Higher education in Russia has become more expensive than in 22 out of the 27 European countries, according to a calculation made by The Moscow Times. At the same time, the difference between the cost of education and the average income in Russia is one of the largest in the region.
In December 2025, President Vladimir Putin stated, during a meeting of the Human Rights Council, that “studies in Russia are significantly cheaper than in the West”. Responding to director Aleksandr Sokurov, Putin said:
“Regarding what is happening with education in Western countries and ours — there, of course, the costs are several times higher than ours.”
However, he acknowledged that part of the Russian education system is paid and that “fees, unfortunately, continue to rise”. Nevertheless, he insisted that “the prices of education in the West and ours are not comparable”.
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