CURRENT TRENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA: FACTORS OF STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION

The article provides an assessment of higher education in the Republic of Moldova for the period 2017-2023 based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. It examines the dynamics of higher education institutions, the number of students in educational programs, and gender disparities in the choice of study fields. The aim of this research is to identify factors influencing the dynamics of the number of students in higher education institutions relative to the overall population of the country. The research employed methods of economic analysis and correlation regression. The results of the correlation analysis indicate that the dynamics of the number of students relative to the overall population of the country depend on factors reflecting various aspects of the educational environment by 97.25%, emphasizing the importance of creating favourable conditions for education and ensuring accessibility of higher education in the country.