Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Known as KNU, the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv was established in 1834 in the Ukrainian Capital of Kiev.

It is the country’s third oldest university and although it was founded as the Kiev Imperial University of Saint Vladimir, it was renamed in 1939 after Taras Shevchenko, a Ukrainian poet and political figure who is considered a founder of modern Ukrainian literature.

The KNU university buildings are mostly located in the centre of Kyiv. The Red University Building is the principal university building, and is also a recognised national symbol of Ukraine’s higher education system. The building houses a large enclosed courtyard, and behind the building is the university’s A.V. Fomin Botanical Garden, home to one of the world’s tallest greenhouses.

Other notable buildings include the Yellow Building, which houses the KNU Humanities department, and the Maksymovych Library which is the largest research library in the country. Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv also has an astronomical observatory, which was founded in 1845.

The university comprises of 13 faculties, eight institutes, one research centre and two colleges. It has bilateral partnership agreements with about 230 educational and scientific institutions across the world, and partnership agreements with more than 400 different universities.

KNU students benefit from a large campus with contemporary accommodation, sports facilities, cafeterias, computer facilities and a health spa.

In its long history KNU has had some notable former students, including Petro Poroshenko, who became Ukranian president in 2014; former United Nations president Hennadiy Udovenko; and world-renowned boxing brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Klitschko.