Market report Ukraine

Ukrainian Education System

Secondary education

Basic secondary education lasts five years (grades five to nine) and is open to all pupils who successfully completed elementary education. The general core curriculum includes subjects like Ukrainian language and literature, foreign language, history, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, physical education, music, and art. Assessment and promotion are primarily based on examinations. At the end of ninth grade, students sit for final state exams. Those who pass are awarded a “certificate of completion of basic secondary education” (svidotstvo pro bazovu zagal’nu serednyu osvitu).

All graduates of basic secondary education are eligible to enroll in upper-secondary school. Under the new regulations that will be in place by 2027, upper-secondary education will be three years in length (grades 9 to 12) instead of two years (grades 9 to 11). This will align the Ukrainian system with the 12-year systems found in most of the world. (Source: stateuniversity.com)

Admission to Higher Education

The completion of a compulsory secondary education program and the acquisition of a relevant Independent External Evaluation certification are the general prerequisite for joining a university bachelor program. Additional specific admission conditions and procedures are individually regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Most institutions organize admission campaign in June and July usually. The ranking of the candidates depends on both the results of the Independent External Evaluation and the success in the previous level of education.

Source: European Commission)

Higher Education

Higher education is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and is offered by universities, academies and institutes, technical schools, colleges, conservatories (i.e. musical academies). All of these institutions offer both professionally-oriented and academic programs. There are 4 types of Higher Education Institutions in Ukraine (please see details below).

University level studies:

• University level first stage: Bakalavr, Specialist: The academic and professional diploma of Bakalavr (BA, BEd., BMed.) is generally awarded after four years of successful study (six years for Medicine). The Bakalavr program comprises basic higher education and professional training in a given field. It is an intermediate degree. The degree (Diplom) of Specialist is awarded after five or six years of study, depending on the type of institution.
• University level second stage: Magister: The Magister (Master’s Degree) is awarded on the basis of a Bachelor’s Degree or Specialist’s qualification generally one to two years after the first degree. Students must pass final examinations and defend a thesis.
• University level third stage: Doctoral Degree-1: Ukraine keeps a two-degree system at doctoral level: Kandydat nauk (Candidate of Sciences, comparable to the Ph.D.), and Doctor nauk. The first qualification is obtained after three or four years of study by submitting and publicly defending a thesis and passing the required examinations. The candidate’s thesis can be prepared while following various forms of post-graduate studies.
• University level fourth stage: Doctoral Degree-2: The  “Doctor nauk” is the highest scientific degree in Ukraine, comparable to “Habilitation” in some Western countries. It is awarded to candidates already holding a “Kandidat nauk”, on the successful presentation and defence of the “Doctor nauk” (habilitation) dissertation. The Habilitation dissertation should represent a major contribution to the development of a given field or branch of learning, and has to be published entirely or at least its main parts.