Higher Education in Ukraine: Pros and Cons of Current Reforms

Statistically at least, Ukraine is one of Europe’s educational heavyweights. It has a staggering

number of higher education institutions (HEI), Europe’s fourth largest group of graduate students
after Russia, the UK, and France, and a long history of higher learning, dating back to the 16th
century. Since 1991 the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has adopted numerous laws
to fight corruption in Ukrainian HEIs, to reduce the quantity and improve the quality of HEIs, to
provide mobility for both students and faculty, to grant greater autonomy to universities and more
rights to students’ self-governance.
In 2005 Ukraine joined the Bologna Process, which aims to create a European Higher Education
Area and improve the quality of education across European states. Significant progress has been
achieved in three strategic areas of the Bologna Process: implementation of a two-cycle system;
implementation of quality assurance in the field of higher education; recognition of diplomas and
previous periods of study. According to the Bologna Principles there must be 2 qualification levels
– Bachelor and Master, though junior specialist’s degree can still be earned at colleges and
technical school by students who, on the basis of completion of secondary education (after 9th or
11th year/form at school), have attained incomplete (short-term) higher education, special skills and
knowledge sufficient to cope with tasks and duties at a certain level of professional activity,
stipulated for initial posts in a certain type of economic activity. The normative period of training is
from two and a half to three years.
Bachelor (Bakalavr, 1st cycle) is an educational-proficiency level of higher education of a
person who, on the basis of completion of secondary education, has attained basic higher education,
fundamental and special skills and knowledge sufficient to cope with tasks and duties at a certain
level of professional activity (in economy, science, engineering, culture, arts etc.). The normative
period of training is four years, after which senior students take their finals and defend course
projects. There is a possibility to shorten the period of training to three years after introducing a
twelve-year secondary education in 2018. According to order 869 on Ukraine’s higher educational
standards signed by the former Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Liliya Hrynevych on
June 20, 2019 the number of credits earned on the basis of complete secondary education is 240,
and on the basis of junior specialist is 120.
Master (Magistr, 2nd cycle) is an educational proficiency level of higher education of a person
who has attained complete higher education, special skills and knowledge sufficient to cope with
professional tasks and duties of innovative character at a certain level of professional activity (in
engineering, business management, pedagogic, arts etc.). The period of training is typically
between one to one and a half years (90 – 120 ECTS by order 869 on Ukraine’s higher educational
standards, June 20, 2019). During the studies at the Master level, students are required to write their
final thesis on a selected subject and present it, be able to collect, analyse, summarise and
communicate study and practical material; often knowledge of a foreign language is also required.
Higher education graduates are awarded qualifications of the appropriate educational proficiency
levels and are granted state diplomas. The diploma serves as both an educational certificate and a
professional licence, confirming the attainment of the appropriate higher educational level and
qualification of certain educational-proficiency level.
Research programmes are implemented in a “non-Bologna” format, beyond the HE system:
  1st stage: Aspirantura (postgraduate Doctorate programme), on completion, the
degree of a Candidate of Sciences is granted (similar, but not equivalent to a PhD degree).
 2nd stage: Doctorantura (post-Doctorate programme), on completion, the degree of
a Doctor of Sciences is awarded. Research programmes typically involve:
 conduct of original research, preparation and public defence of a dissertation;
 supervisory procedures (by higher education institution, research institutions) and
assessment (by the Department of the Ministry);
 double status of research post-Doctorate programme students (students and early stage
researchers).
 doctorate students, who have the status of both students and early stage researchers.
In October, 2018 the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES) confirmed
admission requirements for applicants 2019. Due to them both prospective bachelors and masters
were to submit application e-forms and the results of their Independent External Assessment (IEA)
to be enrolled. The medical certificate isn’t required any more unless the major is Physical
education. The Independent External Assessment was implemented in 2008 by the MES to
eliminate corruption in the post-secondary admission process. IEA results must be not less than the
specified minimum. For specific specialities, additional exams are possible. Also, admission policy
takes into account the GPA of the school certificate. Students can send up to 7 application e-forms
choosing not more than four specialities to study under a state order. Students who plan to pay
study fees on a contractual basis are not restricted by this rule. There are no admission fees like in
the USA.
Applicants can choose any from 652 HEIs, 387 of them are colleges, technical and vocational
schools. The first attempts to reduce the number of HEIs (802) were made in 2015 by Serhiy Kvit,
the Minister of Education by means of closing diploma mills and shady institutions, uniting some
HEIs into one, suggesting creating a separate niche for colleges, technical and vocational schools as
those not belonging to HEIs. However, colleges, technical and vocational schools are still
numerous in Ukraine and belong to HEIs. Maybe, the new Minister of education Hanna Novosad
will solve this issue.
There are four levels of accreditation of HEIs:
 1st accreditation level HEIs train Junior specialists;
 2nd accreditation level HEIs train Junior specialists and/or Bachelors;
 3rd accreditation level HEIs train Bachelors, specialists and in certain professions
(specialities) Masters;
 4th accreditation level HEIs train Bachelors and Masters and offer postgraduate
Doctorate (Aspirantura) and post-Doctorate (Doctorantura) programmes.
There are six types of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Ukraine:
 Universities have the 4th accreditation level. They may be multi-disciplinary
institutions (follow a classical university model) or ‘branch’ institutions (focus on some
particular professional field as technical, medical, agricultural, pedagogical, economics, law
etc.). They act as leading research and methodological centres in both fundamental and
applied research.
  Academies – have the 4th accreditation level. They are concentrated on a specific area
of knowledge in which they also act as leading research and methodological centres in both
fundamental and applied research.
 Institutes – have the 3rd accreditation level. They are concentrated on a specific area of
knowledge in which they also conduct research and methodological research in both
fundamental and applied fields. They may be independent or a sub-unit of auniversity or
academy.
 Conservatoires – (one at present) have the 3rd accreditation level. They specialise in
culture and arts, specifically music. They also conduct research and act as leading centres in
the areas of their activity.
 Colleges – have the 2nd accreditation level. They provide training leading to the
acquisition of specific HE qualifications. They may also constitute sub-units within HEIs
with 3rd and 4th level accreditation.
 Technical and Vocational Schools – have the 1st level of accreditation. They provide
education and training in several adjacent areas. They may also constitute sub-units within
HEIs with 3rd and 4th level accreditation.
With respect to the ownership, Ukraine’s HEIs are divided into public and private HEIs.
Public forms of ownership are: municipal and state owned. State (public) higher education
institutions (HEIs) of the 4th accreditation level can be granted the status of National HEI by the
President of Ukraine which results in greater funding of an institution. There are now 115 National
HEIs.
According to the ranking 2019, the best 10 HEIs are
1. Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv
2. National Technical University of Ukraine “Ihor Sikorsky Polytechnical Institute at Kyiv”
3. V.Karazin National University at Kharkiv
4. National University “Lvivska Polytechnika”
5. National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnical Institute”
6. Sumy State University
7. National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
8. National Technical Institute “Dniprovska Polytechnika”
9. I.Franko National University at Lviv
10. M. Zhukovsky National University of Aerospace “KhAI”
No matter what HEIs students choose as their alma mater the organisation of the academic year
is similar. The official beginning of the academic year in Ukraine is 1 September, or the first
weekday after 1 September if this date falls on a weekend. There is no common end of the
academic year. The academic year usually consists of two terms (semesters) or occasionally three
terms (trimesters), though a summer semester is not yet widespread. The length of a semester and
academic breaks may vary among HEIs. The length of the examination period depends upon the
programme and the mode of its delivery. The length, beginning, end and organisation of the
academic year are determined by the HEI and depend upon the type of the programme, the mode of
its delivery, the year of studies and other factors.
Though the reforms mentioned haven’t completely solved the problem of corruption in HEIs and
their isolation, both Ukrainian students and professors actively participate in international
conferences and various exchange programs.