Educational trap: in Odesa, a private clone college operated under the brand of a law academy

The applicants of 2024 and 2025 who entered the "Professional College of the National University "Odesa Law Academy" actually found themselves in a private institution instead of a state one.

As Intent found out, the path to the private professional college led through twin websites, a silent admissions office, and the premises of a former private institution. Everything looked quite official: the name of the college, the admissions office in the main building of the law academy, teachers with academic titles, a familiar logo. Parents signed contracts, convinced that they were enrolling in a state-run institution. But when the payment details came, it turned out that the founder was completely different, and the form of ownership was private.

International journalists retraced this route and came across the main discovery: the new private college, which uses the name, structure, and premises of the Law Academy, belongs to Serhiy Kivalov 's grandson, 26-year-old Serhiy Kosianenko. Kivalov himself does not speak publicly about his family's involvement in the "new educational network."

The investigation showed that the state college at the law academy, the Separate Subdivision "Professional College of the National University "Odesa Law Academy", operated for less than two years and was closed in 2024. But before that, in 2023, a private institution appeared with the name "Professional College of the National University "Odesa Law Academy", the same director, and even similar websites. For applicants, it looked like a continuation of the work of the state structure.

It was only after journalists asked the management of the college and the law academy for comments that the clone sites of the colleges strangely disappeared from the network, and the website of the professional college itself retroactively published an explanation of the private status of the institution.

What preceded this

In February 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a decree on the consolidation of the Odesa I. Mechnikov National University(ONU Mechnikov) through the merger of the National University "Odesa Law Academy". At the same time, the rights of the academic staff will be preserved, but the president - Serhiy Kivalov, the rector - Oleh Todoschak and the vice-rectors - Minas Arakelyan, Oleksandr Ushkanov, Halyna Ulyanova, Valentyn Fedorov will be left behind, so to speak. Therefore, Kivalov may lose not only his influence on the Academy, but also on all its subdivisions, which will also be under the management of the Technikov National University.

The law academy was outraged by this decision and called on the government to cancel the reorganization of the university and dismiss Education Minister Oksen Lisovyi.

In his turn, Lisovyi said that Serhiy Kivalov had no moral right to remain in education and reminded that the Academy was once part of the Technikov University.

In March, the Kyiv District Administrative Court ruled to suspend the reorganization of the National University "Odesa Law Academy" until the end of the trial.

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