In the new academic year, the share of men among first-year students studying for a fee increased to 70%, and their average age increased to 27 years, an investigation by NGL.media has revealed.
The results of the 2023 enrollment campaign show that Ukrainian higher education institutions (HEIs) continue to be used on a massive scale to avoid mobilisation. Whereas last year, about 85,000 men of military age took advantage of the opportunity to obtain a legal deferral from mobilisation, there are about 110,000 of them.
The investigation showed that the share of men among first-year students studying for a fee in 2023 increased to 70% overall, and their average age increased to 27 years. The most striking increase in the number of male students is noticeable in the 30+ and 40+ age groups.
"The reasons for this gender and age imbalance are obvious - just like last year, student status guarantees a deferral from mobilisation during martial law. Despite the fact that the average cost of a year of study in Ukrainian universities has increased to UAH 23,700, the conditions for enrollment on contract remained simplified - for some specialities, a simple interview or a motivation letter was enough," NGL.media said.
However, there is another reason, namely, the additional income of educational institutions.
Based on the average tuition fee and the number of applicants, this year Ukrainian higher education institutions received more than UAH 2.6 billion from men of far beyond student age alone. Last year, this additional income amounted to UAH 1.7 billion.
"The absolute leader is Kharkiv's Ukrainian State University of Railway Transport, where the number of male contract students in the first year of study has increased 20 times compared to pre-war 2021," the investigation says.
The government does not see any problem in the fact that universities are increasing the number of contract students almost uncontrollably, the only condition for admission being their willingness to pay.
In September, MP Fedir Venislavskyy registered a bill that, according to him, would close this loophole for evading mobilisation.