There are three main types of educational institutions in Ukraine: public (established by the state), municipal (established by local authorities) and private. Private educational institutions may be established by individuals or legal entities.
Funding of private educational institutions
Early childhood education and care institutions, general secondary education institutions
Private early childhood education and care (ECEC) and general secondary education institutions in Ukraine are mainly financed by the families of the learners. Additional sources of funding may include sponsorship, charitable donations, grants and other sources of income not prohibited by law. There is usually an enrolment fee, followed by monthly fees. Parents may also pay extra for their child's meals, additional tuition (e.g. advanced foreign language classes), or participation in extracurricular activities organised by the educational institution.
Private schools may also receive public funding. According to Article 53 of the Constitution of Ukraine (Конституція України), every citizen has the right to education, and complete general secondary education is compulsory for all citizens. As a result, private schools providing full-course general secondary education may receive educational subventions. These subventions are transfers from the state budget to local budgets, which are used to pay the salaries of teachers providing general secondary education. When private schools apply for such funding, the amounts are calculated on the basis of established formulae, taking into account the number of learners and other necessary factors.
Vocational education and training institutions
In 2023, 344 private vocational education and training (VET) institutions were operating in Ukraine. The owners of these institutions have the right to independently set the fees for vocational training, the level of which is determined by the demand for such training among learners and their employment prospects in the labour market. Owners of private VET institutions maintain these institutions at their own expense.
Higher education institutions
The financial resources of private higher education institutions (HEIs) consist of tuition fees, contributions from the institution's founders, donations from sponsors, public funds and other legally obtained funds. For example, the state may allocate funds to private HEIs for competitive scientific research (if the institution wins the competition), as well as other types of funding. A traditional religious community or association may also establish a private HEI. One such example is the Ukrainian Catholic University, which fosters an open academic community rooted in the Eastern Christian tradition and has built a strong reputation.
According to the Constitution of Ukraine, Ukrainian citizens can only receive free higher education in state and municipal educational institutions on a competitive basis. Studying at a private HEI therefore requires the payment of tuition fees set by the institution.
Expansion and development issues of the private education sector
The private education sector in Ukraine is small but gradually expanding. In the pre-war academic year 2020/2021, there were 427 private ECEC institutions (2.8%), and by the academic year 2023/2024, this number had increased to 476 (3.1%). Since the adoption of the Law on Education (закон України ‘Про освіту’), education policy has focused on liberalising the conditions for establishing private ECEC institutions, which has significantly facilitated this process. Local authorities, faced with a shortage of public ECEC institutions, can use the available funds to support the operation of private institutions and simplify the process of their establishment by initiative citizens and legal entities.
The number of private general secondary education institutions in Ukraine increased by 1.3 times between 2020 and 2023, from 354 institutions (2.4%) in the pre-war academic year 2020/2021 to 454 institutions (3.6%) in the academic year 2023/2024. According to the statistics, the number of private schools has increased significantly since the academic year 2014/2015 – by 2.7 times, while the number of pupils has increased by 4.8 times.
The number of private VET institutions is also on the rise. In 2017, there were 118 such institutions, and in 2024, the number had grown to 344 (an increase of 2.9 times). In 2024, private VET institutions accounted for 25.9% of all such institutions.
Private HEIs make a significant contribution to the higher education sector in Ukraine. In 2023, there were 119 private HEIs (institutes, academies and universities), representing 35.8% of all such institutions.
The war has exacerbated existing challenges for private educational institutions. These challenges include the high cost of utilities, the lack of funds to provide safe conditions for students and teachers, the need for additional Internet equipment and other means of distance learning. There are also difficulties in obtaining bank loans, the lack of an effective mechanism to resolve the issue of long-term leasing of state and municipal property, and the underdevelopment of public-private partnerships in education. Nevertheless, there is ongoing communication between private education managers and government agencies, and mechanisms are being developed to address these issues. There is a common understanding that private education is an important partner of the Ukrainian state in addressing issues of accessibility and continuity of education, using the material and intellectual resources of private investors.
Establishment and management of private schools
In order to open a private ECEC institution or general secondary school in Ukraine, a number of requirements must be met, as the institution must be authorised to issue certificates confirming the completion of education. A key requirement is the availability of premises that are suitable for children of a certain age group and that meet hygiene standards. In addition to classrooms, the building must have designated areas for a canteen, medical room and gymnasium. Licensing and subsequent state registration of a private school is mandatory. The decision to grant a licence to an educational institution is taken by the licensing authorities on the basis of the location of the educational activities and separately for each level of general secondary education. In order to obtain a licence, the school must have a developed curriculum outlining the subjects and the workload of the pupils within permissible limits. It must also provide information on the acquisition of textbooks, manuals and the technical equipment of the institution, as well as details of the teaching staff, their working conditions and qualifications. In order to issue educational certificates, the institution must subsequently undergo an accreditation process conducted by the relevant regional education authority to confirm its stated professional standards.
A private VET can be founded by an individual or a legal entity. The founder chooses the legal and organisational form of the institution and applies to the regional authority. The establishment of a VET institution must comply with state requirements, including having a charter, appointing a head, and meeting other specified conditions. The educational activities of a private VET institution are licensed by the regional department of education or the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU), depending on the level of education provided. A licence is granted if the institution has the necessary material and technical base, qualified staff, teaching materials and equipment, as well as prepared premises for both theoretical and practical training. The quality of the educational services provided must subsequently be confirmed by certification or accreditation.
An individual or legal entity may also establish a private HEI. The founder chooses the organisational and legal form of the institution. The founding document of the HEI is its charter, which regulates its activities. If the HEI wishes to carry out educational activities, it must obtain a licence from the relevant department of the MESU, provided that it meets the existing requirements. These include having an appropriate material and technical base, qualified personnel and compliance with the established educational programmes. A list of educational programmes by specialities must also be submitted, together with the educational components aimed at achieving the expected learning outcomes. In addition, the institution must comply with all other legal requirements.
Quality assurance in private education: state monitoring
In a private educational institution, the responsibility for ensuring the quality of education lies with the founder. The state systematically monitors the quality of education. In Ukraine, the State Service of Education Quality of Ukraine (SSQE) monitors the quality of education from ECEC to VET, while the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance (NAQA) is responsible for higher education. In addition to monitoring, the NAQA is responsible for the accreditation of the HEIs.
The SSEQ also carries out voluntary certification of teachers, exclusively on their initiative. This certification involves an external evaluation of a teacher's professional competences, including pedagogy and psychology, as well as an assessment of practical skills in the use of modern teaching methods and technologies.