It is the leading educational and scientific centre of Ukraine, having the highest 4th level of state accreditation. It was founded after the Second World War. In 2000 it was granted the status of the National University.

The University trains, retrains and offers programs for the qualification improvement of specialists in the sphere of foreign and home trade, financial and banking systems, the Customs, competitive policy, insurance, economy of entrepreneurship, marketing, advertising, commercial and finance law, financial analysis and control, expertise of goods and services, tourism, hotel and restaurant business, consumer rights protection, exhibition activity, commercial activity on the realty market. Modernization of higher education was fulfilled. The academic process is formed with the help of interactive methods and the credit - module system has been introduced. The University is the developer of the branch standards of education in Ukraine. KNUTE carries out training of highly qualified specialists on Bachelor and Master programs as well as scientific personnel in the post-graduate and doctoral courses. Besides the base institution where 5 faculties are functioning 6 institutes, 8 colleges, technical schools and high commercial schools are part of the University. They are situated in Kiev, Kharkiv, Vinnitsa, Chernivtsy, Khmelnitsky, Uzhgorod, Kolomyia, Yalta. Over 34 thousand students study at the University.

The academic staff of KNUTE is highly qualified academically and professionally. The level of its academic qualification reaches 80%.