The findings of this research suggest that both financial and non-financial barriers affect children coming from families of a less favorable socioeconomic background in Serbia. Financial barriers include parents’ wealth and ability to cover the costs of the child’s education, while non-financial barriers regard the importance of parents’ emotional and other support for the child during their education. The recommended measures to remove financial barriers concern the reform of the higher education financing system and the introduction of a loan system to cover the costs of its attendance. The text also features measures to overcome non-financial barriers in the form of introduction of remedial programs, the reform of affirmative programs and the introduction of retention programs.