Since September 1, 2026, a government decree has officially entered into force in Ukraine, providing for a doubling of academic scholarships for students. Despite the measures taken, thousands of students in Kyiv educational institutions faced an unpleasant surprise: in September, they received payments at the old rates, which caused a wave of concern among the student community.
Reasons for payment delays
The main conflict arose due to the division of powers between central government bodies and local self-government. While educational institutions under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) of Ukraine received the necessary funding and carried out the indexation on time, municipal universities accountable to the Kyiv city authorities were awaiting a separate order from the KSCA.
KSCA decision and recalculation mechanism
By October 1, 2026, the situation was finally resolved. The Kyiv City State Administration officially announced the adoption of a draft decision that ensures the recalculation of scholarships for students of municipal universities from September 1. The city budget has already reserved funds to cover the difference for the period from September to December 2026, which guarantees the payment of underpaid amounts in the near future.
Scale of changes in the payment system
According to current data, the minimum scholarship for university students is now 4,000 hryvnias, and 3,020 hryvnias for students of vocational colleges. In addition, presidential scholarships have been significantly increased: up to 20,000 hryvnias for students of higher education institutions and 15,200 hryvnias for students in the professional pre-higher education system, which is an important incentive for academic achievement.
Contradictory data
It is important to note the discrepancy in informing students at the beginning of the reporting period. Representatives of the MES in their comments claimed that funds were transferred to all institutions under their jurisdiction on time, while students of municipal colleges pointed to a lack of clear communication from university administrations regarding the reasons for the payment delay. As a result, despite the unity of the legislative framework, bureaucratic procedures led to inequality in the payment schedule in September 2026.
