In Ukraine, there are plans to consolidate universities, reducing their number by a third, and leaving a maximum of one in small towns

In Ukraine, there is a plan to consolidate universities and reduce the number from 164 to around 100.

This program was discussed at a meeting of the “Union of Rectors of Higher Educational Institutions of Ukraine” with the participation of the Minister of Education, Oksen Lisovyi, as reported by Alexander Spivakovsky, the rector of Kherson State University, on Facebook.

In particular, in 2024, universities in Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Lutsk, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Rivne, and Uman may be merged, as shown in the table.

Authorities intend to merge universities with fewer than 5,000 students. They aim to merge “sectoral” universities, which have ceased to be such, with classical, polytechnic, and technological universities. In the first six months after the merger, they promise them $1.5 million in investments.

Classical institutions will strengthen social-humanitarian, pedagogical, and natural sciences. Polytechnic institutions will focus on technical and construction sciences. And technological institutions will specialize in agrarian, food, and veterinary sciences.

On the second stage, they plan to establish consolidated innovation centers with investments of up to $5 million.

Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, proposed leaving no more than two universities in cities with populations of 100,000 to 350,000. He noted that in cities with populations up to 100,000, one university should be retained.

“In cities with a population of over 350,000, a network of universities can be formed, including educational institutes closely linked to employers, research universities, and interdisciplinary (worldview) or specialized (e.g., musical) academies,” Vynnytskyi wrote on Facebook.

He believes that universities (except for city-forming and specialized academies) should have at least 5,000 students in full-time programs.

“Our goal is to have an average of 10,000 students per university in Ukraine. Currently, the average number in MON institutions is 6,648. There are some with over 25,000 students, but the average figure is too low, negatively impacting students’ choice of disciplines and dispersing valuable human and material resources,” he said.

Vynnytskyi added that Ukrainian universities will soon have to compete with Western universities, so it is necessary to build a system that can withstand competition and provide students with a quality education.