Social dimension is one of the primary goals of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and its main objective is to ensure that all individuals have equal opportunities and equitable participation in the process and in the access to higher education. This thesis focuses on examining the social dimension of higher education in Croatia and Spain. The theoretical part shows the historical development of European unity in education and the creation of the Bologna Process, which, with the help of students who are direct participants in higher education, brought about the existence of social dimension. The aim of this study is to test the social dimension of higher education at the University of Zadar and the University of Alcalá de Henares in Spain and to interpret the results obtained, i.e. examine the background of the approach, students' social and economic environment as well as their study conditions. The results show that in spite of the progress in certain segments, the original idea of social dimension of students' equality in both universities has not yet been achieved. The most significant fact is that vulnerable groups are under-represented in higher education and that economic conditions pose a major barrier in the process of studying.