The Kyiv School of Economics is making a major move in Ukraine’s education sector with the purchase of the Obolon golf club. The school plans to invest $40 million into converting the site into a full-scale university campus—a project that marks the largest single investment in higher education in Ukraine since the country’s independence.
The former golf club, which borders the popular public Nataliia Park and offers views of the Dnipro River, will be transformed into a modern space for learning and innovation. KSE’s president, Timofii Milovanov, described the project as “an open Harvard for the people.”
According to the school, the campus will include new classrooms, science labs, maker spaces, and areas for international competitions and summer schools. While the academic focus will be strong—with programs in mathematics, engineering, urban planning, psychology, and more—KSE is also preserving and expanding the recreational use of the site.
Golf will remain part of the facility, not as an elite pastime, but as a piece of the campus’s inclusive sports infrastructure. The grounds will also feature a public park, summer cinema, rowing center, and open spaces designed for hackathons and community forums. The goal, KSE says, is to blend education and leisure in a way that’s accessible and forward-looking.
The site’s redevelopment will begin with the adaptation of the existing buildings to serve academic purposes. Future construction will maintain the natural beauty of the area, and the university has committed to avoiding high-rise buildings or private residential developments on the grounds.
The Kyiv School of Economics, founded in 1996 and registered as a non-profit in the United States, has long aimed to raise the standards of education and research in Ukraine. This new campus signals a bold step toward that mission.
