A fast-forward look at tertiary education attainment in Europe 2020

This paper strives to answer the question whether Europe will reach its tertiary education attainment target by 2020. We model the dynamics behind education decisions as a balance between investment and consumption motivations. We use a panel approach and a wide range of statistical tests to insure that model specifications are stable and robust. Insights into the dynamics of future education attainment and remaining policy challenges are highlighted. While Europe is likely to achieve its target, there is a growing divide between best and low performing countries that raises doubts with respect to real economic convergence prospects.