The Ministry of Education and Science reported on the increase in the cost of contract studies at universities and explained the reasons for the price increase, noting that despite this, Ukrainian higher education remains more affordable compared to foreign ones
In 2025, the cost of contract studies at Ukrainian universities increased by almost 30%. It is expected that the trend towards increasing prices will continue. This was reported by Deputy Minister of Education Mykola Trofymenko during a briefing, writes Sudovo-Yurydychna Gazeta. The PromPolitInform portal informs.
He explained that this is due to the need to form special funds in higher education institutions.
“You know that from January 1, 2026, the salaries of university employees were increased by 30%, and from March 1, they will be increased by another 20%. Accordingly, we should not deping – we should ensure an adequate price for higher education in our universities,” the deputy minister noted.
In addition, the state has increased funding by 10% for universities belonging to vulnerable categories, in particular those displaced from frontline areas. This increase is not taken into account when calculating the cost of education.
“We believe that these processes are balanced, and the cost of education in our universities is adequate,” Trofymenko said.
Ukrainian higher education remains much more affordable than studying abroad, even despite the increase in the cost of a contract in higher education institutions, Oleg Sharov, director of the Directorate of Higher Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, said at a briefing.
At the same time, he emphasized that quality education cannot be cheap. According to him, the state should provide funding for the education of state-funded students, while families should pay for the contract form.
The official also emphasized that despite this, Ukrainian education is still much cheaper than foreign, in particular European, education.
According to Oleg Sharov, the too low cost of higher education can lead to the outflow of scientific and pedagogical workers abroad and, accordingly, negatively affect the quality of student training.
