Starting September 15, 2026, the state Diia app will launch an automatic system for generating certificates for academic grants for applicants enrolling in contract (paid) study in the current academic year. The key innovation is that no separate application will be required: the document will be generated based on the data already entered in the Unified State Electronic Database of Applicants (USDEDA). Notifications about the readiness of the certificates will be sent to Diia users between September 15 and October 25, 2026.
How the confirmation mechanism will work
Once an applicant sees the certificate in Diia and confirms it, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU) will approve the grant award by an official order within 10 days. The funds will be transferred not to the student but directly to the educational institution, which eliminates the risk of misuse of the funds. It is important to understand: the certificate will be generated only if the university has already entered into USDEDA the information about the signed contract with the applicant. If the institution has not completed this procedure, the certificate will not appear in Diia.
Several programs — one choice
The situation in which a student is admitted to contract study under several educational programs at once is accounted for in the algorithm. In this case, Diia will generate several certificates — one for each program. However, the right to an academic grant can be confirmed for only one of them. This restriction is aimed at preventing the double funding of the same student across multiple programs simultaneously.
Who else may be eligible for the grant
The right to an academic grant extends not only to first-year contract students. Students who previously studied on a state-funded (budget) basis and then transferred to or enrolled in contract study may also receive a certificate. However, to do so, they must reimburse the cost of their prior state-funded study, that is, return to the state the funds spent on their education before the transfer to contract study. Without fulfilling this condition, the certificate will not be generated.
Context: rising tuition costs and study formats
The innovation of automatic certificates in Diia comes against the backdrop of a significant rise in the cost of master's education at Ukrainian universities. According to 2026 data, popular programs at several universities cost more than 200,000 hryvnia per year, while less prestigious specialties are priced in the range of up to 50,000 hryvnia. At the same time, Ukrainian universities plan to conduct study in various formats this academic year: some institutions intend to hold fully in-person classes, while others will combine in-person lectures with an online format. Under these conditions, the automation of academic grant issuance through Diia simplifies access to state support for contract students and reduces the administrative burden on both students and admissions committees.
