Ukraine to allocate state grants for university students

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine plans to introduce state grants starting in 2024, aiming to offset a portion of the tuition fees for students in higher education institutions on a contractual basis. 

Deputy Minister Mykhailo Vynnytskyi shared this announcement during the 10th Synergy Conference, Rubryka reports, citing Interfax-Ukraine.

"One of our large-scale initiatives, which I hope will kick off from the September 2024 admission campaign, is state grants for higher education," said Vynnytskyi.

According to him, students can apply for these grants through the "Diia" government mobile app. The grant amount will be determined based on the results of the External Independent Evaluation (ZNO) or the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT).

Recipients can use the funding to cover tuition fees on a contractual basis at universities.

"We currently have a system where the state either covers 100% of your tuition or none at all. The state cannot increase the number of state-funded spots because hundreds of billions are allocated to defense," said the deputy minister. "Talking about increasing the state budget for education, unfortunately, is unrealistic. What can be done is slightly redistributing the 'pie' of state funds that go to education."

Vynnytskyi suggested that implementing this initiative could attract more students to popular fields in demand in Ukraine, such as software engineering and computer science.

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, 267,000 students enrolled in bachelor's programs in Ukraine in 2023, compared to 226,000 the previous year. In 2023, 67,000 students entered budget-funded programs, while the rest chose contractual terms.

Rubryka reported that the Ministry of Education and Science developed a draft law to consider reducing the number of higher education institutions in Ukraine. The ministry also stressed the need to optimize the network of institutions due to demographic trends, noting a decreasing number of those pursuing higher education in Ukraine.

As reported by Rubryka, students studying in Ukrainian universities who had to leave the country due to the war will not be paid monthly scholarships. This move aims to allocate funds to increase payments to students who remain in Ukraine.