In the article decrease in performance indicators of the educational program of a postgraduate study and the factors influencing insufficiently effective training of postgraduate students in higher education institutions is researched. The main factors of quality of the training of postgraduate students are: the developed system of access to information resources and scientific communications; increase in postgraduate grants and payment for a scientific management of postgraduate students, a financial support of postgraduate students, availability of external financing of scientific research within which dissertation work is prepared; availability of modern tool and laboratory base. Data of sociological research of economic and social situation of postgraduate students and the most significant problems which they face during training and an efficiency evaluation of work of a postgraduate study as social institute are provided in work. Degree of an involvement of postgraduate students into research work, activity of scientific communication with the faculty of department, the number of scientific articles, english -speaking competences of graduate students and other are analysed. Special attention authors give roles of the research supervisor in scientific work of the postgraduate student. High load of the research supervisor is a hazarding factor for the postgraduate student. If the mentor carries out administrative roles at university, directs work of many postgraduate students or has other serious liabilities, then (as a rule) he can’t perform timely and in full feedback with the his postgraduates. It is obvious that among such postgraduate students the risk of assignment or an assumption of serious methodological mistakes in work is potentially higher that increases the term of preparation of the thesis. Here it is possible to mention refusal, widespread in world practice, of work of the postgraduate student with one research supervisor. The leadership with the postgraduate student gains popularity. Identified negative factors affecting on education in postgraduate studies. The authors point out such factor as the combination of postgraduate training with a different kind of activity (work, part-time hobby) as a negative influence on the training of postgraduate students (according to more than half of the respondents). Most of the problems faced by postgraduate students in higher educational institutions can be solved through the use of models of post-graduate, “the perfect day” (academic or target post-graduate). Among its distinguishing features – high scholarship, allowing postgraduate student almost not to think about the need to find an additional source of income; the opportunity to be engaged in academic projects of the university; attracting foreign scientists as co-heads of the dissertation. On the anvil are recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the training program of postgraduate education and further defending Ph.D. thesis.