It's time to limit the availability of paid higher education in Russia.

In the 2024/25 academic year, Russian universities have almost overcome the decline in paid admission that occurred during the covid outbreak. Exactly one third of the applicants enrolled on a commercial basis — 171 thousand people. Many consider this an absolute success and wonder why restrictions have been introduced in the next, i.e. current, 2025/26 academic year: universities have lost the right to exceed the enrollment plan for paid education, even with high demand for such places. In this case, the truth is on the government's side, and restrictions are justified. As you know, 60% of Russian school graduates were provided with full-time budget places last year. This is a lot compared to the vast majority of other countries. In addition, the availability of paid higher education in Russia has increased dramatically with the advent of preferential loans. Today, an applicant takes money for education at three percent per annum, and the state compensates the bank for 19.38%. It's almost free now.