Postgraduate admissions crackdown targets draft evaders in Ukraine, Ministry official says

Oleh Sharov, Director General of the Directorate of Higher and Adult Education at Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, said during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine that the country’s university admission process has become deliberately strict to prevent draft evasion among men during mobilization.

“The admission campaign has become as unfriendly as possible to draft-dodgers, so there are fewer of these categories in educational institutions. This also affected the overall statistics of students,” Sharov said.

In recent years, Ukrainian universities have seen an unusually high number of men over the age of 25 applying for postgraduate programs, a trend widely attributed to efforts to evade military service. In response, the government introduced new measures in 2024. Postgraduate studies are now available only on a full-time basis for state-funded positions, and applicants must pass two additional examinations: a single entrance exam and a test in research methodology.

“Last year, the number of state-funded places was significantly increased to enable scientific institutions to enroll talented young scientists who wish to pursue research,” Sharov explained. “Currently, to enroll in a postgraduate degree program, one must pass two external exams. If a person is not genuinely interested in science, it is not easy to pass these tests.”

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