The rise in the cost of higher education: how the new financial burden will affect children and parents exhausted by war
The increase in the cost of studying at Ukrainian universities is becoming one of the most painful topics for families who live in war conditions, have lost their homes and stable income, were forced to leave their homes or are rebuilding their lives after evacuation. For such families, higher education for their child is a matter of the future, but the amount of tuition fees is increasingly turning admission into a serious financial challenge. However, the Ministry of Education and Science announced that in the new academic year, the cost of contract studies at universities will increase.
On March 31, during a briefing, Deputy Minister of Education Mykola Trofimenko announced that contract studies at Ukrainian universities will continue to increase in price. According to him, last year the cost of studying on a contract basis has already increased by almost 30%, and this trend will continue in the next academic year.
The official explained that universities should form special funds that allow them to provide payments to employees and support the work of institutions. He gave the reason that the Ministry of Education and Science considers key to reviewing the cost of education:
“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 dump – we should ensure an adequate price for higher education in our universities.”
Separately, Trofymenko added that the state has increased funding for educational institutions relocated from frontline areas by 10%, but these funds will not be taken into account when calculating the cost of education.
The Ministry of Education and Science explains the change in cost not only by general economic factors, but also by the need to bring the contractual payment to the real cost of student training. Oleg Sharov, Director of the Directorate of Higher Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, stated during a briefing that Ukrainian higher education still remains significantly cheaper than studying abroad, even after the current increase.
At the same time, he emphasized that quality education cannot be too cheap:
“The state must pay dearly for higher education for state employees, and the family for contract employees.”
The official also added that Ukrainian education is many times cheaper than education abroad, particularly in Europe. He was even more harsh in his comments on attempts to keep tuition fees low:
“We can’t afford a completely cheap education, otherwise our scientific and pedagogical workers will simply go abroad, and no one will be able to teach our students well.”
Thus, the ministry links the increase in the price of the contract with the need to retain teachers, ensure updated salaries, and prevent a situation in which universities would work at prices that do not cover real costs.
In 2025, prices at universities rose, and the increase turned out to be uneven: in some universities it was moderate, in others – much more noticeable. The reason was a new approach to forming the cost of tuition on a contractual basis.
Then, universities were obliged to set a minimum fee no lower than the indicative cost, that is, the actual state costs for training one budget student. This mechanism has been extended to more than 30 specialties from the list, which includes more than 130 areas in total, and the specialties with the highest demand among applicants have fallen under the new rules.
The increase in prices for university contracts is taking place at a time when thousands of families continue to live in war conditions, which for many mean the loss of housing, work, a habitual place of residence and the ability to plan expenses for at least a few years in advance. Under such circumstances, even those families who previously expected to pay for their child’s education without a critical load are now forced to reconsider their options, postpone decisions or look for cheaper options.
Against this background, the government has also announced an increase in scholarships for students. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that from September 2026, the scholarship for university students will double – to more than 4 thousand hryvnias.
However, in the overall picture of higher education, this decision exists alongside another process – the increase in the price of the contract, which directly affects those applicants who did not receive a budget place. For such families, the issue of price remains key, since an increase of even a few dozen percent can determine whether the child will study at the chosen university or look for another option.
