The purpose of the article is to analyze existing methods for calculating the effectiveness of individual elements of a complex of marketing communications and identifying criteria for assessing the level of the calculated indicator of the effectiveness of higher education institutions. Methodology of research. The tasks of the article are solved using the following general scientific special methods of research: analysis and synthesis, systematization and generalization. Findings. It has been found that evaluating the communication effectiveness of higher education institutions is a difficult task, as any message they convey to their internal or external stakeholders may be considered as part of the communication. Economic and communicative effects are interrelated, but the criteria for evaluating them are different. The main economic effects of communications include the number of higher education institutions and other consumers of its products, the market share of the higher education institution, the image of the higher education institution, the level of stakeholder loyalty to the higher education institution, awareness of the higher education institution. The communicative effect of marketing communications in higher education institutions is assessed through attention, memory, emotions, feelings, and promotion of the objects of communication influence. The cost effectiveness of implementing a complex of marketing communications is evaluated according to the traditional method, ie because of the ratio of the result to the cost. Practical value. In the article it is proved that a considerable number of methodical approaches to assessing the effectiveness of a marketing communications complex is based on the consideration of communicative effects, which is possible only when using market information obtained as a result of conducting market research. The results (effects) should be determined by the goals of the marketing communications complex. The basic scientific provisions of the article can be used in the practice of higher education institutions in planning their marketing communications complex. Keywords: marketing communications complex, effect, efficiency, communicative effect, commercial effect. REFERENCES 1. Bernet, Dzh. (2001). Marketingovyye kommunikatsii: integrirovannyy podkhod [Marketing communications: an integrated approach] – SPb : Piter [in Russian]. 2. Illyashenko, S. M. et al. (2013). Innovatsiyi u marketynhu i menedzhmenti [Innovations in marketing and management]. Sumy: TOV “Druk. dim “Papirus” [in Ukrainian]. 3. Enis, B. M., Koks, K. T. & Mokva, M. P. (2001). Klassika marketinga [Classics of marketing]. SPb : Piter [in Russian]. 4. Kotler, F. (1999). Marketing-menedzhment [Marketing management]. SPb. : PiterKom [in Russian]. 5. Kutlaliyev, A. & Popov, A. (2006). Effektivnost' reklamy [ Efficiency of advertising]. M. : Izd-vo Eksmo [in Russian]. 6. Lamben, ZH.-ZH. (2007). Menedzhment, oriyentirovannyy na rynok [Market Oriented Management]. SPb. : Piter [in Russian]. 7. Lypchuk, V. V. (2007). Marketynhovyy analiz [Marketing analysis]/ K. : Akademvydav[in Ukrainian]. 8. Deyneha, O., Krykavsʹkyy, Y E., Deyneha, I. & Lorvi, I. (2014). Marketynhovyy menedzhment [Marketing management]. Lʹviv: NU “Lʹvivsʹka politekhnika” [in Ukrainian]. 9. Salamatov, A. A., Korneyev, D. N., Demtsura, S. S. et al. (2012). Marketingovaya deyatel'nost' uchrezhdeniya professional'nogo obrazovaniya [Marketing activities of vocational education institutions]. Chelyabinsk: FGBOU VPO “CHGPU” [in Russian]. 10. Polukarov, V. L., Roshchupkin, S. N. &. Kobulashvili, K. A. (2006). Razrabotka i tekhnologii proizvodstva reklamnogo produkta [Development and production technology of an advertising product: textbook. benefits]. M. : KNORUS [in Russian]. 11. Prymak, T. O. (2003). Marketynhovi komunikatsiyi na suchasnomu rynku [Marketing communications in the modern market]. K. : MAUP [in Ukrainian]. 12. Sarkisyan, O. A., Gruzdeva, O. A. & Krasovskiy, G. V. (1999). Konspekt reklamista [Abstract of the advertiser]. M.: RA “N'YUTON” [in Russian]. 13. Yaloveha, N. I. (2008). Marketynhovi aspekty komunikatsiynoyi diyalʹnosti vyshchykh navchal ʹnykh zakladiv [Marketing aspects of communication activities of higher education institutions]. Poltava : RVV PUSKU [in Ukrainian]. 14. Little, J. D. C. (1970). Models and Managers, the Concept of a Decision Calculus. Management Science, 16, 466–485. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/af4f/5851e544f7961e463ef6c144d30173510f07.pdf (accessed 11 november 2019) [in English]. 15. Vidale, M. L. & Wolfe, H. B. (1957). An Operations Research Study of Sales Response to Advertising. Operations Research, № 5 (3), 370–381 [in English]. Published: 2020-03-26