A chance for a diploma for the chosen few: what awaits young people in 2025
9 June 2025 19:38
ANALYSIS FROM 
Those who have decided to apply for a bachelor’s degree at Ukrainian universities this year have until June 25 to undergo an external independent assessment in the NMT format, based on the results of which they will be able to choose an educational institution, a state-funded or contractual form of education. And this year, applicants will find many new and not always pleasant surprises. The features of the 2025 admission campaign were analyzed by "Komersant Ukrainian".
The admission campaign in Ukraine officially starts on July 1. To participate in the 2025 admission campaign, applicants must submit the results of the national multi-subject test, which this year must be taken by June 25. However, for certain categories of people, as well as those who could not participate in the main NMT session for valid reasons, an additional session will be held from July 14 to 25, 2025. According to statistics, 312,490 people have registered for the NMT this year. This is 18% less than last year. 20,071 children are taking the test abroad. In 2025, graduates of previous years can submit their NMT results for 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025.
For admission to a state-funded full general secondary education program, the competitive score cannot be less than 130 out of 200. Scores are taken into account when applying for certain specialties – for example, Law will have the highest score, and Library Science the lowest. This rule does not apply to children of fallen soldiers and police officers, deceased prisoners of war, or soldiers reported missing. In general, each university sets its own passing score, and it will be known closer to July. But it is already worth preparing seriously, because many nuances have emerged.
Tuition fees will increase
According to the Ministry of Education and Science, this year the average cost of contract education in the country will increase significantly compared to last year: while last year it was about 35-38 thousand hryvnias per year, in 2025 it is expected to rise to 50 thousand hryvnias, which is approximately equal to the amount that the state allocates for one state-funded student.
For example, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute has already published tuition prices: from 44.9 thousand UAH to 67.6 thousand UAH per year or from 179.6 to 270.4 thousand UAH for four years. The most expensive specialties are Law, International Relations, Management, etc. The cheapest are natural sciences, engineering, etc.
The Ministry of Education and Science advised those who cannot enter the contract to rely on government grants.
Grants for contract students
Last year, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced an experiment to provide financial support to contract students, which is planned to continue in 2025. Its essence is that students enrolled in full-time or dual enrollment on a contract basis will be able to receive a grant to cover part of the cost of education.
The amount of the grant will vary depending on the inflation index. In 2025, it is expected to increase to UAH 16, 8, and 28 thousand, respectively. The grant can be used in both public and private higher education institutions that have relevant agreements with the Ministry of Education and Science, and only for tuition fees.
The Tier I grant (UAH 16.8 thousand per year) will be available to those who pass two NMT subjects with 140 points. Those who score 170 points in two subjects will receive a Tier II grant of UAH 28 thousand. The amounts will be multiplied by a coefficient depending on the importance of the specialty for the country’s recovery.
For example, a grant of UAH 28 thousand will be available to students majoring in: “Journalism, Management of Socio-Cultural Activities, Economics, Law, Service Sector, Public Administration, International Relations, Dentistry, Philology (except for Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar and folklore studies).
Grants are also provided for admission to shortage specialties, the list of which was developed by the Ministry of Education and Science. In some cases , the amount may exceed UAH 40 thousand.
State-funded admission quotas
In 2025, there will be quotas for state-funded admission for certain privileged categories of applicants. This is a certain number of state-funded places:
Under quota-1 have the right to enter:
- persons with disabilities of groups I-II;
- combatants, injured participants of the Revolution of Dignity
- former prisoners of war;
- orphans and children deprived of parental care.
Based on the results of the interview, the following may be admitted under Quota 2
- persons with a place of residence in the temporarily occupied territories or in areas of active hostilities;
- persons from the territories where the occupation ended after January 1 of the year of admission and who left these territories in the calendar year of admission.
Sectoral order
This year, the state has allocated almost 14 thousand state-funded places for training agrarians. The number of places for bachelors in agricultural sciences will increase by 150 to 5,300. For masters – 440 places, up to 2,394. Special attention is paid to veterinary medicine: 925 places (205) have been allocated for this specialty. The state has also ordered 5,270 places for the training of professional junior bachelors.
The main thing is not to make a mistake with the choice
Deputy Minister of Education Mykhailo Vynnytsky advised applicants to avoid specialties that may soon be replaced by artificial intelligence, such as Accounting and Taxation. Such training, which is already paid for, may turn out to be a waste of money.
The official recommends entering the following specialties: medicine, education, rehabilitation, psychology, as well as infrastructure areas: architecture, construction, engineering, energy, transport, aviation, and drones.
These specialties have more state-funded places and the opportunity to receive a grant. In the fundamental fields of physics, chemistry, biology, geodesy, ecology, and land management, we have few applicants, but there is a great demand in the labor market,” he said.
“At the same time, in 2025, the number of state-funded places will increase and the cost of such specialties as law, economics, management, tourism, restaurant business, journalism, and even dentistry will rise, as they do not meet the needs of the labor market.
The alternative is to go abroad
This admission campaign may fail,” said the dean of a Kyiv university on condition of anonymity. “At his institution, the cost of education already exceeds the cost of education at universities in Poland or the Czech Republic.
In EU countries, education is affordable, and for EU citizens it is free or for a nominal fee. In our country, it is becoming unaffordable. This means that there will be a shortage: young people will go to colleges, vocational schools or abroad, where it is cheaper and calmer,” says Valentyn M.
“By the way, this year there is a high probability that some applicants will not be able to pass the NMT. In this case, the only way out is to enter colleges, vocational schools or foreign universities. Education ombudsman Nadiya Leshchyk adds that cases of 17-year-old boys being taken abroad have become more frequent because of fear of future mobilization.
Author – Alla Dunina
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