Higher education in Ukraine has a long and rich history. Its students, graduates and academics have long been known and appreciated worldwide. The pioneering research of scholars working in the country's higher education institutions and academies, such as Dmytro Mendeleyev, Mykola Zhukovsky,[citation needed] and Yeugeny Paton, are part of the universal history of scientific progress.
Early 2016 Ukraine had 802 universities. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is intended to lower that number to 317.