Higher Education In Ukraine
How can I find out which are the best universities in Ukrane?
Ranking Of The Best Higher Educational Establishments In Ukraine
Are there many universities to choose from?
Ukrainian educational system is considered to be one of the most developed in the world; it offers a big variety of educational opportunities to local and international students. There are almost 400 higher educational establishments (universities) in Ukraine. Among them there are 220 state institutions, and 93 privately owned, and a number of municipal institutions. One can obtain a higher education in universities, academies, or in establishments which are equivalent to universities, but are traditionally called "institutes" of 3rd and 4th level of accreditation.
What education is better - in a private or in a state university?
Previously, before Ukraine gained independence, all higher educational establishments in the Soviet Union were state owned. Thanks to the educational policy of the USSR leaders, all citizens had a right to obtain all levels of education free of charge. The powerful economy needed talented and well educated specialists, and a lot of resources was attracted to create a massive network of state universities all over the territory of the Soviet Union.
After the collapse of the USSR, higher education remainied the most appreciated and desired level of education among population. During the years of Ukraine's independence a big number of privately owned universities have beed established. They are having challenging time having to compete with such state "monsters" as Kharkiv Politechnical university, for example, which welcomes 20 000 students in each year into it's huge campus-city with dozens of buildings, stadiums, recreational complexes and dozens of dormitories.
Some fundamental principles of Soviet time educational policy are still observed in modern Ukraine. Also, growing competition makes all universities keep high level of teaching and provide all necessary conditions/ facilities for students' successful study. Today, each graduate student who successfully passed all examinations and tests, obtains a standard Diploma of higher education, no matter what form of property the university refers to - private, state-run or municipal. The transcript of the disciplines list with grades and amount of comleted credit hours is attached to the Diploma and is regarded as a legal document that provides detailed information about the person's particular level of knowledge.
How many years will I study?
Ukrainian Institutions of Higher Education have standardized Educational programs, developed traditionally for 4 years (Bachelor's level), and then additional 2 years (MA level) of education. Due to specialized training terms which are introduced into professional programs of study in Engineering and Medical Universities, the term of obtaining the education is longer, at least 5,5 or 6 years.
What kind of diploma will I obtain?
Upon completion of the whole course of study, each student who successfully passed the Final Examinations, obtains two Diplomas of Higher Education - a Bachelor's degree diploma (after completing 4 years), and a Master's degree diploma (after 5-6 years).
There are also diplomas of a so-called "Specialist" which are issued after completion of 10 semesters (5 years of study). These are the traditional Ukrainian diplomas which were provided for successful completion of the 10-semester course of studies since the Soviet time. This diploma is almost equivalent to a Master's Degree, but these diplomas are only recognized in Ukraine and the former CIS states, so majority of the students prefer to complete a Bachelor's program, and immediately apply for another 2 years of study to obtain an internationally accredited Master's Degree of education.
Is it possible to study for free?
Yes, but the competition to "win" this right is very high. Every state university announces about the number of scholarships for free study in each department annually, before the admission process begins. There are some opportunities for the most talelnted students to apply for free study and be granted the permission without tests or examinations, once they are winners of all-Ukraine competitions in the discipline which they are applying for in the university. All other candidates for free study have to take a set of tests and provide excellent high school records, to take part in the competition for study free of charge. Each year, from 20% to 50% of students in larger state universities are admitted for free study, but thousands of young people who did not win the competition have to pay for their study.
How much does it cost to study in a Ukrainian university?
There is a special section about costs of study in Ukraine universities; please find this iniformation there. Note that the costs of education may change from year to year, so the costs provided on this site may not be precise. To find out about paarticular universities, please contact us.
What is the diploma of a "Specialist"?
The so-called diplomas of "Specialist" are issued after successful completion of 10 semesters (5 years of study). These are traditional Soviet-time diplomas which were provided to students in recent past for successful completion of the 10-semester course of studies, which is almost equivalent to a Master's Degree. Though it is possible to obtain such a diploma in every Ukrainian university now, these diplomas are only recognized in Ukraine and the former CIS states, so majority of students prefer to take an additional semester or two, and obtain an internationally accredited Master's Degree of education.
Though the degree of "Specialist" remains highly appreciated by students and employers locally, all foreign students, as well as more and more Ukrainians tend to obtain internationally recognized diplomas, especially today, when Ukraine has signed the Bologna agreement in higher education. Now, all higher education establishments of Ukraine are following and observing European standards of higher education.
What is the Bologna process?
"Bologna process" is the name for a vast all-Europe project of standardization of higher education to make all European diplomas equally accredited in the world. By signing the Bologna Agreement, Ukraine has taken a set of obligations about restructuring the educational system to adjust to the European norms and standards. The new norms started functioning in Ukrainian educational system a few years ago, and today the old system is being replaced by the new one step by step. Among the most significant changes, one can note the transition to Bachelor / Master’s degrees system; introduction of learning modules in the system of knowledge control (ton replace the old system of lectures and "seminars"), the renewed structure of testing and introduction of credits system into Ukrainian education process.
How many semesters are there in Ukrainian universities?
In Ukraine, most of the students are busy studying almost all the year round, with about 5-6 weeks of summer vacation starting in mid-July and lasting through August. The academic year begins on the 1st of September and lasts almost to the end of July. Normally, the academic year consists of two (sometimes three) terms or semesters. All successful students also have about 2 weeks of vacations in winter, between the two terms: usually in February, after successful completion of tests and examinatione of the autumn semester. Then, the next significant period in each student's life happens in June, when a new portion of tests and exams is due.
During the academic year, students have classes every day but weekend days. Some universities may offer two shifts of classes, when some students have classes mostly in the morning time, the others would attend all classes in the afternoon time during the whole semester. They attend lectures, tutorials, practice classes or work with books and learning materials in libraries and computer classes.
What kind of tests or exams will I have to pass and when?
At the end of each term (semester) each student takes 3 or 5 examinations and 3 or 5 written tests. The successful completion of examinations and tests g uarantees the right to proceed to the next term. But even successful completion of two semesters does not mean transition to the next year of study. Before this happens, each student is supposed to take a professional training term. In July, most of the students are directed to take 3 or more weeks of training at enterprises, companies or organizations related to their specialization. Universities make up preliminary agreements with these companies, and in the end of this term, each student provides an evaluation letter from the company supervisor to his/her university; the letter contains assessment of the student's ability to use the knowledge obtained during the year of study, at a real working place, and the ability to adjust to working situations and corporative environment.
Will I have to write a diploma thesis?
Yes, and probably more than once. On the 4-th year of study (for Bachelor's degree study), or on the 6-th year (for the Master's degree), each student must write a massive essay related to the main profile of his/her study - a diploma thesis. The thesis topics are suggested to students by their main specialization department, and each student obtains a research superviser - a professor of the department who has extended knowledge of the topic, who assists the student in writing of the thesis through the whole academic year. In the end of the term, all students provide their diploma thesis to a board of professors for assessment, and have to "defend" their work in front of this board. The whole ceremony is called locally a "Diploma Defense". No need to say, this is a very responsible but exciting day for each student - once you have dome your work well, you will become a graduate of a Bachelor's or master's course.
After graduation from university, each student who successfully passed all examinations and tests, obtains a standard Diploma of higher education, no matter what form of property the university refers to - private, state-run or municipal. The transcript of the subject list with grades is attached to the Diploma and is regarded as an official document that provides detailed information about the person's particular level of knowledge.
