Today, August 24, 2026, Ukraine officially launched the additional sessions of the External Independent Assessment (EVO) and the External Independent Examination (EVI) for applicants to doctoral (postgraduate) programs. This was announced by the press service of Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science, and the information was confirmed by RBC-Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA), the testing will run from August 24 to 28 and is intended for specific categories of registered applicants who were unable to take part in the main session for valid reasons.
Who is eligible to take part in the additional session
The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) has clearly defined the group of people eligible to take part in the additional sessions. The right to sit the test is granted to candidates who previously registered to participate in the main session but, for certain valid reasons, were unable to attend the exam, were unable to start the tasks, or were unable to complete them. Accordingly, the additional session is not an open intake: it is addressed exclusively to those who have already completed the registration procedure and have documented grounds for a reschedule. This restriction is intended to preserve the integrity of the competitive process and prevent a "surge" of unregistered candidates in the final days of admissions.
Where to find the date, time, and location: the admission pass
The key practical step for each participant is to generate the admission pass (invitation-pass) in the personal account on the official UCEQA website. It is precisely this document that specifies the exact date, time, and location of the test. The ministry strongly recommends printing the admission pass, where possible, and bringing it to the exam. Without this document, as well as a valid identity document, entry to the testing room will not be permitted. The MES specifically emphasized that those who do not have the required documents with them will not be allowed to participate. In addition, the department appealed to applicants not to spread information about the location and timing of the entrance exams on social media or in public spaces, citing security considerations.
Timeline for publishing results
The results of the additional EVO/EVI sessions, the MES assures, will be posted in participants' personal accounts on the UCEQA website by September 4, 2026. This means applicants will have about ten days to receive their scores and then complete the paperwork for enrollment in the doctoral program. The specific deadlines for submitting enrollment documents are set independently by each receiving university, but they are, as a rule, tied to the date of publication of the centralized testing results.
Context: debates over doctoral programs and wartime realities
The launch of the additional sessions comes against the backdrop of an ongoing debate over the status of doctoral programs under martial law. Earlier, experts and the public discussed a controversial MES decision regarding deferment from conscription: under the current wording, deferment is granted only to state-funded doctoral students, while contract-based and commercial (fee-paying) doctoral students are not included. According to specialists, this issue creates additional pressure on applicants who have to combine preparation for the entrance exams with matters of military registration. Meanwhile, the MES clarified that EVO and EVI results obtained in previous years remain valid for admission to doctoral programs within the established validity period, offering an alternative route for those who did not manage to or were unable to take the current session.
Practical recommendations for applicants
Specialists recommend that future doctoral students check their personal account on the UCEQA website a few days before the test, make sure the admission pass has been generated and contains correct data, and prepare a passport or other identity document. On the day of the exam, they should arrive at the testing room with time to spare to complete the identification procedure. Given that the session will run until August 28, participants have the opportunity to spread out the workload: those who were unable to pass all subjects in the main session will be able to complete the program during these days. The results, as already noted, will be available by September 4, after which the stage of submitting documents to the chosen university begins.
