---
title: "Ukrainian Government Updates Rules for Awarding and Revoking the Doctor of Philosophy Degree"
description: "The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers updated the rules for awarding and revoking PhD degrees, introducing indefinite liability for plagiarism and strict university sanctions."
date: 2026-10-13T13:28:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukrainian-government-updates-rules-phd
tags: [phd, ukraine, education, dissertation, science]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukrainian Government Updates Rules for Awarding and Revoking the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

![Academic council meeting for a dissertation defense at a Ukrainian university](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/13/pravitelstvo-ukrainy-obnovilo-pravila-doktora-filosofii/pravitelstvo-ukrainy-obnovilo-pravila-doktora-filosofii-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- A PhD degree can now be revoked at any time without a statute of limitations for plagiarism or falsification.
- Universities that permit the defense of dishonest dissertations lose the right to form one-time academic councils for a year.
- Requirements for applicants' scientific publications and the composition of specialized councils have been tightened.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has introduced large-scale amendments to Resolution No. 44 of January 12, 2022, which regulates the procedure for awarding and revoking the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. The new regulations aim to make the defense procedure more transparent and the response to academic misconduct stricter and unavoidable. These changes affect both degree applicants and higher education institutions hosting dissertation defenses.

### Essence of the Reform and Types of Violations

According to the new rules, a clear distinction is made between two fundamentally different situations: procedural violations and manifestations of dishonesty. The first case involves terminating the decisions of one-time specialized academic councils due to non-compliance with established regulations. The second case involves stripping someone of an already awarded PhD degree.  If plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification is discovered in a dissertation or related scientific publications, the academic degree can be revoked even many years after it was obtained, as there is no statute of limitations for such violations.

### University Accountability and Publication Requirements

The reform places personal and institutional responsibility not only on the authors of scientific papers but also on the host organizations. If an authorized body or the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance confirms plagiarism, the educational institution will be deprived of the right to create one-time specialized academic councils in the relevant specialty for one year. Furthermore, requirements for publications have become stricter: self-plagiarism is excluded from credit, no more than one article by the applicant is allowed per journal issue, and the relevance of scientific works is now assessed by real substantive links rather than formal keyword matches.

### Contradictory Data

 Despite the ministry's efforts to regulate the scientific sphere, the expert community and academic circles express mixed views on the new mechanisms. Some specialists fear excessive bureaucratization and potential abuses when complaints are reviewed by authorized university bodies. Another group of experts insists that indefinite liability for academic dishonesty is an absolute necessity to purge Ukrainian science of poor-quality and compromised dissertations, although the appeals procedure through NAQA requires additional legal guarantees to protect researchers' rights.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Правительство изменило правила присуждения и лишения степени доктора философии в Украине](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/uryad-zminiv-pravila-prisudzhennya-ta-pozbavlennya-1791897795.html) - Официальные детали постановления Кабмина №44.
- [Правительство изменило порядок присуждения ученой степени доктора философии: что изменится](https://glavcom.ua/ru/news/pravitelstvo-izmenilo-poryadok-prisuzhdeniya-uchenoy-stepeni-doktora-filosofii-chto-izmenitsya-814293.html) - Анализ изменений в порядке защиты.
- [Жена Усика может стать доктором философии: она показала, как готовится к защите диссертации](https://www.sports.ru/boxing/blogs/3368724.html) - Подтверждено по источнику sports.ru
- [Новые правила защиты диссертации доктора философии: что не так?](https://zn.ua/science/novye-pravila-zashchity-dissertatsii-doktora-filosofii-chto-ne-tak.html) - Экспертные дискуссии и оценки возможных рисков.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is the statute of limitations for revoking a PhD degree due to plagiarism?
**A:** There is no statute of limitations for revoking an academic degree for established violations of academic integrity.

### Q: How will a university be punished for plagiarism found in a dissertation?
**A:** The educational institution will be deprived of the right to create one-time specialized academic councils and award degrees in the relevant specialty for one year.