Admission to paid education in universities may be limited as early as 2026

Starting from September 1, 2026, admission to paid higher education institutions may be limited. The bill granting the Cabinet of Ministers such powers is planned to be adopted by the State Duma in the first reading in May, and in the final, third, before the end of the spring session, which this year will last until August 3. Izvestia was told about this by the committees, which began to prepare their conclusions for the initiative. Thus, three committees have already come out in support of the bill — education, civil society development and health protection. The documents were reviewed by Izvestia.

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What is the reason for this and which areas are relevant?

"In Russia today, there is an abundance of lawyers, economists and some other professions that young people get for money, but then they can't get a job anywhere and remain unclaimed in the labor market. Therefore, this is a very timely initiative. The state should be able to regulate the training of specialists who are necessary for the development of the country," explained Mikhail Berulava, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education.

According to him, the initiative will primarily affect state universities. Many of them have opened a large number of branches in different regions today, but the quality of teaching in them leaves much to be desired, the deputy explained.

"The first reading of the bill is scheduled for May, and I assume that it may be adopted in final reading before the end of the session. The new standards will help solve the problem of the imbalance in the labor market and the shortage of qualified personnel," said Yana Lantratova, head of the Committee for the Development of Civil Society.

According to her, unfortunately, many universities have now turned into "diploma factories", churning out specialists in unclaimed specialties.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Teach a scientist: admission to paid education in universities may be limited as early as 2026.