V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University is one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe. It was founded in November 1804, on the initiative of the prominent educator V.N. Karazin and in accordance with the charter of Tsar Alexander I.

The opening ceremony was held on January 29, 1805. The University made an important contribution to the Ukrainian national renaissance of the XIX-XXth centuries. It gave a powerful impetus to the emergence of Kharkiv as a major scientific and cultural center and an academic hub of Ukraine. Today the University justly rates among the best Ukrainian classical universities and is known in many countries.

The history of Kharkiv National University is part and parcel of the intellectual, cultural and spiritual history of Ukraine. The names of many world famous researchers, scholars and educators are associated with Kharkiv University, among them are P. Hulak-Artemovskyi, O. Lyapunov, M. Kostomarov, M. Barabashov, M. Beketov, D. Bahaliy, A. Krasnov, M. Ostrohradskyi, V. Steklov, O. Potebnya, O. Pohorelov and many others.

Kharkiv University is the only university in Ukraine that has trained and employed three Nobel Prize laureates: the biologist I. Mechnikov, the economist S. Kuznets, and the physicist L. Landau.

At different times titles of Kharkiv University Honorary Members and Doctors were conferred on outstanding scholars and public figures of many countries, including J.W. Goethe and A. Humboldt, I. Franko and L. Tolstoy, P. Semenov-Tyanshanskiy, and others.

The title of Honorary Doctor of Kharkiv University was conferred on the first President of Ukraine Mykhailo Hrushevskyi.

Kharkiv University is associated with the first Ukrainian newspapers and journals and the first scientific societies.

Since its foundation, the University has graduated over 130,000 students. The names of the University graduates are commemorated in geographical names, names of space objects, plants and minerals, laws and formulae. Almost 60 University graduates have become academicians and corresponding members of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences (UNAS).

The activities of the University have developed Kharkiv into a major industrial, scientific and cultural center. Many Kharkiv streets are named after professors, researches and alumni of the University.

The University has initiated the whole system of higher education of the Kharkiv Region. Its offspring are the National Academy of Law, the National Pharmaceutical Academy, Kharkiv Medical University, Kharkiv Pedagogical University, the Kharkiv Veterinary Academy, the Kharkiv Academy of Culture, Kharkiv Economic University and other institutions of higher education.

History

January 17 (January 29 according to the Gregorian calendar) 1805: the Decree on Opening of the Imperial University in Kharkiv came into force. It was the second university in the South of the Russian Empire. It was founded on the initiative of the local community with Vasyl Karazin at the fore, whose idea was supported by the nobility and the local authorities. Count Severin Pototski was appointed the first supervisor of the university, the first rector becoming the philologist Ivan Ryzhski. 1820—1850: for a certain period of time, the University of Kharkiv was autonomous with the rector being elected, however, in this period all its activity was strictly controlled (rectors were appointed by the Minister of Education), scientific publications and the academic process were censored. 1863: according to the new Statute, the university became partly autonomous. In the 19th — beginning of the 20th century, the University of Kharkiv had 4 schools: School of Physics and Mathematics, School of History and Philology, School of Medicine, School of Law. 1839: A veterinary school, which later (1851) became an independent institute, was established within the university, At this time, the university structure also included laboratories, clinics, an astronomical observatory, a botanical garden, and a library. In 1811, the Philotechnical Society was founded, the Mathematical Society of Kharkiv, the Historical and Philological Society of Kharkiv, the Naturalists Society, Societies of Physics, Chemistry, Law, etc. were established in the second half of the 19th century. The first periodicals in Slobozhanshchyna appear in the university around this time: «Kharkovski Ezhenedelnik» (1812), «Ukrainski Vestnik» (1816—1819), «Ukrainski Zhurnal» (1824—1825), etc. The university exerted great influence on school-life in Slobozhanshchyna in the first period of its existence (1805—1835). The university has been publishing “Scientific Notes” since 1874.

University today

V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University with its over 200-year history is a leading Research and Educational Institution in Ukraine.

In the “Top-200 Ukraine” rating conducted by the UNESCO Chair for 2009 Kharkiv University ranks third among all Ukrainian Higher Educational Institutions. According to Scopus, the world’s largest abstract and citation database, the University holds the third position among Ukrainian Research and Educational Institutions by the number of articles published in the leading international scientific publications.

Today the University has 20 Schools and 125 Departments which provide training for specialists in 61 majors. The University also comprises 3 Research Institutes (of Astronomy, Biology and Chemistry), Central Scientific Library with over 3.5 million books in its stocks, Botanical Garden, University History Museum, Museum of Natural History, Museum of Archeology and Ethnography. All University Schools, Center for International Students Training and Pre-Enrolment Training Center provide teaching for 15 000 students and 500 postgraduate students. The University employs for teaching and research 308 Doctors of Sciences and Doctors of Letters, full professors and about 800 PhDs, associate professors including 15 academicians and corresponding members of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Sectoral Academies.

The University is distinguished by its 24 internationally-recognized scientific schools and it has the biggest potential and base for training high skilled personnel in the Left-Bank Ukraine. The University has over 20 Expert and Senior Expert Examining Boards where 10-15 Doctorate and about 60 PhD theses are defended annually. Every year University scientists publish over 60 textbooks and 300 manuals, about 60 monographs and over 80 issues of the University Bulletin and other journals, about 2500 scientific articles and abstracts, including over 400 articles in leading international scientific journals. Annually the University holds more than 150 international and national conferences on research and teaching methods.

The University also promotes versatile, close and fruitful cooperation with Research Institutes of the National Academy of Sciences and Sectoral Academies of Ukraine, continues to establish and strengthen contacts with sectoral research institutes and enterprises. Within Research Institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine there were created 17 branches of the University departments. In cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine the University opened The School of Physics and Energy.

The University boasts its wide international recognition as one of the initiators of signing the Magna Charta Universitatum (Bologna, 1998), a co-founder of the Eurasian Universities Association, an active participant of International Association of Universities and European University Association, a training center for about 1500 international students, postgraduate and doctorate students for 50 countries of the world, and a partner in research and educational cooperation with more than 100 universities and other organizations all over the world.

Departments

• Department of Biology

• Department of Geology and Geography

• Department of Foreign Languages

• Department of History

• Department of Medicine

• Department of International Economic Relations and Tourist Industry

• Department of Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering

• Department of Professional Re-Training

• Department of Psychology

• Department of Radio Physics

• Department of Sociology

• Department of Physics

• Department of Philosophy

• Department of Philology

• Department of Chemistry

• The International Students Education Centre

• Department of Ecology

• Department of Economics

• Department of Law

Institute of high technology(university’s subdivision)

• Department of Physics and Technology

• Department of Computer Science

• Department of Physics and Energy

• Scientific research institution

• Astronomical Observatory

• Biological Station

• Botanical Garden

• Museum of Kharkiv University History

• Museum of Nature

• Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Slobodska Ukraine

• Scientific Research Institute of Biology

• Scientific Research Institute of Laser Biology

• Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry

• Radio-physical Observatory

• Radiation Dynamics Group

• Thin Film Laboratory

• Young Scientists’ Council

• Central Scientific Library of Kharkiv National University (one of the biggest libraries of Ukraine)

Accommodation

V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University has a very good hostel system with fully furnished rooms, quite study environment and surrounded with recreation center.

The International Office provides a guarantee of accommodation placement services to all international students who receive an academic offer. There are several accommodation options for international students and it is important to consider whether you prefer an independent lifestyle or enjoy living in a community.

Combine the convenience of living on or near campus, access to programs and services to help you excel academically, the opportunity to build lasting friendships, and comfortable, affordable living and you have the life of a University. The territory of the University and the main students’ routes from the hostels to the educational buildings are protected and patrolled by officers of guard service.

All rooms in hostels are provided with internet facility.

Rooms on campus are available to students. All hostel rooms are furnished and vary in size and number of conveniences. Dormitory rooms at hostel can accommodate 2 or 3 students to a room.

All rooms are equipped with bed, mattress, pillow, blanket, desk, chair, Almira,heating, water system and suitable lighting for both study and relaxation. There are common areas where students can play and mingle. Upon the students arrival on campus, specific accommodations are assigned and after a satisfactory health report the student will be accommodated to the room which is allotted to him.

Off campus housing can be obtained in nearby apartments. Available apartments and houses are furnished, and vary in size, cost and number of conveniences. Life in Kharkov is friendly and devoid rush. While at first some students may miss their home environment, native foods, or a hurried pace, they soon learn to appreciate and enjoy a cultural different their own.

In the hostel each room is attached with kitchen is provided for students to cook food to their own taste. Students will need to supply their own kitchen utensils. Meals may be bought from various food outlets. All the rooms are provided with heaters. Our hostels feature 24-hour access to security and emergency services, making it easy to get assistance when you need it. As a campus resident, you also have access to all support services such as campus Security Services, counselling Services and health Services.