The publication covers the years 2012–2024 – a period of intense change in higher education associated with legislative reforms and demographic shifts, as well as external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The analysis brings together a rich set of statistical data and reflects on the determinants of the development of the Lublin academic centre, its scientific and educational potential, and its position within the national academic landscape. It presents, among other things, changes in the number and structure of institutions, students and academic staff, fields of study, research and publishing activity, and processes of internationalisation.