Nearly 400,000 for a degree: How much does it cost to study at Ukraine’s most popular universities?
17 July 13:45
ANALYSIS
The cost of tuition for the most popular majors at Ukraine’s leading universities has risen by tens of percent over the past year. The admissions campaign for higher education institutions began on July 1, and at some institutions, a four-year bachelor’s degree program now costs nearly 400,000 hryvnias, while certain educational programs have become tens of thousands of hryvnias more expensive.
The largest price increases have been recorded in the fields of “Law,” “Management,” “Marketing,” “International Relations,” and “Computer Science.” At the same time, the government continues to subsidize part of the tuition costs through a system of educational grants; however, the amount of these grants does not always cover the rise in tuition costs.
"Komersant Ukrainian" analyzed the official regulations of Ukraine’s five leading universities, compared tuition costs for 2025 and 2026, calculated the rate of increase, and determined which majors have become the most expensive—where tuition is already approaching half a million hryvnias for the entire period of study—and whether educational grants help offset the costs.
How Much Does It Cost to Study at Popular Ukrainian Universities
According to data from the state-owned enterprise “INFORESURS,” the top five most popular Ukrainian universities by number of applications received include Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), and the State University of Trade and Economics.
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv was the most expensive among them. Tuition for the majors “Law,” “Management,” and “Marketing” will cost 97,100 UAH per year, or 388,400 UAH for a four-year bachelor’s degree. Over the past year, the cost of these programs has increased by 24–27%. A contract for the “Psychology” program will cost 310,800 UAH, while “Philology” will cost 268,800 UAH for the entire duration of study.
Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute ranks second in terms of tuition costs. Four years of study in “Management,” “Law,” and “Marketing” will cost approximately 335,000 UAH, which is nearly a quarter more than last year. The cost of a contract for “Psychology” and “Philology” is 268,000 UAH each.
At Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, the “Law” program remains the most expensive, with a full bachelor’s degree program costing 346,800 UAH—nearly 30% more than in 2025. Tuition for the “Management,” “Marketing,” and “Psychology” programs costs 276,400 UAH each, while “Philology” costs 233,200 UAH.
Lviv Polytechnic University showed some of the highest rates of tuition increases. Tuition for the “Law,” “Management,” and “Marketing” programs rose to 300,000 UAH for a four-year degree, while the “Philology” program saw the largest increase—53%, to 278,000 UAH.
The State University of Trade and Economics remains the most affordable among the five most popular universities. Tuition for the “Management” program is 220,000 UAH for four years, while “Law” and “Marketing” are 236,000 UAH each, and “Psychology” and “Philology” at 200,000 UAH each. Despite the lower cost compared to other institutions, tuition for contract-based programs here has also risen significantly.
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Collectively, these institutions received nearly 179,000 applications out of a total of 937,000 submitted during the admissions campaign. At the same time, the number of applications does not equal the number of applicants. In 2025, each applicant could submit up to 15 applications, of which no more than five were for state-funded spots, and the rest were for contract-based spots. Already during the 2026 admissions cycle, this limit was reduced to ten applications, which is intended to decrease the number of formal applications and make the admissions process more competitive.
According to the results of the 2025 admissions cycle, approximately 199,000 people were admitted to higher education institutions for the first year of bachelor’s programs and medical master’s programs. Of these, nearly 70,000 will study under the state-funded program, while more than 129,000 will be funded by individuals or legal entities. Contract-based education remains the primary means of obtaining a higher education for most applicants, and, according to estimates by the Ministry of Education and Science, a similar ratio is expected based on the results of the 2026 admissions campaign.
Scholarships to Double
Against the backdrop of rising tuition costs, the government has also revised the amounts of student scholarships. Starting in September, academic and named scholarships will be increased, and for certain categories of students, the amounts will effectively double.
The President of Ukraine’s scholarship will rise from 10,000 to 20,000 UAH per month. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s scholarship will increase from 4,400 to 8,800 UAH, and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine’s scholarship—from 4,000 to 8,000 UAH. The minimum academic scholarship will also double—from 2,000 to 4,000 UAH. For students with high academic performance, the increased academic scholarship will amount to 5,820 UAH instead of 2,910 UAH, and sector-based scholarships will rise from 2,550 to 5,100 UAH. The enhanced field-specific scholarship will increase from 3,710 to 7,420 UAH.
Currently, the system of state educational grants, which has been in effect since 2024, remains one of the key mechanisms for supporting students on a contract basis. It allows applicants who did not receive a state-funded spot but achieved high scores on the national multi-subject test to have part of their tuition covered by the state. The funds are transferred directly to the higher education institution, and the student pays only the difference between the cost of the contract and the grant amount.
The amount of state support depends on the results of the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT) and the field of study. The basic first-level grant starts at 17,000 UAH per year and is awarded to applicants who scored at least 150 points on two subjects of the National Multisubject Test (NMT) or at least 140 points for majors eligible for state support. The second-level grant starts at 25,000 UAH per year and is awarded to applicants who scored at least 170 points on two subjects of the National Multidisciplinary Test. The final payment amount is determined using sector-specific coefficients of 1.0, 1.3, or 1.5, depending on the chosen major.
Demand for the state grant program continues to grow. While 12.2% of first-year students on a fee-paying basis received such support in 2024, their share increased to 15% in 2025. In total, grants were awarded to 15,600 applicants, which is 18% more than the previous year. Accordingly, the program’s funding increased from 287.4 million UAH to 363.2 million UAH. Grants were most frequently awarded to students majoring in “Psychology,” “Law,” “Economics,” “International Economic Relations,” “Automotive Transport,” and “Philology.”
According to the Ministry of Education and Science, the 2026 state budget allocates 652.4 million UAH for grants to students enrolled in 2024–2025. The government plans to allocate an additional 550 million hryvnias to support applicants in this year’s admissions cycle. Thus, total funding for the program in 2026 could exceed 1.2 billion hryvnias.
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