The European University at St. Petersburg has published an analytical report, "Non-State Higher Education in Russia: Current Situation and New Trends," presenting the findings of a study conducted in 2025. The work is based on data from the Monitoring of Activities of Higher Education Institutions, the "Vuzopedia" resource, and a series of expert interviews with representatives of the sector.
Key Findings of the Study:
Changing Dynamics
After peaking in 2015, the number of students in private universities declined until 2020. In 2023, the number of students in private universities grew to 464,000—10% of the total student body. The annual increase of 21% was more than 10 times higher than the growth rate in the public sector.
Sector Differentiation
One of the main conclusions of the study is that non-state education cannot be viewed as a single entity. Differences within the private university sector itself (in terms of size, educational model, faculty salaries) are often greater than the differences between public and non-state universities overall. For example, the student-to-faculty ratio in private universities ranges from 0 to 43, while in public universities it ranges from 3 to 29. The sector includes polar opposite models: from fully correspondence-based universities (16.7 %) to fully in-person universities (8 %).
Regional Features
EUSP researchers identified two fundamentally different models that define the face of the private education sector in the regions:
- The "Moscow Model". In central Russia (especially Moscow), private universities serve as an alternative to state universities, offering programs that are more accessible in terms of cost and admission requirements, primarily in the social sciences and humanities. In Moscow, 273,000 students study in private universities—about one-third of the total.
- The "Regional Substitution Model". In some regions, such as Kaliningrad Oblast, Kamchatka, Kalmykia, or Yaroslavl Oblast, a private university is often the only opportunity to obtain higher education without relocating. Here, they are not an alternative but the foundation of the educational infrastructure. In 10 regions, including Kaliningrad Oblast and Kamchatka Krai, the share of students in private universities exceeds 10 %.
New Educational Models
Alongside the traditional specialization in the social sciences and humanities (70% of students in private universities study law, economics, and psychology; more precisely, 70.4% of the adjusted student body in private universities is concentrated in the social sciences), "open corporate universities" are emerging. Created with support from major companies, institutions such as Central University and the Igor Rybakov University focus on training specialists in IT, technological entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence.
Competitive Advantages
Experts attribute the strengths of non-state universities to their flexibility in developing and updating educational programs, as well as a better student-to-faculty ratio compared to state universities, which allows for a more individualized approach to learning. The average student-to-faculty ratio in private universities is 9:1, compared to 13:1 in public universities.
Development Prospects and Conclusions
Based on data analysis, the following trends can be expected to continue in the coming years:
- Increased differentiation within the sector due to the spread of "open corporate university" models.
- The persistence of specialization in the social sciences and humanities as the financial basis for most universities.
- Growth in the number of programs focused on integration with business.
- Development of collaborations between state and non-state universities, which will contribute to the convergence of educational models, especially in technical and IT fields.
Scale and Range of the Sector
- The largest private universities (Synergy — 74,738 students) coexist in the sector with research centers (EUSP, Skoltech).
- Tuition fees at private universities range from 33,000 rubles (Institute of Finance and Law) to 800,000 rubles per year (Innopolis University).
The study demonstrates that, given the gradual nature of structural changes in recent years, the near future may bring qualitative transformation to both the entire non-state higher education sector and its individual representatives.
The full version of the report "Non-State Higher Education in Russia: Current State and New Trends" is available via the link.