This difficult year is coming to an end 🙂

Despite all its difficulties, we managed to do a lot to support the image of Ukraine abroad and promote Ukrainian higher education:

✅took an active part in international online events to promote Ukrainian education abroad, because we strive to make the “Study in Ukraine” brand famous around the world!

✅provided support to international departments of HEIs in working with foreign students, because we want Ukraine to have transparent conditions for admission and education of foreign students!

✅contributed to the extension of the terms of enrollment of foreigners for study until December 15 of this year and April 15, 2021, because we want Ukrainian education to be accessible to all applicants with high scores!

✅provided free online support to foreign applicants and students, because we want foreign students to feel safe in Ukraine!

✅created more opportunities for foreign students to adapt in Ukraine, in particular, in partnership with the Erasmus + office in Ukraine, because we want foreign students to remember their years of study in Ukraine as the best years of their lives!

✅ensured the operation of information and telecommunication systems, because we support a transparent and digitalized admission process!

✅together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics conducted a study on the attractiveness of Ukrainian higher education for foreign citizens, because it is very important to us what foreign students think about education and stay in Ukraine.

✅created the “Study in Ukraine” Development Strategy for 2021-2025, which was supported by more than 80 heads of leading higher education institutions, educational experts, scientists, foreign and Ukrainian diplomats, because we want to make Ukraine competitive in the international market of educational services.

✅joined the preparation of the Plan for the Promotion of Higher Education for Foreign Students, which should be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in the near future, because it is important for us to make Ukrainian education better!

There is a lot of work ahead and, I hope, next year will help us implement all our plans and achieve our goals.

May 2021 bring us a lot of good, inspiration, achievements and many offline meetings😉

Happy New Year! 🎄✨

52.4% of foreign students who receive higher education in Ukrainian HEIs will recommend studying in Ukraine to their acquaintances. This is evidenced by the results of the marketing study on the attractiveness of Ukrainian higher education for foreign citizens.

The study was conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the State Enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education” and Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics during July-August 2020, and 451 foreign students studying in Ukrainian educational institutions participated in it.

“The fact that more than 50% of surveyed foreign students will recommend studying in Ukraine to their friends is an indicator of high reputation. This means that Ukrainian higher education is competitive and meets the expectations of students who come to study in Ukrainian HEIs” – said Director of “Study in Ukraine” Olena Shapovalova.

Thus, according to the study, 50.7% of the surveyed students came to study based on the recommendations of friends who studied in Ukraine.

According to Olena Shapovalova, in order to support and improve the image of Ukraine and higher education, it is necessary to continue to ensure high quality education and create appropriate conditions for the arrival, education and leisure of foreign students.

You can read the report at the link.

We would also like to remind that the Government is preparing to launch the unified interdepartmental electronic platform for foreign students.

The launch of the Unified Interdepartmental Electronic Platform for Foreign Students, strengthening of the licensing conditions for education, and introduction of an independent exam were discussed during the second meeting chaired by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal today, December 29th, 2020.

Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ukrainian State Center for International Education, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs took part in the meeting.

“The creation of an electronic platform for the admission of foreign students should remove the human factor, intermediaries in the educational process and other factors that can lead to corruption. After all, quality of education received by foreign students primarily affects the image of Ukraine” – said the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmyhal.

Accelerating the launch of the E-platform, according to the Prime Minister, will improve the efficiency of promotion, increase the export of Ukrainian educational services and ensure transparency and accessibility of education for foreign students.

During the meeting, constructive proposals on the improvement of the educational process of foreign students in Ukraine were made. Among them: the introduction of an independent exam for foreign students, the need to strengthen licensing conditions for the education of foreign students and increase responsibility for non-compliance with them.

Ensuring the development and implementation of the E-platform for the procedure of admission of foreigners and stateless persons in higher education institutions in Ukraine was entrusted to the Ministry of Digital Transformation.

We would also like to remind that “Study in Ukraine” has presented the Center’s Development Strategy for 2021-2025.

Today Ukraine celebrates the Diplomatic Service Workers Day 🌏📃

💐We join in congratulating all members of the diplomatic corps and are pleased to be involved in building a positive image of Ukraine in the international arena. After all, educational diplomacy is extremely important to the Ukrainian State Center for International Education.

From 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣6️⃣, Ukraine has significantly strengthened its presence at international educational conferences, exhibitions, forums, and the “Study in Ukraine” brand is becoming recognizable in the world.

“Study in Ukraine” has held around 30 exhibitions and presentations on the promotion of Ukrainian higher education abroad, in particular, in India, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, Turkey, China, Lebanon, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, DR Congo, USA, Poland, etc. The Center has founded and runs the largest event on international education in Ukraine – the Ukrainian International Education Forum.

Thanks to the coordinated work of “Study in Ukraine”, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, higher education institutions, diplomatic missions, as well as the launch and successful implementation of the “Study in Ukraine” campaign in 2016, the number of foreign students in Ukrainian universities increased from 6️⃣4️⃣0️⃣6️⃣6️⃣ to 8️⃣0️⃣4️⃣7️⃣0️⃣

The team of the state enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education” will make every effort to preserve and multiply achievements of Ukrainian educational diplomacy.

Making Study in Ukraine better💛💙

Which specialties and universities are the most popular among foreign students, how many invitations for study have been registered, from which countries the most students come to study at Ukrainian universities – all this was discussed during the online presentation of the state enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education” of the Ministry of Science and Education of Ukraine, today, December 21st, 2020.

“We are very pleased to note the rapid growth in the number of foreign students since 2011. In 2019, we reached a historic high – 80,470 people. This is the result of our joint work with you. And, I hope, by 2025 we will be able to reach the figure of more than 100 thousand “– said the director of the Center Olena Shapovalova.

Most students come from countries like India, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, Turkey, China, Egypt, Israel, Uzbekistan.
The large number of students from India and Turkmenistan, as Olena Shapovalova explains, is due to the ease of receiving a visa.

Among the specialties chosen by foreign students, the most popular ones are medical – almost 50%:
1. Medicine (32,36%)
2. Medical Practice (7,72%)
3. Dentistry (6,33%)
4. Management (4,36%)
5. Pharmacy, Industrial Pharmacy (3,10%)
6. Law (2,97%)
7. Architecture and Construction (2,96%)
8. Secondary Education (2,27%)
9. Finance, Banking and Insurance (1,95%)
10. Economics (1,60%)
11. Philology (1,295%)

The most popular higher education institutions among foreign students:
1. Kharkiv National Medical University
2. V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University
3. Odesa National Medical University
4. Bogomolets National Medical University
5. Zaporizhzhia State Medical University
6. National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsia
7. I.Horbachevsky Ternopil State Medical University
8. State Institution “Dnipropetrovsk Medical Academy of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine”
9. HSEE of Ukraine “Bukovinian State Medical University”
10. Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

“What unites these universities is that they have a medical faculty. After all, the most popular specialties among foreign students – which is almost 50% – are medical” – explains Olena Shapovalova.

The regions that lead in the number of foreign students are Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Odesa, which is due to the most popular educational institutions being located in them.

Olena Shapovalova noted the positive growth of the number of invitations for study for foreign applicants. Thus, since 2015, their number has increased almost 2.5 times – from 19,647 to 47,905.

The number of registered invitations for foreign applicants this year as of December 20th, 2020 is 35,148, which is almost 10 thousand less than last year. Olena Shapovalova stressed that the final data for the whole of 2020 will be published in January 2021, as not all universities have yet entered the data of The Unified State Electronic Database in Education and the electronic journal of «Study in Ukraine».

The leaders among the universities that registered the largest number of invitations as of December 20th, 2020 are:
1. V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University 1667
2. Kharkiv National Medical University 1255
3. International European University 1194
4. Limited Liability Company “Dnipro Medical Institute of Traditional and Nontraditional Medicine” 1107
5. Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics 1063
6. National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” 831
7. Zaporizhzhia State Medical University 795
8. State Institution “Dnipropetrovsk Medical Academy of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” 777
9. State Higher Education Institution “Uzhhorod National University” 723
10. Private Higher Education Establishment “Kyiv Medical University” 696

“Despite the challenges of this difficult year, we have more than 35,000 registered invitations for study. This means that all of us together – universities, «Study in Ukraine» – have made great efforts and done everything possible to make Ukrainian higher education interesting and accessible to foreign entrants this year ” – summed up Olena Shapovalova.

We also remind that «Study in Ukraine» has presented the Center’s Development Strategy for 2021-2025.

The peculiarities of conducting an experiment in distance enrolment of foreigners and stateless persons in 2021 were discussed at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv on December 14th, 2020. The discussion was attended by Deputy Ministers of Education and Science of Ukraine Andriy Vitrenko and Artur Seletskiy, Director of “Study in Ukraine” Olena Shapovalova, the university management and representatives of the “XIPEI” company.

Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andriy Vitrenko noted the proper level of innovative development of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, which allows for distance enrolment and education of foreign citizens using the latest technologies.

Artur Seletskiy, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, spoke about the unified interdepartmental electronic platform for recruiting foreign citizens to higher education institutions of Ukraine.

Olena Shapovalova, Director of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, outlined the prospects for developing such a platform jointly with Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

“We hope that this experience in experimental distance enrolment will be effective, and all universities that are ready to provide quality services remotely will be able to join this experiment” – said Olena Shapovalova.

We would like to remind that the state enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education” of the Ministry of Education and Science has summed up the work of the strategic sessions on the development of the “Study in Ukraine” strategy.

Ukrainian State Center for International Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine held its second strategic session on December 9^th, 2020. Its goal – devise a strategy for the development of the Center for 2021-2025.

“We want the new strategy, which will define the mission and the goals of our enterprise, to be a document accessible for review and implementation” – said Olena Shapovalova, director of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education.

She stressed that the Ukrainian State Center for International Education is the only institution in Ukraine that promotes higher education in Ukraine, does accounting of foreign students who plan to enter, received invitations and are studying in Ukraine, and ensures communication between universities, diplomatic missions and foreign students, etc. Therefore, it is very important to continue to improve working methods and adjust priority areas of activity.

Based on the results of the work, 7 strategic goals of “Study in Ukraine” were formulated, which were presented during the second session:

• – Promotion of Ukrainian education abroad
• – Information support
• – Partnership. International cooperation
• – Analytical activity
• – Organizational support for the implementation of policy of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the field of providing educational services to foreigners
• – Formation of stable relations with foreign graduates of Ukrainian higher education institutions
• – Promotion of socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students in Ukraine

Representatives of higher education institutions joined the discussion of the presented draft document. In particular, proposals were made by the Bukovynian State Medical University, National University “Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic”, and a branch of the Lebanese University.

Thus, Zukan Zharamani, Head of the Lebanese University Branch, Professor of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, President of the Ukrainian HEIs Alumni Club in Lebanon, stressed the importance of providing foreign students not only with specialized knowledge, but also thorough knowledge on Ukraine, its history, culture and state mechanism. He also added that it would be useful to create an association of foreign graduates of Ukrainian HEIs.

The relevant proposals were taken into account in the draft document. As of right now, the draft strategy will be sent to higher education institutions for approval. After review, the document will be approved and published on the official website of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education.
 

On December 9^th, 2020 at 15:00 the Ukrainian State Center for International Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine will hold the second strategic session dedicated to the development of the Center’s Development Strategy for 2021-2025.

The document will define the purpose, the mission, as well as the main tasks and activities of “Study in Ukraine”.

It will also contain numbers that are planned to be achieved by 2025.

“We strive to make our Center better and more productive. That is why it is important for us to hear and take into account thorough proposals from the universities in order to meet their expectations and requirements of modern education” – said Olena Shapovalova, Director of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education.

The draft Strategy, in particular, will be presented during the session. It was developed while taking into account the proposals and recommendations made by representatives of educational institutions during the first strategic session on December 3^rd. In the future, the draft strategy will be sent to higher education institutions for review.

It is planned to approve the Strategy on December 17^th, 2020.

Why foreigners choose Ukrainian universities – Ministry of Education and Science and “Study In Ukraine” presented a report on the results of the research on the attractiveness of Ukrainian higher education for foreign citizens.

On December 7^th, 2020, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine hosted a presentation of the report on the results of marketing research on the attractiveness of Ukrainian higher education for foreign citizens.

The research was conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the State Enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education” of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics during July-August 2020, and 451 foreign students studying in Ukrainian higher education institutions too part in it.

“The role of foreign students is very important in the educational process of each educational institution. After all, it is not only prestige and investment in the country’s economy, but also exchange of experience, development of competitive individuals and so on. Therefore, we must fight for a good reputation: ensure high quality education and create comfortable conditions for the arrival, study and leisure of foreign students” – pointed out Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andriiy Vitrenko.

Olena Shapovalova, Director of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, spoke on the details of the research, the issues associated with attracting foreign students to Ukrainian higher education institutions, and recommendations to improve the situation.

“The main competitive advantage that determines the choice of country of study is the ratio of quality and cost” – said Olena Shapovalova.

Thus, according to the research, most students choose Ukraine because of the quality of education, tuition fees and recognition of diplomas at home.

“The main obstacles to increasing the number of foreign citizens are the complexity of paperwork, including obtaining a visa for study, and limited languages of study” – noted Olena Shapovalova.

72.3% of respondents noted the complexity of the visa procedure. This explains the fact that the vast majority of respondents (73.03%) use the services of intermediaries when preparing documents for their arrival to study.

The most popular languages ​​of study are English (58.88% of respondents) and Russian (25.62% of respondents). However, according to her, this does not fully characterize the situation and this aspect still needs further study.

“Despite some difficulties, 52.4% of respondents will recommend studying in Ukraine to their friends. And this is confirmed by the fact that 50.7% of surveyed students came to study because of the recommendations of friends who studied in Ukraine “- underlines Olena Shapovalova.

Taking into account the results of the study, the following measures are highlighted among those proposed:

1) simplification and acceleration of the procedure for obtaining visas for study;

2) increase in size of consular offices in countries that are interested in educational services of Ukrainian universities;

3) ensuring a free choice of language of study for foreign citizens in accordance with the educational capabilities of Ukrainian universities;

4) creation at the state level of an association of graduates of Ukrainian universities for the promotion and popularization of Ukrainian education for foreign citizens;

5) ensuring a high level of quality of educational services with the expansion of the range of educational capabilities of Ukrainian universities in accordance with market demands and technology development.

 
 
 
Download PDF document
 
report-EN-for web

On December 7th, 2020, the report on the results of the marketing study on the attractiveness of Ukrainian higher education for foreign citizens will be presented.

During the presentation, speakers will talk about the current situation regarding the education of foreign students in Ukrainian higher education institutions, issues related to their integration into universities, as well as suggest measures to increase the attractiveness of Ukrainian higher education for foreign citizens.

Date: December 7th, 2020, 15:00

Online broadcast:
Facebook pages of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and “Study in Ukraine”.

Speakers:

• – Andriy Vitrenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;
• – Olena Shapovalova, Director of the State Enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education” of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine