Education System and Training for Non-residents in Ukraine

Ukraine has made significant steps in developing of national education system. The system of education in Ukraine includes pre-school and higher education as well. Ukrainian universities are present in European and world educational space, take part in Bologna process, etc. In Ukraine, there is a large number of facilities and institutions I Ukraine. Ukrainian educational legislation pay great attention to pre-school education. Today, Ukraine is striving to become one of the leading countries in the field of international education, which is indirectly confirmed by the relatively high demand for higher education in Ukraine by citizens of other states. Number of international students studying in Ukraine is growing each year. Today, 60 thousand students from 145 countries study at high schools in Ukraine. We will try to discuss the system of education in Ukraine in this article.

According to the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” Ukrainian education includes the following levels:

Primary Education
Education in Ukraine is compulsory from age 6 to age 10. The first 4 years children spend in elementary primary school where they learn to draw, count, write; these are all basic compulsory simple sciences for later use in your future life.

Secondary Education
Secondary school is for scholars aged from 10 to 15. The curriculum includes the Ukrainian language and literature, a foreign language, algebra, biology, chemistry, geography, geometry, history, physics, music, art and physical education.
After 15 years, students pass exam in such compulsory subjects as the Ukrainian language and literature, English / German / French / Spanish, and also biology, chemistry, geography, mathematics and physics, and then they enter a higher education establishment.

Vocational Education
If students do not enter higher secondary school, they may choose to study further at theirown expense at a vocational secondary school on the program designed for 4 years.

Tertiary Education
The ministry of education manages the higher education, including vocational schools, colleges and universities. These may be private or state establishments, but the education is for-profit. Subsidized housing is usually available to assist students from other towns and cities.

Levels of higher education also have a gradation:

Pre-university level:
– Junior Bachelor. Period of study: 2 – 4 years (colleges, technical colleges).

University level:
– Bachelor (BA). Period of study: 4 years;
– Master’s (MA). Period of study 1 – 2 years;
– Doctor of Philosophy. Period of study: 3 years;
– Doctor of Sciences. Period of study: 3 years.

International students enter universities of Ukraine according to interview results and on the basis of submitted documents on previous education. Requirements are set by each university independently. International students can study either in Ukrainian or Russian, however current programs in English are becoming more and more popular. International students who do not speak Ukrainian or Russian languages can study at university preparatory 10-month courses, after their completion, they can pursue studies at regular departments of the high school of their choice in Ukraine. Apart from language skills, international students can study basic disciplines which are necessary for further studies according to the chosen majors.

Training takes place on paid basis. Tuition fees vary from 1 000 to 3 000 USD per year for most of majors and from 2 000 to 6 000 USD for medical sciences. Tuition fees at preparatory courses are from 1000 to 2000 USD. International students can get Ukrainian state scholarships (according to international agreements, state programs of Ukraine, and other international liabilities of Ukraine) and enter a high school on the basis of assignments of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine under respective programs and agreements. International students with full secondary education diplomas from Ukrainian-taught foreign schools as well as foreign Ukrainians whose status is confirmed by Foreign Ukrainian certificate can study free of charge on the basis of quotas for foreign Ukrainians set by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Foreigners permanently residing in Ukraine on legal grounds can study at high schools of Ukraine on equal terms with Ukrainian citizens.

If you are planning to study in Ukraine, we would like to draw your attention to important details:

1. Admissions criteria
International students can study at Ukrainian universities on basis of marks from their documents about previous education. The required minimum score for admission is set by each university independently. After arrival, the applicant is scheduled an interview by the university selection committee.

2. Inviting to study in Ukraine
All international applicants coming to Ukraine are to obtain an “Invitation to study” from the university they are applying to. The invitation is to be of a form established by the Ministry of Education.
Students from visa countries and countries with which Ukraine signed an agreement on visa-free period of stay of up 90 days (tourist, private and business travel) should have a long-term (“education” type D) visa, which allows to stay in Ukraine longer than 90 days. Citizens of countries with which Ukraine signed an agreement on visa-free regime (Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Russia) do not require a Ukrainian visa, but should provide an original or photocopy of “Invitation to study” crossing Ukrainian border as a justification of their purpose of visit to Ukraine. To obtain a visa of D-type, a prospective student have to submit a list of documents to the consulate of Ukraine in corresponding country according to the list of documents indicated on the Embassy’s website. Such a list of documents always includes the original “Invitation to study.” We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the documents on your previous education have to be officially certified before submission to the consulate (legalized (Ministry of Education + Ministry of Foreign Affairs + Embassy of Ukraine in your country) or certified by Apostille stamp + legalized at the Embassy of Ukraine). These documents have to be officially recognized in Ukraine so that a Ukrainian university is able to issue your diploma certificate upon graduation.
All “Invitations to study” issued by universities undergo mandatory registration at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine before being issued to applicants.

3. Crossing the Ukrainian border
When the student has a date of arrival to Ukraine, it is very important to send a timely notification to the University about the date, time, point (airport), and flight number. It is recommended to inform the University, including contact data, as the university sends the data to the border control. During passport control the Border Service can verify whether the persons mentioned in the notification of the University are the host party. This must ensure safety of arriving in a new country, especially in cases when your university is located in a city different from the airport city in Ukraine.
During border control, procedures may require in-depth interview in order to make sure that the student goes to Ukraine with the purpose of study and that he is provided with financial support for the period of studies. Student is advised to be ready for such interview – make sure he knows well about university, its location, place of residence during studies, as well as the major of studies. A notification letter from university with the contacts of responsible persons can become a very important document. If a student fail this interview, he/she may be forbidden to enter Ukraine.

4. Migration requirements to international students
International students during their period of study in Ukraine fall under the requirements of immigration law, observance of which is extremely important.
All foreigners coming to Ukraine with the purpose of study have to obtain a temporary residence permit from the Migration Service and be registered at the place of their actual residence during the study period. For citizens of visa countries migration procedures do not exceed 15 days until visa expiration date (visa validity period is 45 days), for citizens of non-visa countries – up to 75 days from the date of crossing the Ukrainian border. Migration formalities for international students are usually carried out by international departments of universities. They would typically request student to provide all the necessary documents and offer to issue medical insurance for the period of study. A temporary residence permit is the document that certifies the identity of a foreigner or a person without citizenship and confirms the legitimacy of student’s stay in Ukraine. The permit is usually issued for the entire period of study, however, in case of study at the preparatory department, the period of validity of permit is only one year. Entering the next level of study or transferring to other university international students have to extend a visa and to submit to the Migration Service no later than 15 days before it expires.

If the term of the temporary residence permit expire, and it is not renewed on time, a student has leave Ukraine and get a visa again. If the student has been expelled from the university, the university informs the migration service within 10 days to cancel the registration. In this case, the student has 7 days to leave the territory of Ukraine.

It is important to know that the migration legislation of Ukraine does not allow international students to be employed while studying.

Author: Kateryna Bovan