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In contemporary policy discussions on higher education, the idea that this environment is in danger of becoming isolated from the world, ignoring the wishes and needs of society at large, is a constant background. From a historical point of view, it is mostly true that the academic spectrum has been rather impermeable in both directions: the knowledge generated and transmitted within it was very little based on the outside world and less concerned with its application to the problems of the outside world. In the globalised world of the 21st century, this kind of impermeability is no longer possible. The expansion of higher education systems in all regions has brought new socio-economic groups into the educational environment, with a greater diversity of cultures, levels of academic preparation, and expectations. In order to gain a better insight into the topic, we used an examination approach by overlaying information from different sources of exploration and analyzing the level of comparability over time. This paper examined the main characteristics of education as a pillar for defining human capital and its effects on academia. The findings are explained in the conclusion section, but it is mandatory to specify one conclusion regarding the fact that the costs of academic expansion have also led to increased pressure from governments to justify state funding, a justification that is usually couched in terms of direct and measurable social and economic impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]