Academia and Higher Learning in Popular Culture

Participation rates in higher education (learned institutes, colleges, and universities) are presently higher, globally, than at any time in the past. Today, in the United States, 40% of all 18–24-year-olds are enrolled in college (in 2020)" this fgure has held steady for the past decade or so, but is up from 24% in 1965 and 26% in 1970.1 In the United Kingdom, 64,090 degrees of all levels were awarded in 1970" this fgure rising to 761,215 by 2020.2 Almost 30% of Australians possess a Bachelor's degree or higher—compared with less than 8% three decades prior.3 With eliteonly education long consigned to the ash heap of history, 1970s-era predictions of a mass higher education system transitioning to a universal one have now come to pass,4 with governments worldwide committed to expanding participation still further as the twenty-frst century unfolds.5 These increases mean there are more universities, more students attending university, and greater public engagement with universities. The practice and experience of higher education sits heavily in popular awareness and the chapters of this collection chart and interpret the current high level of interest popular culture has in higher education.