Scholarships for state-funded students at private universities: Cabinet closes loophole — payments from 1 September 2026
For the first time, students admitted to private institutions on state-funded places will receive academic stipends. We explain who will benefit, where the money will come from, and what the practical consequences will be for the education system.
By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik
March 13, 2026 · 2 min read
Why this matters
The Cabinet of Ministers has closed a legal gap that had prevented students of private universities admitted under state order from receiving scholarships. This is not a symbolic gesture — it is a technical but fundamental step toward equal conditions between public and non‑public higher education.
“The Cabinet of Ministers has eliminated a legal gap that meant students of private universities who obtain higher education under the state order did not receive scholarships.”
— Ministry of Education and Science
What exactly changed
The right for private institutions to train junior bachelors and bachelors under the state order first appeared in 2021. Since then a legal “hole” emerged: there was no mechanism to pay scholarships to these students. The resolution, which comes into force on 1 September 2026, corrects this mismatch — and scholarships will begin to be paid from the new academic year.
Who will be paid and how much
The coverage — precisely those students of private universities who study under the state order. Currently scholarship amounts are 2,000 UAH (academic) and 2,910 UAH (increased). From 1 September 2026 they will rise to 4,000 UAH and 5,820 UAH, respectively.
Budget and scale
Key detail: the decision will be implemented within the Ministry of Education and Science’s already allocated budget appropriations for 2026 — it will not require additional expenditures from the state or local budgets. In the 2025–2026 academic year, 178,720 people were admitted to the first year, of whom 64,873 study under the state order. The total number of students in Ukraine as of 1 September 2025 exceeded 750,000.
What this means in practice
Equal access to scholarships lowers the financial barrier for talented applicants regardless of an institution’s ownership form. For private universities it is an incentive to participate in the state order; for students it is an additional factor of stability. Education analysts note that such steps encourage talent mobility and reduce the risk of student outflow, especially from the regions.
What could complicate implementation
Actual scholarship payments will require private institutions to promptly set up financial and accounting procedures. It is also important that local administrations and the Ministry of Education and Science work out a clear control mechanism so that the money truly reaches the intended recipients — students on the state order — and not those who do not meet the criteria.
Outlook
This is not a revolution, but a noticeable step toward social justice in Ukrainian higher education. The task now is to ensure that declarations turn into real payments into students’ hands. Whether universities and authorities will manage to do everything in time by 1 September 2026 is an organizational question on which the effect of this change depends.
