Ukraine’s educational institutions have become recognized in the world as a source of quality and affordable university education.
Whether seeking for a graduate program, postgraduate, doctorate or research works, many international students today have realized the educational potentials available by studying in Ukraine universities.
Because most universities are struggling to cope with the increasing request from international students, consulting companies were licensed by the state center for international education to assist in recruiting international students and augment the admission load on the universities and increase admission efficiency.
Below are answers to some of the repeat questions frequently asked by international students planning to study in Ukraine. They were compiled from the most repeating questions submitted to our support center.
Age Limitations
For undergraduate programs, the age limitation for new students is 25 years. Candidates for postgraduate programs could be considerably older than 25 years.
Admission Resumption Date
There is no unified calendar for all the universities’ admission resumption date.
Most have their in-house admission calendar, but normally resumes from March / April, and admissions can continue till November, and sometimes beyond.
Students arriving after 1st of September, which is the official resumption date for all academic activities in Ukraine, might have to enroll for a one year language preparatory program.
Students enrolling directly into the main course or planning to study in English language are expected to have arrived before 1st of September.
Tuition and Payments
Tuition fees vary across universities, depending on the course, the university and the language of study. The fees are usually updated yearly by the universities, prior to the admission season.
Depending on the mode of application, tuition payments could be made on arrival, or partly paid to the university for students applying directly to the university.
Students processing their application via consulting companies, like our company, do not need to pay for the tuition until arrival, as the consulting companies are given this concession.
Pre-payments are only for the university admission / invitation letter, visa support letter from the ministry of external affairs, and payment for courier postage to the student’s location.
The invitation letter could cost anywhere between $100 – $200 depending on the prevailing tariff, while courier postage cost will largely depend on the student’s location and the courier company utilized.
Current fees for all of these will be made available during the admission season.
Below are a general fee range based on earlier records for the most popular course categories.
Please note that the fees range is general, and could vary across universities, so use the figures below as a planning guide.
| Course / Faculty | Tuition / Annum |
| Preparatory Faculty | $1500 - $2000 |
| Medical courses in English language | $3000 - $4500 |
| Medical courses in native Ukrainian or Russian language | $2500 - $3500 |
| Postgraduate courses (Medical) | $4000 - $5000 |
| Engineering courses in English language | $2500 - $3500 |
| Engineering courses in Ukrainian or Russian Language | $2000 - $3000 |
| Postgraduate courses (Engineering) | $3500 - $4000 |
| Management / Social Sciences | $2000 - $3500 |
| Postgraduate (Management / Social Sciences) | $3000 - $4000 |
Accommodation
Most universities have hostel accommodation for students, or have a provision for one.
This varies from single room accommodation type to double or trio occupants for a room, depending on the size and type of the room.
Prices for accommodation are also reflective of the accommodation type, and could vary between $350 – $700 per annum.
Students are also allowed to live in rented apartments, outside the hostel, but not without necessary procedures and permission from the university authority.
It is highly advised that international students reside in university hostels, for better security.
Tuition Payments In Installments
Most universities do accept payment of tuition in installments. However, this concession is more applicable to students after their first year.
New students are usually expected to make full payment, although in certain circumstances, they may also be allowed to pay per-semester.
Living Expenditure
This varies with the students’ individual living standards and habits. An average student can live off a monthly budget of $150.
While a conservative student might not even need that much, another student might need much more depending on the chosen lifestyle.
Depending on inflationary trends, the figures could reasonably change. Typically, a monthly budget of between $150 – $200 will be enough for most students.
Academic Calendar
In Ukraine, academic activities resume from 1st of September of every year.
For foreign students, there is currently two admission and enrollment windows: September and March intake.
Admission and academic program for preparatory program continues all year round, as well as admission into postgraduate programs.
Study Duration
Language Preparatory Program : One (1) academic year
Undergraduate Program : Four (4) academic years
Undergraduate Program (Medical) : Six (6) years
Postgraduate (Masters) : Minimum of sixteen (16) – eighteen (18) months
Undergraduate Program to Masters uninterrupted : Five (5) years
Admission procedures
Admissions are issued exclusively by the universities, either directly or through their representatives.
Depending on the the desired program, the student is expected to have passed at least five (5) credit passes related to the course of interest.
Transfer students will be required to send their result transcript and course composition.
Postgraduate candidates will need to provide the transcript as well as certificate of a four-year completed graduate program.
Applications could be submitted directly to the university, or through any of the university representatives, in the form of intermediary companies.
Available Study Languages
Below are the most common study languages available in most Ukrainian universities.
- Ukrainian
- Russian
- English
It is important to note that the introduction of English language as a study language is relatively recent, and started off in the most popular courses among foreign students, such as medicine and computer engineering.
Although most universities are gradually introducing the use of English language as a study language and spreading to other courses, chances are also high that some courses will not available for study in English language.
Visa & Visa-Free Regime
International students planning to study in Ukraine will come from one of the two country categories: countries with visa-free regime to Ukraine or countries requiring visa to enter Ukraine.
Even when a visa may not required to travel to Ukraine for tourism, it may be needed for educational purposed which requires a prolonged residential period in Ukraine.
Considering that these regulations change periodically, we are not competent enough to provide authoritative guide. Therefore, candidates should check with the Ukrainian consulate in their home country or country of residence for authentic information.
Below are links to Ukrainian Embassies, and to check country’s visa relationship status with Ukraine.:
Ukrainian Embassies
Visa-Free Relationship Status Check
For candidates that will need a visa, a visa support letter will be sent to the Ukrainian Consulate in the candidate’s country or country of residence after the candidate successfully processes a university admission in Ukraine.
in the event of an absent resident Ukrainian embassy in the student’s home country, the Ukrainian embassy of close proximity and in charge of consular activities for the candidate’s country will be sent the visa support letter.
Traveling To Ukraine
Most international airlines shuttle Ukraine. For traveling purposes, students should choose the airline that is most suitable for their traveling plans considering cost, availability and the destination university.
One of the most affordable flight operators and the most popular among international students is Turkish Airline. Depending on the location of the student, Ukraine is also accessible via road, rail and sea.
Scholarships
Scholarships for international students, are not readily available in Ukraine. Most international students are sponsored by their parents or guardians, except for those that were awarded state or governmental scholarship from their home government or another independent scholarship organization.
Work & Income Opportunities
Ukraine is not the ideal destination for students wishing to combing academic activities with some form of revenue generation.
As a developing nation, Ukraine is still battling to create enough jobs for her citizenry.
Considering the language barrier, most international students will not be well positioned to even compete for these jobs where available, except jobs that exclusively require the use of foreign languages.
Most importantly, the student’s residential status do not permit them to take up paid jobs, as all income attracts some form of taxation, a provision not made for students.
Notwithstanding, it is not uncommon to see international students doing some form of menial jobs during summer holidays in holiday and resort centers like beaches etc, but income from such activities should not be relied upon for the student’s upkeep and sustenance.
Most importantly, it should be noted that this is not a legitimate activity, and could attract attention from the appropriate law enforcement agency, which could lead to some form of penalty or a very unpleasant outcome.
Sporting Facilities
Most universities are equipped with sporting facilities, both indoors and outdoors.
Since Ukraine has less of warm months than cold months, indoor games tend to gain prominence among students.
Notwithstanding, international students with large enough student community do organize summer championship events among other foreign student communities, in games like football and hockey.
Weather Conditions
Ukraine is a four season country: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Spring is a transition from winter to summer and occurs between March to May. Summer months last from June to August. Summer in Ukraine is heat intensive varying between 25oC to 35oC with sometimes temperatures of +40oC and above recorded.
Autumn is a transition from summer to winter and occurs between September to November. Winter months are between December to February, with temperatures falling below 0oC to sometimes as much as -35oC.
Extreme low temperatures are rare, but in such cases, academic activities are suspended until the weather condition improves.
