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Ukraine Higher Education Statistics

Ukraine International Student Statistics

Ukraine International Student Statistics

80,470 International Students

According to the latest official statistics, there were 80,470 international students in Ukraine. The country has a reputation for having one of the best and most affordable education systems in Europe. Ukrainian universities offer many programs at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels of study for international students.

Important Note:

[March 2022] Official Ukrainian websites where such statistical data can be found are currently unavailable and it is uncertain as to when the situation will change. Our team has managed to gather all important information on the most recent international students statistics in Ukraine, as reported by official Ukrainian sites, before the war.

Our team has analyzed and reported the statistics with the utmost precision, to provide accurate information, for anyone who might need it, in times of hardship. Reporting correct information is the least we can do.

Number of international students studying in Ukraine

Ukraine hosted 80,470 international students in 2019, who studied mostly Medicine, Medical Practice, Dentistry, Management, and Pharmacy.

Quick Summary

  • International student enrollment increased by approx. 50% from 2011 to 2019 —within almost a decade.
  • The majority of international students enrolled in higher education institutions in 2019 came from India18,429 students.
  • 21.5% of international students in Ukraine were nationals of post-soviet countries, with Azerbaijan in the top (5,470 students).
  • The Ukrainian region with the most international students was Kharkiv, with 20,196 students.
  • Bachelor's and Master’s degrees make for the majority (89,85%) of international student enrollment in Ukrainian universities, a total of 70,696 students.
  • Medicine is the most popular study field for international students in Ukraine, with 26,040 enrolled students.
  • With 4,355 enrollments, Kharkiv National Medical University is the most popular university for international students in Ukraine.

Historical International Student Statistics in Ukraine

  • There were 80,470 international students enrolled in higher education studies in Ukraine by 2019. That is a 6.4% increase within a year from 2018.
  • The number of international students in Ukraine increased significantly within a decade.
  • From 2011, international students increased by 49.9%, from 53,664 to 80,470 students.
  • An increase of 18.3% in international students in Ukraine occurred between 2015 and 2018 —from 63,906 to 75,605 students.
  • From 2011 to 2017, there was an increase of 23.5% in international student enrollment in Ukrainian higher education institutions.

The number of international students in Ukraine over the years:

number of international students in ukraine.png
Year International Students
2011 53,664
2012 60,480
2013 69,969
2014 63,172
2015 63,906
2016 64,006
2017 66,310
2018 75,605
2019 80,470

International Students in Ukraine by Country of Origin

The number of international enrollment listed below is in accordance with the latest official data, in 2019, by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

  • India is the country with the highest number of international students in Ukraine, with 18,429 students, followed by Morocco with 8,233.
  • Uzbekistan is ranked last in the top ten countries with the most international students in Ukrainian universities.
  • Other countries not listed in the table below make for 29% of foreign students studying in Ukraine.
  • India, Turkmenistan, and Nigeria are the only three countries that have brought international students with mobility programs in Ukraine.

Here are the number of international students in Ukraine by their country of origin:

international_students_in_Ukraine_by_their_country_of_origin-01.png
Country of Origin International Students
India 18,429
Morocco 8,233
Azerbaijan 5,470
Turkmenistan 5,344
Nigeria 4,379
Turkey 3,764
China 3,527
Egypt 3,499
Israel 2,561
Uzbekistan 2,027

International Students in Ukraine Coming From Post-Soviet Countries

According to the latest official data, the table listed below shows the number of international students coming from post-soviet countries to study in Ukraine in 2019.

  • Post-soviet countries make for 21.5% of all international students enrolled in higher education studies in Ukraine.
  • The highest number of inernational students from post-soviet countries have come from Azerbaijan —a total of 5,470—followed by Turkmenistan with 5,344.
  • According to the latest statistics, the number of international students from Azerbaijan decreased by 12.1% between 2018 and 2019 —from 6,228 to 5,470
  • On the other hand, the number of students coming from Turkmenistan increased by 6.1% between 2018 and 2019 —from 5,033 to 5,344.
  • Estonia was the post-soviet country with the least number of international students in Ukraine, only 6 students.
Post-soviet Countries International Students
Azerbaijan 5,470
Turkmenistan 5,344
Uzbekistan 2,027
Georgia 1,804
Russian Federation 1,151
Belarus 492
Moldova 392
Armenia 233
Tajikistan 148
Kazakhstan 96
Lithuania 84
Kyrgyzstan 42
Latvia 25
Estonia 6

International Students in Ukraine by Region

  • The Ukrainian region with the highest number of international students from abroad was Kharkiv, a total of 20,196 students.
  • Kyiv was the second Ukrainian region with the most international students (17,634).
  • 2,214 international students were enrolled in higher education studies in the Ukrainian region of Poltava.
  • The Ukrainian region with the least international students was Chernigiv, with only 32 students enrolled in higher education studies.
  • The area of Kyiv had the most international students enrolled in Preparatory courses (2,980).
Ukrainian Region International Students
Kharkiv 20,196
Kyiv 17,634
Odesa 9,159
Dnipropetrovsk 5,220
Zaporizhzhya 3,404
Vinnytsya 3,036
Ternopil 3,086
Sumy 2,621
Lviv 2,308
Poltava 2,214

International Students in Ukraine by Degree Type

  • There are more than four types of degrees in higher education studies in Ukraine including Bachelor’s, Master’s, Preparatory courses, Postgraduate studies, and Academic Mobility.
  • Bachelor's and Master’s degrees make for the majority (89,85%) of international student enrollment in Ukrainian universities, a total of 70,696 students.
  • 50.70% of international students in Ukraine were enrolled in Master's degrees, whereas 35.90% in Bachelor's programs.
  • There were 6,949 or 8.6% international students enrolled in Preparatory courses in higher education studies in Ukraine.
  • In comparison, 2,814 international students were enrolled in Postgraduate courses, which makes for 3.5% of the total enrollment.
  • Finally, there were only 11 foreign students enrolled in Mobility programs in Ukraine or 0.01% of total international student enrollment.
  • Of the total international student enrollment in Ukraine, 86.6% were enrolled in full-time courses, whereas 13.3% were enrolled in part-time studies.
  • There are also two more forms of education in Ukraine —evening and external studies. 0.03% of international students were enrolled in evening classes, and 0.004% were enrolled in external courses.

International Students in Ukraine by Study Field

  • The most popular study field among international students in Ukraine is Medicine, with 26,040 enrolled students, or 32.3% of all disciplines.
  • After Medicine, the second study field with the most international students in Ukrainian universities is Medical Practice with 6,215 students or 7.7%.
  • Dentistry and Management are ranked third for the most popular study fields, with 5,094 and 3,505 enrollments, respectively.
  • 3.10% of international students are enrolled in the field of Pharmacy and Industrial Pharmacy, a total of 2,492 enrollments.
  • Law is ranked sixth among the most popular study fields, with a total of 2,387 international students enrolled in higher education institutions.
  • Other popular study fields for foreign students in Ukraine include Architecture and Construction with 2,383 students, Secondary Education (1,829), Finances, Banking and Insurance (1,571), Economics (1,290), and finally Philology with 1,038 internationals.
  • 8.64% of international students enrolled in the above-mentioned popular courses were registered in preparatory courses, and 24.45% in other degree types.

Top Universities for International Students in Ukraine

  • The top Ukrainian university with the most international students is Kharkiv National Medical University, with 4,355 enrollments.
  • There were 4,351 foreign students enrolled in V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, making it the second university with the highest number of international students.
  • Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is ranked last among the most popular universities for international students in Ukraine, with 1,849 students in total.
  • There are three types of higher education institutions (HEI) in Ukraine: State, Private and Communal HEIs.
  • The majority of international students attend State HEIs, a total of 71,546 or 88.9%.
  • In comparison, there were 8,766 (10.8%) foreign students enrolled in Private HEIs, and 158 students were enrolled in Communal HEIs (0.2%)
  • Almost all the universities listed in this article have a medicine faculty, considering it is the most popular among foreign students.

Here are the universities in Ukraine with the most international students:

University International Students
Kharkiv National Medical University 4,355
V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University 4,351
Odesa National Medical University 4,234
Bogomolets National Medical University 3,378
Zaporizhzhia State Medical University 2,981
National Pirogov Memorial Medical 2,815
I.Horbachevsky Ternopil State Medical University 2,414
State Institution “Dnipropetrovsk Medical Academy of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” 2,385
HSEE of Ukraine “Bukovinian State Medical University” 1,869
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv 1,849