HIGHER EDUCATION – Ukraine open for business

More than 21,000 foreign students from 127 countries are studying at Ukraine’s higher education institutions

As of January 1, 2026, 21,271 foreign students from 127 countries are studying at Ukraine’s higher education institutions, the Ministry of Education and Science reported, citing data from the Ukrainian State Center for International Education.

“The number of foreign students in Ukraine has, of course, decreased compared to the period before the full-scale invasion, but interest in obtaining higher education in Ukraine remains. Therefore, Ukrainian universities are actively developing new educational areas, adapting learning formats, and joining initiatives aimed at developing international education,” the ministry’s press service quoted the director of the Center, Olena Shapovalova, as saying.

In particular, according to the Center, in the 2025/2026 academic year foreign students are receiving education at 369 higher education institutions in Ukraine.

The largest numbers of foreign students study at the following universities: Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding, Sumy National Agrarian University, Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics, National Aerospace University “Kharkiv Aviation Institute,” National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Private Higher Education Institution “International European University,” Private Higher Education Institution “University of Medicine and Social Sciences,” National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute,” and Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University.

It is noted that most foreign students study in Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, as well as in Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

According to the report, citizens from 127 countries are studying at Ukraine’s higher education institutions. The largest numbers of students are from China (6,626), Azerbaijan (5,420), Georgia (1,478), India (924), Morocco (734), Turkey (644), Turkmenistan (568), Poland (504), Armenia (406), and the Russian Federation (390).

The most common fields of study are: “Finance, banking, insurance and the stock market,” “Food technologies,” “Management,” “Technology of production and processing of livestock products,” “Medicine,” “Physical culture and sports,” “Biotechnology and bioengineering,” “Air transport,” “Economics and international economic relations,” and “Computer engineering.”

Among other things, it is noted that as of January 1, 2026, 6,292 invitations to study were registered. The most were for applicants from China, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Morocco, Nigeria, Turkey, India, the United States, and Poland.

As reported, in 2025 Ukraine’s higher education institutions enrolled 5,475 foreign students, which is 534 more than in 2024 (4,941).

Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykola Trofymenko expects that after the end of the war the number of foreign students in Ukraine could increase to 100,000.

UKRAINE APPROVES RAISING OF $200 MLN LOAN FROM IBRD TO IMPROVE HIGHER EDUCATION

The Cabinet of Ministers approved raising of a $200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to improve the higher education system in Ukraine.
“The government adopted an order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on attracting a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the implementation of the project Improving Higher Education for Results in the amount of $200 million,” the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science said.
It is noted that the purpose of the investment project is to create conditions for increasing the efficiency, quality and transparency of higher education in Ukraine, and to support systemic reforms in the social sphere.
The project consists of four interconnected components, and its implementation will take place over five years.
In particular, the first component involves improving approaches to management, financing, quality and transparency in higher education, namely: creating incentives for the implementation of structural reforms, in particular, through the introduction of digital solutions.
The second component involves the formation of partner alliances of higher education institutions to improve efficiency and quality.
The third component provides for the development of ability and improvement of the educational environment. It is planned to finance the procurement of computer and multimedia equipment and software for the organization of distance learning and teaching, modern telecommunications, the development of modern digital infrastructure, the development and launch of electronic learning management systems, and the purchase of laboratory equipment for modern educational and research laboratories.
“The project also includes the implementation of certain educational policies. We are talking about the development of financial autonomy of higher educational institutions, the expansion of the implementation of the formula approach to financing, and the improvement of universities,” the ministry said.