition of women’s participation in scientific research. Its scientific community continues to contribute to international research and technological innovation, while collaboration between universities, research institutes and businesses is helping to strengthen the country’s knowledge-based economy.
A particularly notable area of growth is the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. According to the Serbian Government’s Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment, ICT services exports reached a record €4.552 billion in 2025, an increase of 10% compared with 2024. The sector’s export surplus reached €3.529 billion, underlining its growing importance to Serbia’s economy.
Preschool education
As of school year 2006–2007, preschool in duration of 6 months is compulsory and it is the first part of compulsory education. Attended at the age of 5 or 6 in the local kindergarten or in Elementary schools, it familiarizes students with the educational system.
Preschool education is attended from the beginning of the year (in the same year when the 1st grade starts). It lasts for at least 4 hours a day for at least 6 months. After it, students have to pass an exam of ability in order to attend primary school.
Primary education
Children enroll in primary schools at the age of seven (usually, all students in a class were born in the same year). However, it is possible for students to enroll at the primary school one year earlier if they were born before March.
The elementary school is divided into two stages:
Lower grades (grades 1-4)
Higher grades (grades 5-8)
In the lower grades, students are sorted into classes randomly and have only one teacher and classroom for all subjects, except for English, P.E. and, civics and religion. Students in the lower grades study the following subjects (as of school year 2005–2006, it is compulsory to learn English language from the 1st grade):
The teacher that teaches lower grade primary school students has only one class of students assigned to them and remains with the class for 4 years.
In the higher grades, students get a whole new range of teachers and classrooms for each subject. Teachers don’t change over the years; they remain the same for the next four years. In the 5th grade, each class is assigned The Head Teacher, who is responsible for students in the particular class.
When students graduate from the primary school, they choose whether they want to continue their education or not. There were discussions to make secondary education compulsory by 2020, but it did not happen.
The school year for primary and high schools lasts for 9½ months, except for 8th grade of primary and 3rd/4th grade of secondary school, for which it lasts 9 months. It begins on the first Monday of September, and ends in the half of June (June 15 ±5 days). For 8th grade of primary and 3rd/4th grade of secondary school, it ends in the beginning of June (about one week earlier than for others).
The school year is split into 2 semesters, and semesters are split into 2 quarters.
Between school years, in summer, there is summer holiday which last for 2½ months (3 months for those proceeding to high school or university. So, students have about 85 working days in the first semester and 95 in the second semester; 180 in total).
Secondary education
Secondary schools are divided into three types – high schools, professional and craft schools. After graduating from the primary school, students take a test called matura (lat. maturare). The test covers subjects that were taught in primary school. They are awarded the maximum of 40 points at the test. They also get points from their average marks from 5th to 8th grade, and the maximum is 60 points. Both the points from matura and from average marks are totalized into the maximum of 100 points. Then, students make a list of their preferred schools and courses, and are sorted according to how many points they had gained – every secondary school has a limited number of students it takes. After students make lists for preferred schools, they get into the first school that suits them according to the points. If they fail to get into any of the schools they had listed (ex. if they don’t have enough points, but they had chosen very competitive schools), they make another list for the Second Enrolment Deadline.
There are secondary schools that don’t require the classical point system for entrance. Various music, science, philology and ballet schools sort students out based on their talent and skill, rather than their previous academic performance.
High schools take four years to complete and offer general and broad education, awarding students a High school diploma. Students are advised to continue their education after graduation as it is very hard to find a job with a high school diploma. There are also four types of special high schools: The High school of Mathematics, The High school of Physics, The High school of Computer Science and The High school of Philology. There are plans for an integrated entrance exam for higher education, as well as unified scoring systems for entrance exams, even for special high schools.
High schools have its courses, and the most common ones are the General Course, Science-Mathematics Course, Humanities-Linguistics Course, Information Technology Course and the Bilingual Course. Students can only choose one course (they do it when they prepare their wish list for preferred schools and courses) and they usually don’t change it until they graduate. Every course has the same number and list of classes, but the difference is in their schedules (for example, the Humanities-Linguistic Course might have English classes five times a week, while the Science-Mathematics Course offers two English classes a week).
Professional schools specialize students in a particular field and awards them with a First Professional Degree. It also takes four years to complete. Some examples of such schools are Economy School, Medical School, Chemistry School, Technical School, Graphics School, etc.
Professional schools also have courses. Usually, they teach 10-14 general subjects (Serbian language, mathematics, geography, biology, history, foreign language etc.), a few professional subjects that are different for almost every course (hygiene in a nurse-technician course at medical schools, for example) and a compulsory block of practice classes.
There are two types of professional school courses: four-year courses and three-year courses. Three-year courses are crafts and if a student that has a craft diploma wants to attend a university, they must enrol in the fourth year of a four-year course inordinately.
Also, after graduating from professional schools, students are given particular ranks. If their school course was “Law”, then their rank is the Law Technician. Only four-year courses give ranks.
Grading system
The grading system is numeric and is present in this form through elementary school and high school. Grades from 1 (the lowest and failing grade) to 5 (the best grade) are used for primary and high schools:
Insufficient (1) corresponds to American F
Sufficient (2) corresponds to American D and C
Good (3) corresponds to American C and B grades
Very good (4) corresponds to American B+ and A- grades
Excellent (5) corresponds to American A and A+ grades
Higher schools and universities use grades from 5 to 10. All students have to acquire at least 6 (the lowest passing grade). Grades for the 1st grade of primary school are ‘descriptive’ (teacher writes down the impressions about the particular student and particular subjects).
Higher education
The school year starts on October 1st and ends on May 31st and it is split into two semesters. There are six regular exam blocks every school year and several irregular ones which are different for every college or university.
Tertiary level institutions accept students based on their grades in high school and entrance exams results.
College or “Higher School” lasts for 3 years. In Serbia, it corresponds to professional universities. After graduating from college, students get a bachelor’s degree in Applied Sciences or an equivalent diploma.
Faculties of universities and art academies last for 4 years until baccalaureate, 5 years until magistracy and 8 years until doctorate. Only exception are the Medical schools, lasting for 6 years until Doctor of Medicine.
Postgraduate education was made of further specialization and doctorate during the times of Socialist Yugoslavia. However, the Bologna Process (which Serbia signed in 2003) abolished the quaternary education and incorporated it into the tertiary education. Specialization today is non-academic and considered as improvement in different parts of the profession (seminars, researches, etc.), and doctorate is considered as the third part of the bachelor-master-doctor continuum present in the tertiary educational system.
Special and inclusive education
Serbia’s education system provides support for children and young people with developmental disabilities and disabilities, as well as other learners who require additional educational support. Rather than being defined solely as a separate category of schooling, the current approach places emphasis on inclusive education, enabling pupils to attend mainstream schools with appropriate support, while specialised schools and classes remain available for those who need them. Support measures may include individual education plans, adapted teaching materials and assistance tailored to pupils’ needs.
In the 2025/2026 school year, Serbia had 3,699 pupils enrolled in primary schools for children with developmental disabilities and disabilities, while 20,596 pupils across the country were reported to be following individual education plans, according to the Ministry of Education. Serbia also has 13 resource centres supporting inclusive education.
Bilingual education and extended-day programmes
Foreign-language learning forms part of mainstream education in Serbia, while schools may offer different organisational arrangements to meet pupils’ needs. Bilingual education is not a separate category of special education; it is an educational option in which certain subjects are taught in a foreign language, depending on the school programme.
Extended-day and full-day arrangements are intended to provide pupils, particularly those in the lower grades of primary school, with additional supervision and support beyond regular lessons. Depending on the school, these arrangements can include supervised homework, meals, recreation and other educational activities.
Adult education
Adult education remains an important part of Serbia’s education system, providing opportunities for people who have not completed their basic education to gain qualifications and improve their employment prospects. The former Druga šansa (“Second Chance”) initiative helped establish a model of functional basic education for adults, which continues through the formal education system.
The current Functional Basic Education of Adults (FBOA) programme enables adults to complete primary education over three years, organised into three one-year cycles. Alongside basic education, participants can acquire practical and vocational competencies through training designed to reflect labour-market needs. The programme is delivered in specially prepared primary schools and schools for adult education, with support from trained teachers and andragogical assistants.
