A three-year bachelor’s degree from 2029 – what the new admissions model will change
This was announced by Mykola Trofimenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science.
Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykola Trofimenko announced that in 2029, applicants from the pilot three-year specialised upper secondary school programme will be entering higher education institutions. According to him, the country is preparing to introduce a three-year specialised upper secondary school from 2027, and universities will begin accepting its fully qualified graduates as early as 2030. At the same time, a pilot intake of upper secondary school pupils is due to take place in 2026, for which new conditions for continuing education at universities must be established as early as 2029.
According to Trofimenko, the model for implementing the new system will consist of two stages. The first stage in 2029 provides for a three-year bachelor’s degree as an option for graduates of the pilot three-year specialised upper secondary school, provided they demonstrate adequate preparation in the relevant specialisation studied in Years 10–12. If this level of preparation is not met, provision is made to bridge the gap in preparation and allow entry into a four-year bachelor’s degree programme.
The second stage, he said, will begin in 2030. It provides for a basic framework of “12 years of school + 3 years of bachelor’s degree + 2 years of master’s degree” for the vast majority of fields and specialisations. At the same time, certain specialisations and fields will retain four-year programmes where it is impossible to ensure quality and meet professional training requirements without them. In the event of a change of profile, there are plans to introduce “compensatory” courses as a mechanism for transitioning between profiles.
Trofimenko also outlined what the Ministry of Education and Science expects from higher education institutions willing to join the pilot scheme. This involves identifying specialisations where a three-year bachelor’s degree is feasible provided there is high-quality subject-specific training at school, developing three-year versions of bachelor’s programmes for the 2029 intake for the relevant specialisations, and preparing a new academic framework through the updating of educational programmes and higher education standards.
Separately, the Deputy Minister addressed the issue of a potential drop in university revenues due to the transition to a three-year bachelor’s degree. According to him, the Ministry of Education and Science does not anticipate an automatic reduction in revenue solely due to the change in programme duration. He explained that the structure is changing from the “4 + 1.5” model to “3 + 2”, and for those changing their specialisation, a separate pathway involving a compensatory year is being added. At the same time, according to the official, demographics and the economy have a much stronger impact on the system’s finances.
Trofimenko also emphasised that there is no question of reducing the duration of training for the most complex specialisations, particularly the latest engineering disciplines and other fields where the structure of study is determined by regulated professional requirements. He stressed that the next three years will be a period of practical preparation for the system, and that universities should view 2029 as a controlled launch of the new standard, rather than as ‘another intake’.
As previously reported, back in September 2017, the Verkhovna Rada introduced 12-year schooling from 2027. On 1 September 2025, the pilot phase of the senior specialised school reform began – testing new approaches to teaching, developing courses and evaluating teaching materials. And from 1 September 2026, the second phase of the pilot scheme is set to begin in lyceums, during which 79 pilot institutions will test the updated curriculum and structure of education in Years 10–12. It is expected that from 1 September 2027, Year 10 pupils will begin their studies at specialised schools, and the first Year 12 cohorts will graduate in the spring and summer of 2030.
