The 2026 admissions campaign in Ukraine will be conducted under fundamentally new rules. The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) has announced extensive changes aimed at simplifying bureaucratic procedures and making the selection process fairer. The main innovations regarding the number of applications, the weight of subjects, and the use of testing results were commented on by Deputy Minister of Education and Science Nikolay Trofimenko in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

Optimizing Choice: Fewer Applications — Higher Efficiency

One of the key changes is the reduction of the limit on submitting applications. While applicants could previously choose up to 15 options, the total number of applications is now limited to ten. At the same time, a maximum of five applications can be submitted for state-funded places.

The decision to shorten the list of priorities was made based on an analysis of statistics from previous years. According to Nikolay Trofimenko, the vast majority of students — 86% — were enrolled based on one of the first three priorities. Applications occupying places from 11th to 15th had a chance of enrollment in less than 0.5% of cases. Thus, the new rule frees applicants from unnecessary bureaucracy and forces them to focus on directions that are truly important to them.

New Mathematics of Success: Creativity vs. Numbers

A significant correction also affected the formula for calculating the competitive score. In the new algorithm, the weight of the creative competition has increased significantly, which is particularly relevant for creative specialties. In contrast, the influence of the mathematics grade has been substantially reduced to a coefficient of 0.075 (less than 10%).

The document submission procedure has also been simplified: the tool that was previously a mandatory element of the admission application has now become optional. The ministry explained this by stating that this formality often did not have a real impact on the quality of selection but only complicated the process for applicants.

Deadline Flexibility and New Opportunities for Graduates

Applicants are given the opportunity to use the results of the National Multi-Subject Testing (NMT) for four years: 2023, 2024, 2025, or 2026. However, it is important to remember the new restriction: combining subjects from different years is prohibited. For the calculation of the competitive score, a full set of results obtained in one specific year is taken.

Special conditions are provided for school graduates from European countries. Now they can use the results of their national graduation exams instead of the Ukrainian NMT. In addition, access to enrollment through educational centers has been expanded for applicants living in areas of active hostilities and temporarily occupied territories (TOT).

MES Position on Lowering the Passing Score

Against the backdrop of the discussion on the reform of the admissions campaign, the Union of Rectors of Ukrainian Universities addressed the Minister of Education, Oksen Lesny, with a proposal to lower the minimum competitive score for admission to elite specialties from 150 to 130 points. The initiative was aimed at making prestigious programs more accessible.

The Ministry of Education and Science promptly responded to this proposal, stating that it does not intend to review the minimum competitive score for certain specialties. Thus, the quality threshold for admission to in-demand directions remains unchanged, despite changes in the document submission procedure.