ENSURING FINANCIAL AUTONOMY OF PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN UZBEKISTAN: RESULTS, FINANCIAL INDICATORS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

Abstract

This article provides a comparative assessment of financial autonomy in Bukhara State
University, Samarkand State University and Urgench State University for 2022–2025. Revenue
and expenditure structures, state-funded orders, tuition and contract revenues, research grants,
international projects and economic contracts are examined using dynamic, structural and
comparative analysis, SWOT analysis, the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index and a Financial
Sustainability Index methodology. The results show that tuition and state-funded orders remain
the dominant revenue sources, while grants, international projects, economic contracts and service
revenues have expanded. HHI decreased from 0.5411 to 0.4851 in Bukhara State University, from
0.5902 to 0.4313 in Samarkand State University, and from 0.5211 to 0.4870 in Urgench State
University. The calculated FSI for Bukhara State University was 0.544, 0.550, 0.326 and 0.850 in
2022–2025 respectively. The findings indicate that legal financial autonomy should be
accompanied by revenue diversification, stronger research and commercialization activity, capital
investment management and risk-based budgeting.