In the context of economic instability and inflation, the cost of higher education has become one of the most pressing issues for prospective students and their parents. Anatoliy Melnychenko, Rector of the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" (KPI), clarified the situation regarding university pricing and warned about the risks associated with dumping in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Why tuition fees must rise
According to Melnychenko, tuition fees should have risen in all reputable universities this year. The main reason lies in the January increase in wages for scientific and pedagogical staff. For budget-funded students, this increase is covered by the state, with funds allocated in the 2026 budget. However, the situation is different for contract students: expenses for teachers' salaries are directly factored into the cost of tuition.
The Rector emphasized that if an educational institution does not raise prices, it raises serious questions. In his opinion, such behavior can be regarded as "university populism" and unfair competition.
The danger of low prices
The state attempts to regulate the market through indicative prices, but, according to the head of KPI, some institutions continue to "shamelessly dump" prices. Melnychenko urged prospective students and their parents to understand: a suspiciously low price tag is always a marker that something is wrong with the education provided.
"If they see a suspiciously low price tag, the university is forced to save money on something. As a rule, they save on the quality of education. That is, they simply simulate the educational process," the Rector stated.
KPI prices: starting from 50,000 UAH
The Kyiv Polytechnic Institute adheres to an "objective price" for education. This year, the minimum cost of tuition for bachelor's degrees starts from 50,000 hryvnias. These are predominantly engineering specialties that are not subject to market trends. Meanwhile, the most expensive fields of study can reach 70,000 – 80,000 hryvnias per year. Master's degree tuition is even more expensive.
For comparison, the Rector converted the cost into euros: applied mechanics costs slightly less than 1,000 euros per year. "Of course, at Harvard or in the US in general, the pricing policy is completely different, but we are significantly cheaper than Western universities," noted Melnychenko. At the same time, he is convinced that KPI engineers are absolutely comparable in qualification to their Western colleagues, so the price of quality education is not inflated.
Supporting students in wartime conditions
Melnychenko acknowledged that modern realities cannot be ignored: the war continues, and people's incomes may fall. However, according to him, if you take the average salary in Kyiv, two monthly salaries are quite enough to cover a year of study at KPI.
The university has compensation programs. Priority is given to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other preferential categories. In addition, the administration is doing everything possible to transfer contract students to budget places that become vacant during the academic year.