State Budget 2026: Rada proposes to raise salaries for university professors to keep them from leaving Ukraine

University professors may receive a salary increase: proposals for the 2026 budget. Illustrative photo: NikVesti

The Verkhovna Rada is proposing to raise the salaries of university professors to prevent them from leaving the country.

This was stated by the head of the Committee on Finance, Danylo Hetmantsev.

According to him, the initiative envisages the following basic salaries (without bonuses):

• assistant/teacher — 30 thousand hryvnias;
• Senior lecturer — 33 thousand hryvnias;
• Associate Professor — 36.3 thousand hryvnias;
• Professor — almost 40 thousand hryvnias.

These amounts are added to the legal allowances for academic degree, rank and seniority, the MP said.

«Our universities are losing people. When salaries are low, teachers either go abroad or are forced to work outside their speciality. Young scientists do not see the point in staying, and students do not understand why they should start a scientific career,» Danylo Hetmantsev wrote.

Earlier it was reported that the Verkhovna Rada had passed a law that reduces the teaching load for university teachers.