Armenia

Universities in Armenia are struggling to adjust to the many changes brought about by the transition to a market economy. As the government cuts back on higher education spending, universities are turning to alternative sources of funding, such as student tuition, local businesses, donors and foreign-aid organizations.

About 80 percent of all university funding now comes from tuition fees, ranging from US$300 to $1,500 per student. Forty-five percent of these revenues are returned to the state budget. Institutions have also started renting out campus space and charging fees for services to make money for staff salaries.

There has also been a sharp increase in the demand for higher education among young Armenians. About 80 percent of high school students applying to institutions of higher education take private lessons (at an average cost of about $588 per subject) to help them prepare for admissions exams. Armenia has 15 state run universities and 87 private institutes and universities. Until recently, graduates from private institutions have not enjoyed the same status as those from state universities. However, many private schools are now accredited, especially the institutions specializing in business management and international law.

The new changes brought about through the emergence of a free-market system have also required revising the curriculum. Universities have hired experts to design a curriculum that addresses the social and economic trends of the post-Cold War era. Both the quality and number of courses have increased in recent years with universities attempting to strike a balance between economics-oriented and social sciences programs. In short, Armenia is striving to bring universities and faculties in line with western higher education without blindly following European and American models.

— International Higher Education
Number 19, Spring 2000

Moldova

Student strikes and demonstrations in the capital city of Chisinau ended recently after Moldavian authorities agreed to cancel a decision to end free public transportation for university students. In addition, the government will increase the value of scholarships for exceptional students by 25 percent and lower the minimum grade point average requirements for scholarship eligibility.

The strikers were protesting the economic hardships they have to endure as students and the underfinancing of higher education, in general. The demise of communism in the early 1990s has led to lower living standards in Moldavia, a former Soviet republic.

State universities couldn’t afford to heat classrooms last winter and some provincial institutions, like the University of Baltse, only received a few hours of electricity each day. In addition, many dormitories do not have hot water or electricity.

To make money, universities are now charging tuition to students who receive poor entrance examination scores, about one-third of all applicants. Tuition fees currently provide about half the budget at Moldova State University.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 19, 2000

Ukraine

The Lviv Institute of Management (LIM), an independent, accredited, not-for-profit institution, was founded in 1990 to provide innovative, progressive business education to meet the needs of both the private and public sectors. The institute strives to assist managers and business people, so they may successfully adapt to the changing economic conditions of the Ukraine. In addition to broad academic and research programs based on global management practices, LIM also offers practical consultations.

Admissions requirements to the BBA program include a secondary school diploma, a written essay and a passing grade on a mathematics test.

Admission to the MBA program requires the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree and two years of work-related experience. In addition, applicants must receive passing grades on a mathematics test based on the GMAT and an English Test based on the TOFL exam.

LIM currently offers two types of MBA programs: daytime and executive. The daytime program takes one year to complete while the executive is a two-year program taught in the evening, designed to meet the needs of top- and middle-level managers. Both programs include a four-week internship in the United States.

— Correspondence from LIM
April 19, 2000