Supply and demand patterns in russian higher education

Abstract

The Soviet system of higher education was well developed even in today’s terms. It provided free higher education to a significant part of the young generation. The Soviet government was the first in the world in applying positive discrimination to higher education enrollment to achieve greater social cohesion. The system produced highly qualified personnel for the national economy, especially in such sectors as engineering, health care, and science. At the same time, the higher education system was under tight ideological control and rigidly regulated. All universities operated within strict curriculum standards. The Soviet planning agency regulated supply and demand in higher education. Perestroika that started in the late 1980s changed the system dramatically.