The economic, social, political, and pedagogical issues that surround the notion of democratization of higher education are considered, based on various approaches being undertaken around the world to open up higher education to new population groups. Conservative, liberal, and radical interpretations of democratization and the role of education are reviewed. Four criteria for evaluating the extent of higher education opportunity in any national or regional context are: equality of access to higher education, equality of participation within the higher education institutions, equality of education results (success in completing once there is access), and equality of education effects in life changes in the future. Examples of democratization efforts are outlined under the following categories: the expansion of facilities, reforms in admission policies, physical and/or temporal divorce of teaching/learning, different types of courses, and structural changes, including comprehensive reform. Major concerns of the highly developed countries and the developing countries with regard to educational opportunity, educational demand for higher education, and economic and social goals are addressed. Key issues cited in pursuing democratization of higher education include: equality and value judgments, whether equality of opportunity is an appropriate goal, equal versus maximum development, democratization within the university and in relation to society, and the equality equality-meritocracy dilemma. A bibliography is appended. (SW)