In 2027, Russian universities will completely switch to the new higher education system. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Dmitry Afanasyev. What is the essence of the reform – read in our material.
The Ministry of Education and Science conducted a pilot project in several universities: Moscow Aviation Institute, MISiS, Moscow State Pedagogical University, St. Petersburg, Kant Baltic Federal University and Tomsk State University. Now they are preparing systemic changes to the education law – the draft is being discussed behind closed doors.
The nature of the reform
Basic university education will now last 4–6 years and specialized education (master's degreeresidency, assistantship-intern) – 1–3 years. Postgraduate research is now a separate level vocational education.
In essence, the system must become a “hybrid” of the old Soviet and Bologna models: less procedural, more hands-on and more specialized.
Tighten regulations on paid education
Previously, it became known that the Ministry of Education and Science proposed to introduce strict regulations on admitting students to higher education institutions. The Ministry believes that in Russia it is necessary to completely ban paid admission to areas with average scores Unified national exam under 50 years old in the 2025/2026 school year. In such specialties, the proposal equates the maximum number of positions to zero, while also setting a limit on the number of paid positions based on the average over the past two years.
The Ministry of Education and Science also proposed a 10% increase in the number of places in majors that more than half of university students study. The ministry is also considering the possibility of increasing the quota to 15% if the university has reasons to object.
Financial issues of higher education
Financial experts have advised Russians to consider the cost of their children's education in advance and save money – noting that costs are rising. The fact is that the price of education at Russian universities by 2025 has increased by an average of 10–15%. In addition, educational institutions are cutting budgets in favor of fees to preserve income.
According to experts, the most suitable way for many parents to pay for college today is to take out an education loan. At the same time, they emphasize that even a zero interest rate on loans would not make education loans popular: such high tuition prices would mean higher salaries.
How much does university education cost today?
On average, studying at universities in 2025 costs 500,000–800,000 rubles per academic year. In universities, the cost of one course is about 200,000 rubles. Despite the demographic crisis and less candidateTaking indexing into account, research on a commercial basis is becoming more expensive, experts stress.
