Number of college and technical school students in Russia reaches 4 million — the level of the RSFSR

Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov announced that 4 million students are enrolled in the secondary vocational education system — one million more than in 2019. In 2026, 63% of ninth-graders and 12% of eleventh-graders chose colleges.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 5 November 2026 at 19:022 min read

The key facts

The number of vocational education students grew from 3 million in 2019 to 4 million — a level comparable to the RSFSR
63% of ninth-grade graduates and 12% of eleventh-graders chose colleges in 2026
The “Professionalitet” project unites almost 600 clusters, more than 1,700 colleges and over 3,100 enterprises

Four million vocational college students

The number of students at Russian colleges and technical schools has reached four million, an increase of one million compared to 2019. Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov announced this at a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and members of the government, reports Life.ru. “Currently, 4 million students are being educated in the secondary vocational education system. This is comparable to the figures, to the results in the RSFSR. Back then, 4 million also studied at colleges. Let me remind you that in 2019 we had 3 million students in colleges,” the minister was quoted as saying by the outlet. Thus, over seven years the number of students has grown by roughly a third, and the figures have returned to the level of the RSFSR.

Where school graduates are going

Kravtsov also provided data on graduates' choices: in 2026, 63% of ninth-graders and 12% of eleventh-graders enrolled in colleges. In other words, nearly two-thirds of ninth-graders chose secondary vocational education over moving on to the tenth grade. Earlier, the same outlet reported on a Unified Open Dayheld on October 18 at more than 1,700 colleges across Russia: schoolchildren and parents could learn about professions, meet teachers and employers. According to the Ministry of Education, the federal project “Professionalitet” unites almost 600 educational clusters in 86 regions, more than 1,700 colleges and technical schools, and over 3,100 partner enterprises.