The score will not be lowered to 130 points: The Ministry of Education and Science has responded to Lubinets’ request
25 June 22:25
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine did not support Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets’ proposal to lower the minimum admission score for certain majors from 150 to 130. The ministry stated that the rules for the 2026 admissions campaign were approved in advance, so there are no plans to change them during the admissions process, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
The Ministry’s decision was a response to proposals by Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and representatives of higher education institutions to lower the minimum admission score from 150 to 130.
The proponents of the changes explained their position by citing the difficult conditions under which students had to take the National Multidisciplinary Test during the war: air raid alerts, prolonged stays in shelters, technical glitches, and high levels of stress among graduates.
What Dmytro Lubinets Proposed
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Education and Science with a proposal to lower the minimum admission score from 150 to 130.
He argued that graduates are taking the National Multidisciplinary Test under extremely difficult conditions.
Among the problems, the ombudsman cited:
- air raid alerts;
- evacuations to shelters;
- interruptions lasting several hours;
- technical glitches;
- stress and exhaustion;
- the lack of a proper appeals process for individual tasks.
According to Lubinets, in June 2026 alone, his office received 21 complaints about problems during the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT).
The Ombudsman cited the example of Odesa, where, due to numerous air raid alerts, some children spent more than 13 hours at the testing center.
He also noted that by no means all temporary testing centers operate in fully equipped shelters.
According to his data, the best-protected centers were in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, where testing was conducted in shelters. In other regions, the proportion of such testing sites was lower.
Lubinec believes that such circumstances could have affected the applicants’ results regardless of their actual knowledge.
To address the situation, the Commissioner proposed the following measures to the Government and the Ministry of Education and Science:
- Lower the passing score from 150 to 130, taking into account the conditions under which the testing took place. This initiative is supported by the NGO “Union of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine,” which has already appealed to Minister of Education Oksen Lisovyi with a corresponding request.
- Restore the right to appeal incorrect test questions and ensure the publication of tests with correct answers after the exams are completed.
- Regulate the mechanism for administering the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT) for children in detention facilities, guaranteeing their constitutional right to enroll in higher education institutions.
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The Ministry of Education refused to lower the minimum admission score
The Ministry of Education and Science noted that it fully understands the difficult conditions under which graduates have been taking the National Multidisciplinary Test for the fifth consecutive year amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. An additional testing session has been scheduled for anyone who, for objective reasons, was unable to complete the test.
However, the ministry does not plan to change the selection rules themselves without a proper analysis of the consequences.
The ministry reiterated that the raised threshold of 150 points (even for contract-based programs) for certain majors was introduced gradually.
For medical specialties, the high requirements are directly linked to the quality of training for specialists on whom people’s lives and health will depend in the future, the Ministry of Education explained.
Law, international relations, public administration, and economics—in these fields, the state deliberately maintains a high standard of training, as graduates will work with citizens’ rights, government institutions, and represent Ukraine on the international stage.
However, most of the majors for which a lower admission threshold is proposed have traditionally been in high demand. For example, in 2025, the average competitive score for state-funded spots in “International Relations” was 174.34, and for “Political Science,” it was 172.89. Changing the rules in the middle of the admissions campaign will undermine trust in the process, especially since higher education institutions have already approved their own admission rules and the electronic systems are fully configured.
The Ministry of Education emphasizes that the rules of the admissions campaign must be stable and clear to all participants.
Universities have already approved their own admission rules, and the electronic systems have been configured in accordance with current procedures. Changing the minimum score during the admissions campaign could affect the competitive selection process and place applicants at a disadvantage.
The Ministry of Education and Science also believes that revising such requirements requires a comprehensive analysis, rather than an ad hoc decision after the conclusion of the main NMT session.
The Ministry of Education and Science explained the difference between the NMT score and the competitive score
The ministry urged people not to confuse the result of an individual NMT test with an applicant’s final competitive score.
The competitive score is calculated using a special formula. It takes into account:
- the results of the NMT subjects;
- weighting coefficients for each major;
- creative competitions—if applicable;
- additional coefficients;
- other components specified in the admission procedure.
Therefore, the score of 150 is not the minimum grade for each subject on the National Multidisciplinary Test. It is the calculated competitive score with which an applicant can apply for the corresponding major.
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