According to Interfax-Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has published the admission procedure for higher education in 2026, which sets out the rules for the admissions campaign to higher education institutions for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs.
According to the ministry, key changes in the 2026 admissions campaign include the following: applicants may submit up to 10 applications in total, of which no more than five may be for state-funded spots; the priority system now applies not only to bachelor’s programs but also to master’s programs, including contract-based programs; for most creative majors, the creative competition coefficient has been increased to 0.7; interviews and creative competitions are conducted in person, with exceptions provided for certain categories of applicants, particularly those residing in temporarily occupied territories, serving in the military, or representing Ukraine in international competitions; the results of national final exams from European countries may be accepted in lieu of the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT) for Ukrainian citizens; motivation letters are no longer a mandatory component of the application.
It is noted that for admission to bachelor’s programs, NMT results remain the primary selection criterion, and applicants may also use test results from previous years (2023, 2024, and 2025).
“The competitive score is calculated using a formula in which each subject has its own weight depending on the major. This means that the same applicant may have a different competitive score depending on the chosen major. This approach allows for consideration of which knowledge is key for a specific field of study. At the same time, applicants and parents are advised to pay attention to the weighting of subjects (subject coefficients) for a specific major before submitting applications,” the Ministry of Education stated.
Also this year, applicants for bachelor’s and master’s programs will rank their applications—that is, indicate which educational institution is their top choice (this rule also applies to contract-based programs).
“It is important to decide on a major and institution in advance, as the priority cannot be changed later,” the ministry noted.
For Ukrainians who graduated from high school in Europe in 2025 or 2026, the results of national graduation exams (such as the Polish matura) will be accepted for admission to Ukrainian universities instead of the NMT results.
Additionally, the following groups will undergo only an internal university interview instead of the NMT: war veterans (including individuals with war-related disabilities and combatants); individuals who have been imprisoned as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine; and applicants who were denied registration for the NMT due to the inability to provide special accommodations.
Certain categories of applicants are eligible for benefits but must take the NMT: orphans and children deprived of parental care; other categories admitted under Quota 1.
Among other things, separate state-funded spots under Quota 2 are provided for applicants from temporarily occupied territories and active combat zones.
“At the same time, admission requirements depend on the date of relocation. For example, if an applicant left after October 1, 2025 (or will be there during the admission campaign), they are eligible for an interview instead of the NMT and to compete for a state-funded spot. If an applicant left before October 1, 2025, they will be admitted based on their NMT results but are still eligible for quota 2.
In addition, the Ministry of Education has prepared a guide for applicants that explains the key stages and new changes in simple language: https://mon.gov.ua/news/hid-vstupnyka-2026-pokrokova-instruktsiia-do-zdobuttia-vyshchoi-osvity
The Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science has announced competitions to fill rector positions at three more universities in Sumy and Zhytomyr.
According to the ministry, competitions have been announced for the positions of rector of the A. S. Makarenko Sumy State Pedagogical University, Sumy State University, and Polissya National University.
It is noted that Ukrainian citizens who are proficient in the state language in accordance with the level determined by the National Commission for State Language Standards (fluent command of the state language of the first or second degree), have an academic title and degree, and at least ten years of experience in scientific and pedagogical positions are eligible to participate in the competitions.
The deadline for submitting applications is two months from the date of publication of the announcement on the official website of the Ministry of Education.
As reported, on 3 September, the Ministry of Education cancelled the competition for the position of rector of the Kyiv National University of Technology and Design (KNUTD) due to a lack of candidates.
In October-November, the Ministry of Education announced competitions to fill the positions of rectors at 11 universities in Odesa, Vinnytsia, Kropyvnytskyi, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Kyiv, in particular: Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kharkiv National Economic University named after Semen Kuznets, National Technical University ‘Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute’, Kharkiv National Pedagogical University named after G. S. Skovoroda, National University of Food Technologies, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Vinnytsia National Technical University, Vinnitsa State Pedagogical University named after Mikhail Kotsyubinsky, Kharkiv National Automobile and Road University, Central Ukrainian National Technical University, and Chernihiv Polytechnic National University.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine starts the process of selecting candidates for the position of educational ombudsman.
“Educational Ombudsman is an important position in the system of protection of rights in the field of education. Its main task is to ensure the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen in the field of education,” the ministry said in a statement.
Candidates for the post of educational ombudsman must have citizenship of Ukraine, higher education, work experience in the field of education or science for at least 5 years, reside in Ukraine for the last 5 years, fluent in the state language.
“Please note that the educational ombudsman can not be a person who has a criminal record, limited in capacity or recognized as incapable by a court decision. In addition, this position is incompatible with other types of paid activities, except for teaching, scientific and creative”, – added in the department.
According to the message, the documents will be accepted until July 28, they can be submitted in person or sent by mail to the Ministry at the address: Beresteisky Avenue, 10, comp. 136, 138, Kyiv 01135.
“MES invites to join the competition specialists who have extensive experience in the field of education and are ready to actively protect the rights of all participants of the educational process”, – summarized in the Ministry of Education.
In this regard, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovy thanked the current educational ombudsman Serhiy Gorbachev for his work in the post for the last five years.
As reported, the Director of Kyiv specialized school № 148 Serhiy Gorbachev was appointed to the post of educational ombudsman in August 2019. He became the first educational ombudsman in Ukraine.
In June 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the establishment of the educational ombudsman service from January 1, 2019.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has approved the distribution of 18.8 billion UAH of state budget expenditures among 134 state-owned higher education institutions, which fall under the management of the Ministry of Education.
According to the press service of the ministry, the amount of allocated state funds for each university is determined taking into account 5 main criteria that an educational institution must meet.
In particular, the main criterion of distribution is the contingent of applicants who study at the expense of the budget, as well as we are talking about such indicators as: scientific activity – the number of funds that the university has earned from the provision of scientific and technical, consulting services or received in the form of grants for scientific research; internationalization – place in international rankings or participation in European projects Erasmus+; employment – the percentage of employed graduates; regional coefficient – to support the educational institutions of the largest number of graduates in the country.
Thus, the most funds will go to: National Technical University Kyiv Polytechnic Institute named after Sikorsky (UAH 1,530.9 mln.), National University Lviv Polytechnic (UAH 980.1 mln.), National University of Bioresources and Nature Management (UAH 620 mln. ), Lviv Frank National University (UAH 568.4 million), National Aviation University (UAH 498.8 million), National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” (UAH 496.6 million), Kharkiv National University named after Karazin (UAH 412 million).
“The MES is developing methodological recommendations on the use of the reserve, the amount of which amounts to UAH 504 million. It is envisaged that part of this reserve will be directed to solve problems related to the functioning of displaced educational institutions”, – stated in the message.
