Development of Postgraduate School in Russia – Cost-Benefit Analysis

This article examines the development of postgraduate education in Russia from 1991 to 2024. Three stages (time periods) are identified, distinguished by increases/decreases in the number of postgraduate students, the motivations of university graduates entering postgraduate studies, and factors in the development of higher education, such as the transition of higher education to a multi-tier system or the influence of the external environment (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Measuring the effectiveness of postgraduate education in terms of dissertation-defending postgraduate students does not take into account the changing nature of this institu-tion, including the transformation of the age and gender structure of postgraduate students. Many postgraduate students in older age groups (35–39 years old, 40 years and older) defend their dissertations to consolidate their professional and social status, but not immediately after completing postgraduate study. However, for these groups of postgraduate students, the defense is crucially important, as it "justifies" their pursuit of a high-ranking position, typically outside of science and higher education. At the same time, for many female postgraduate students, who until recent years constituted the majority in older age groups, defending a dissertation ensures career advancement, especially in higher education institutions: a candidate's degree opens the way to the position of associate professor, and obtaining the academic title of associate professor opens the way to the position of head of a master's program or head of a department. In recent years, more than two-thirds of postgraduate training has been concentrated in nine constituent entities of the Russian Federation. This article demonstrates that modern postgraduate education is poorly aligned with the needs of regional economies. However, this training provides universities with both budgetary and extra-budgetary revenue. Accordingly, the article focuses on funding postgraduate education from the budgets of the Russian Federation budget system and the population (paid tuition under an educational services agreement). Calculations are conducted to determine the average budget expenditure per postgraduate student and the average cost of paid tuition in postgraduate education in the Russian Federation as a whole, as well as at universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg from 2019 to 2024.