Saint Petersburg universities have announced tuition fee increases for the 2024-2025 academic year, with some programs rising by as much as 25%. Despite the rising costs, the city’s universities also offer a greater number of state-funded places, providing opportunities for students to study for free.

This year, St. Petersburg universities have increased the number of state-funded places by nearly a thousand, exceeding 33,000. Engineering fields receive over 17,000 of these places, marking a 2% increase from the previous year. Other fields with significant state-funded places include mathematics and natural sciences, medicine, and pedagogical studies.

However, contract education costs are also rising. At St. Petersburg State University, tuition fees have increased by an average of 8-10% this year, a steeper increase than the 4-5% rise seen a year ago. Other universities, such as RANEPA and the Higher School of Economics, have also raised their prices, with RANEPA seeing increases of 15-20% on average.

The most expensive programs are traditionally found at the Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg State University, and the Mining University. The Mining University has raised its prices for the first time since 2023, increasing tuition by 33% to 800,000 rubles per year for all programs. Meanwhile, the most expensive program at St. Petersburg State University, “International Management,” remains unchanged at 627,600 rubles per year.

Despite the overall increase in tuition fees, affordable options still exist. SPbUTUE remains the most inexpensive university, with programs in hotel management, tourism, IT, and psychology available for under 200,000 rubles per year. Additionally, many programs at the Agrarian University (SPbGAU) cost up to 200,000 rubles per year, and several areas at the Polytechnic University, VOENMEKH, the Technological Institute, and PGUPS offer tuition under 300,000 rubles.