Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is esteemed as a premier research institution and a pivotal modern hub for education and science in Ukraine. With the emergence of an independent Ukrainian state, the university undertook new, significant responsibilities. It aimed to cultivate professionals with profound expertise, creative thinking, a sense of responsibility, and a readiness for collaborative endeavors. Such a mission could only be fulfilled by an institution with a rich history of pedagogical and scientific accomplishments.
History
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is a research university with a classic tradition and is the leading establishment of higher education in Ukraine. Its history dates back to November 8, 1833, when its establishment was supported by C.C. Uvarov, then Minister of Education, who founded the Imperial University of Saint Volodymyr with the transfer to Kyiv of the Polish Kremenets High School. The inauguration of the university was on July 15, 1834, the Memorial Day of Saint Prince Volodymyr.
During the 1834-1835 academic year only, the Faculty of Philosophy was in operation at the university, with two Departments: History and Linguistics, and Physics and Mathematics. In the first year 62 students were enrolled and on 28 August 1834 the university commenced teaching. The Faculty of Law opened in 1835 opened, and in 1841 the Medical School was founded, based upon the Medical School of Vilensky University of Vilnius that had been shut down.
The revival of scientific and educational activity at Kyiv University in the second half of the nineteenth century resulted from the liberal reforms of the 1860s and the introduction in 1863 of a new university charter. At this time the right to act autonomously was extended at the university, which opened 15 new departments (increasing the number from 37 to 52), and increased the number of lecturers and students. By virtue of the reforms, by the late nineteenth century Kyiv University -became is a powerful teaching and educational centre of European importance. Academic activity by the professors was conducted in close collaboration with overseas research centres and prominent scientists around the world. There were frequent overseas research trips, with papers published in international journals and more. One aspect highlighting cultural relations was the election of distinguished academics and cultural figures as honorary members of the university.
With the creation in Kyiv of the Central Rada in March 1917, dozens of lecturers and hundreds of university students took an active part in the struggle for the independence of Ukraine. The most heroic page in the history of independence was the story of the events involving students of Kyiv University, which took place at Kruty. In early January 1918 over three hundred university students and school students responded to a call by the leaders of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in Kyiv and formed a student battalion. The first 130 volunteers under the command of a student leader, Andriy Omelchenko, led heavy defensive battles, protecting an important railway junction on 29 January 1918 – the Kruty station in the Chernihiv area – and holding back the offensive of Russian Bolshevik divisions on Kyiv.
In July 1918, Kyiv Ukrainian National University was founded.
In February 1919 the Bolsheviks occupied the Kyiv University of St. Volodymyr and the Kyiv Ukrainian National University which they merged into one establishment, Kyiv University, with a main objective of educating the Soviet intelligentsia. The People’s Commissariat of Education came into being in 1919 on the territory of Soviet Ukraine, responsible for the development of primary and secondary school education and higher education.
In 1934 the University celebrated its 100th anniversary. At that time its structure was renewed, and research and teaching activities recommenced. In 1935 the University began to publish a series of academic journals on the natural sciences and humanities. New Faculties were formed and by 1938 there were eight: physics and mathematics, history, linguistics, chemistry, geology and geography, biology, law and foreign languages. In March 1939, in honour of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR conferred the title of Kyiv State University on the institution.
on the eve of World War II, Kyiv University was among the leading universities of the USSR, ranked in third place among Soviet universities. 4,000 students were studying there, with more than 300 professors, associate professors and lecturers working in 52 departments. When hostilities began in the summer of 1941, Kyiv University was evacuated. The majority of students went to the Front, while many lecturers, together with colleagues from Kharkiv State University, continued the learning process at the United Ukrainian State University in Kazakhstan, in the city of Kyzylorda. Simultaneously, attempts were made to continue some of the work of the university in Nazi-occupied Kyiv, but soon the Nazis closed the university, repressed most of the lecturers, and students were taken as forced labour to Germany. During the battles that took place in Kyiv during October-November 1943, the University suffered irreparable damage and loss.
Despite the enormous losses during the war, the post-war decades saw the main university of Ukraine manage to not only restore its lost potential, but also substantially strengthen. Immediately after the liberation of Kyiv, the revival of the university began. Students and lecturers rebuilt the Humanities and Chemistry buildings with their own hands and by 15 January 1944, classes resumed for senior undergraduates and for first-years on 1 February. 146 students, 3 professors, 7 associate professors and 11 lecturers from the Kyiv unit of the United Ukrainian State University returned from Kyzylorda in the summer of 1944. Nearly 1,500 young men and women enrolled for the 1944-45 academic year, and within a year they were joined by another 2,000 students. It was possible to reopen 80 departments, with 290 professors, associate professors and lecturers. By 1946 there were over 3,800 students, taught by 357 professors and lecturers at the university.
The Taras Shevchenko National University’s ascent to national status occurred on April 21, 1994, by the decree of President L. M. Kravchuk (No. 176/94), and its autonomous status was expanded through President L. D. Kuchma’s decree (No. 1496/99) on November 25, 1999. A transformative decree issued by President V. A. Yushchenko (No. 412/2008) on May 5, 2008, designated the university as Ukraine’s primary educational and scientific nucleus for cultivating highly skilled scientific, pedagogical, and research personnel.
On July 29, 2009, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers elevated the Taras Shevchenko National University’s standing by granting it the status of a self-governing experimental national higher educational institution under Resolution No. 795. This decision led to increased funding for the university’s developmental initiatives. The university’s reputation as a classical experimental model institution is underscored by the diverse scientific achievements of its faculty members. The accomplishments have been acknowledged with prestigious awards such as the State Prizes of Ukraine in science and technology, recognitions from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and its branch academies, and honors like the orders “For Merit” and “Saints Cyril and Methodius.” Faculty members have also been bestowed titles such as “Honored Education Worker of Ukraine” and “Honored Lawyer of Ukraine,” and have received awards from the President and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in recognition of their exceptional contributions to both fundamental and applied research.
University Today
Taras Shevchenko National University has extensive international collaborations with universities worldwide, boasting bilateral partnership agreements with 227 foreign educational and scientific institutions across 57 countries. Annually, approximately 180 foreign scientists and educators from 32 countries visit the university for scientific endeavors, conference participation, and lecturing engagements. Over 1,375 faculty, researchers, and students embark on business trips to 59 countries yearly. In 2014, the majority of individuals traveling abroad did so for scientific pursuits, including conference attendance, internships, and research endeavors.
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv has once again confirmed its leadership in Ukrainian higher education. According to the results of the international University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) for 2024–2025, the University ranked 1525th in the world, securing the top position among all Ukrainian higher education institutions. This is a significant achievement for Ukraine and the entire academic community of KNU, as URAP is one of the most comprehensive global rankings, evaluating solely academic quality and scientific productivity.
University’s Structure
Faculties
- Faculty of Chemistry
- Faculty of Computer Science and Cybernetics
- Faculty of Economics
- Faculty of Geography
- Faculty of History
- Faculty of Information Technology
- Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics
- Faculty of Philosophy
- Faculty of Physics
- Faculty of Psychology
- Faculty of Radio Physics, Electronics and Computer Systems
- Faculty of Sociology
Institutes
- Educational and Scientific Center “Institute of Biology and Medicine”
- Educational and Scientific Institute “Institute of Geology”
- Educational and Scientific Institute of High Technologies
- Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations
- Educational and Scientific Institute of Journalism
- Educational and Scientific Institute of Law
- Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology
- Educational and Scientific Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service
- Institute of Continuing Education
- Institute of Management State Guard of Ukraine
- Military Institute
Departments
Preparatory department for international students
Educational and Scientific Center “Institute of Biology and Medicine”
The Educational and Scientific Center “Institute of Biology and Medicine” is one of the most powerful scientific and educational centers in Ukraine, providing training for a new generation of highly qualified specialists across various fields, with the involvement of leading national and international experts in the educational process.
Departments
- Department of Anatomy and Pathologic Physiology;
- Department of Biomedicine;
- Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology;
- Department of Biochemistry;
- Department of Clinical Medicine;
- Department of Cytology, Histology, and Reproductive Medicine;
- Department of Fundamental Medicine;
- Department of Virology;
- Department of Internal Medicine;
- Department of Ecology and Zoology;
- Department of General and Medical Genetics;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology;
- Department of Language Training;
- Department of Technology of Medical Diagnostics and Treatment;
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology;
- Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation;
- Department of Physical Education and Sports;
- Department of Physiology and Anatomy;
- Department of Phytobiology;
- Department of Surgery.
Programs
- Biology and Biochemistry;
- Biotechnologies and Bioengineering;
- Ecology;
- Landscape-Park Management;
- Technologies of Medical Diagnosis and Treatment;
- Laboratory Diagnostics;
- Biotechnology;
- Biology;
- Medicine.
University Clinic
The University Clinic of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is a healthcare institution and a medical, educational, and scientific structural unit of the University.
The University Clinic of KNU was established in 2017 in accordance with the decision of the Academic Council of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv dated January 16, 2017, and the Rector’s order dated December 8, 2017. It was founded on the basis of the University’s sanatorium-preventorium, located in a picturesque area of the student campus, where the majority of the University’s students live and study in nearby dormitories.
The tradition of university clinics at the University dates back to the founding of the medical faculty in 1841. By the end of the 19th century, the University operated four faculty clinics, three hospital clinics, and two clinical departments at the city hospital.
Today, the University Clinic operates in accordance with the license issued to the University by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for conducting medical practice in 22 specialties. It also serves as a clinical training base for students of the Educational and Scientific Center “Institute of Biology and Medicine” of the University, who are studying in the specialty 222 Medicine.
The primary goal of the clinic is to provide primary, secondary, and eventually tertiary medical care to University staff and the general public.
The clinic’s staff includes 33 highly qualified specialists, the majority of whom hold academic degrees and the highest medical qualifications—such as surgeons, neurologists, dentists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, gynecologists, ultrasound diagnostics specialists, and family medicine doctors.
In October 2019, the Research and Diagnostic Center for Psychiatry at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv was established, providing psychiatric and psychological assistance and contributing to the University’s scientific development in this field.
The clinic’s development strategy includes the implementation of medical insurance (corporate medical insurance), the provision of paid medical services, conducting scientific research, practical training for students and future scientists of the University, as well as the development and implementation of innovative projects in the medical field.
Accommodation
In an effort to provide international students with a conducive and enriching living environment, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv has established a vibrant student town. The student-centric hub encompasses a range of amenities aimed at ensuring the comfort and well-being of its residents. Modern and comfortable dormitories offer students a place to call home, fostering a sense of community and belonging. Computer clubs equipped with state-of-the-art technology provide students with access to essential resources for academic and recreational purposes. Recognizing the importance of physical fitness and recreation, the Taras Shevchenko National University has developed a comprehensive sports complex within the student town. International students have access to a variety of sporting facilities and activities, promoting active lifestyles and overall health.
Dining facilities, cafes, and dance halls cater to students’ social and cultural needs, providing spaces for relaxation, socialization, and entertainment. Further prioritizing student health and well-being, the Taras Shevchenko National University maintains a sanatorium-prophylaxis situated along the picturesque banks of the Dnipro River. The facility offers international students’ opportunities for rest, rejuvenation, and preventive healthcare measures, ensuring they remain in optimal physical and mental condition throughout their academic journey. The creation of the student town reflects the university’s commitment to providing a holistic and supportive environment for student accommodation and development. The creation of the student town reflects the university’s commitment to providing a holistic and supportive environment for student accommodation and development.