Less students in Dnipro enroll into journalism departments due to the war

The number of students (men in particular) enrolling into journalism departments in Dnipro has dropped compared to the pre-war period, reports the regional IMI representative after speaking with the local higher education institutions.

Dnipro journalists are trained by three universities: the Oles Honchar National University of Dnipro, the University of Customs and Finance, and the Dnipro Polytechnic University.

"We offer three Bachelors programs (journalism, advertising and public relations, digital media) and two Masters ones (media communications, advertising and public relations)," said the philology PhD, acting dean Oksana Kyrylova from the Systems and Mass Communication Department of the Honchar University.

According to her, 73 students enrolled in the full-time Bachelors program and 20 in the Masters program in 2021.

In 2022, they had 49 undergraduate students, 14 Masters students, and only the media communications program had saw some new people.

In 2023, 72 people enrolled as full-time students (50 for Bachelors, 22 for Masters).

According to Kyrylova, as of 2023, they were unable to reach the pre-war numbers.

At the University of Customs and Finance, the journalism department opened in 2018. Natalya Kodatska, head of the Journalism Department at the UCF, said that only Bachelors are set to graduate this year. According to her, they had plans to open a Masters program, but the start of the full-scale war forced them to postpone these plans.

She said that 50 students enrolled in 2021, 43 in 2022, and 38 in 2023 – the lowest rate in three years.

"We are having significantly less male students. Currently we have five guys for two groups, it wasn't like that before. I think that this has to do with the fact that parents are trying to take their sons abroad before they come of age. The lower enrollment rates have to do with parents in general taking their children abroad so that they enroll into universities there. Also, only one channel shut down in our city, Channel 34, so we're not that poorly off employment-wise. But there are areas where the situation is more difficult, so it is also a risk; when applicants are deciding where to study they look at employment prospects. To attract students, we show them that with us they could join international programs, travel abroad to gain new skills, communicate in English, look at other systems and approaches," Natalya Kodatska said.

At the Dnipro Polytechnic University, however, the journalism department opened in 2022, says the chief press officer of the university, Iryna Hryhoryeva.

According to her, 18 students enrolled back then and in 2023 the number increased to 23 students.