History of education

The alphabet of Cyril and Methodius (ninth century) greatly influenced the development of written language among the Eastern Slavs. Soon thereafter, education came to Kyivan Rus'. Beginning in the tenth century, schools were opened by churches, monasteries, and princely courts where writing, reading, and choral singing were taught.

After the fall of Kyivan Rus' education came from Jesuit and Orthodox schools and have remained since then the subject of political and religious conflict, because such schools were developing the national consciousness of Ukrainians. The most famous of them were the Ostroh Academy established in 1576, the Lviv Brotherhood, the Kyiv Academy (1615), and the Lutsk Academy (1620). In 1632, Archbishop Petro Mohyla united the Kyiv Brotherhood and Lavra schools in order to establish the first Ukrainian institution of higher learning, the Kyiv Mohyla Collegium (later known as the Kiev-Mohyla Academy). The educational level of population impressed foreigners visiting Ukraine: almost everywhere there were primary schools. The Ukrainian population had the opportunity to study in parish schools and high schools at 19th century. In Kharkiv, the first university was opened in 1805, Kyiv University was established in 1834. In 1914, Ukraine had 2,600 secondary schools, 88 secondary specialized schools, and 27 institutes. During the 1920s-1930s, all social classes in Ukraine attained virtually universal literacy, and Ukraine became one of the best-educated countries in the world.

System of education in Ukraine

The system of education provides good quality and is well developed. One of the most important tasks for central and local authorities is to give equal possibilities in getting top quality education for all citizens of Ukraine.

When independence was declared, education acquires a distinctly national character and became more adapted to the new approved for primary and secondary schools, while new private educational institutes and schools were established.
In the area of education and upbringing are involved 7% of Ukrainian professionals who teach 11 mln students (22% of the population).

There are 18400 institutions for pre-school preparation. According to the Constitution secondary takes the central part in the system and is free and quite accessible. 7 mln students attend 21900 schools. Private sector in secondary education is insignificant. Totally, there are 200 private schools (1% of all the amount of students).

Transition of secondary school from 10 (11) to 12 level system, according to European standards, is taking place now. Moreover, there is no difference in content of Ukrainian (post-soviet) secondary education from standards of secondary school of other European countries.

You can take vocation in 1003 technical institutions (utchilische) on the base of lower secondary education and upper secondary education.

In Ukrainian system of education College of Further Education (tekhnikum) refers to the lower part of higher education.

Over one thousand occupational schools offer over 800 professional specializations. Students may choose among 313 (220 state and 93 private) universities, academies, and institutes as well as 658 (589 state and 69 private) educational institutions with first or second degree of accreditation. 500 educational institutions can offer supplementary education and the improvement of qualifications. Each year about 50 000 students, graduates, teachers, and professionals go to upgrade their knowledge and professional skills abroad. In return, studying in Ukraine becomes more attractive for foreigners and especially for young people from the Ukrainian Diaspora. During the years of independence, more than 60 international agreements have been signed dealing with development of cooperation in the field of education. In order to stimulate the application of general European educational standards, cooperation has gained depth with the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and other international organizations that work under the TEMPUS program.

Higher education in Ukraine

Higher education in Ukraine has centuries-old history, national traditions and high prestige in the world. Higher school in Ukraine has got developed training, scientific and social infrastructure and is ready to give an opportunity to every citizen of Ukraine or citizen of any other country to obtain education of different levels, to study at proficiency improvement or advanced courses, to study at post-graduate courses or to write doctorate dissertation, to take part in fundamental and applied researches.

Every year almost 200 thousand Ukrainians and citizens of other countries become students of higher educational institutions in Ukraine.

The system of higher education in Ukraine has flexible structure, corresponds to modern trends and tendencies to those in advanced countries recognized by UNESCO, UN Organization and many other international organization.

Since 1992 the whole system of Ukrainian post-secondary education has been regarded as "Higher Education".

According to the "Law on Education" of Ukraine higher education of Ukraine has several categories of higher educational institutions, which correspond, as a rule, to four levels of accreditation:

The levels of accreditation represent the hierarchy of degrees according to the qualification of graduates. There are: Junior Specialist, Bachelor, Specialist and Master. The higher educational institutions of III-IV levels of accreditation in Ukraine includes 185 state ones: 65 classical, technical, medical, agrarian and other universities, 36 academies and more than 80 institutes. About 40% of school-leavers have the opportunity to get higher education.

Higher educational institutions possess powerful scientific and teaching potential. Scientific and teaching staff accounts about 80, 000 persons; among them - 4, 500 doctors of science, 33, 000 candidates of science, more than 5,000 professors and around 27, 000 assistant professors.

Graduates of higher educational institutions who have outstanding inclinations for scientific-research work have an opportunity to continue their studies at the post-graduate and doctorate course.

The vast network of post-graduate courses on different majors satisfies the needs in highly qualified specialists for different branches of industry, economics, science, culture and education. Training is carried out for 20 branches of science and 366 majors and it includes all the branches of training of the specialists of high qualification. There are 16,000 post-graduate students and around 1, 000 persons working for a doctor's degree. Training on majors, which determine the reform processes in the country (economics, law, social and political studies) is expanded now.

New Ukrainian educational laws, state policies give certain autonomy to the higher educational institutions in their activities classical academic liberties in the self-government.

Structure of the State Higher education in Ukraine

The structure of State higher education in Ukraine is:

*  UNIVERSITIES (classical, technical & technological, economic, medical, agrarian, pedagogical, P.T. & sports, military, internal affairs);

*  ACADEMIES (law, technical & technological, economic, medical, agrarian, culture & arts, military, internal affairs

*  INSTITUTES (technical & technological, economic, medical, agrarian, pedagogical, law, culture & arts, P.T.& sports, military, internal affaires).

Terms of entrance and study of foreign at Ukraine’s Higher education institutions

According to the "Law on Education" of Ukraine all the applicants who would like to enter higher educational institutions have equal rights irrespective of the sex, race, nationality, social and property status occupation, world outlook, religion and other circumstance.

Education of the foreign students in Ukraine is carried out according to the Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Status of Foreigners", and resolutions of the Government of Ukraine on training of the foreign citizens in Ukraine.
The academic year in the higher educational institutions in Ukraine starts on the 1st of September and is divided into two semesters, from September to the end of January and from February to the end of June. A semester lasts 17-18 weeks, followed by a 3 weeks examination period.

Foreign citizens who would like to enter the higher educational institution in Ukraine have to apply to Ukrainian International Center "Osvita" of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine or directly to the higher educational institution. Entrance Procedure.

You have to send the following to the University:

If there are no problems with the documents, you will get an official proposal, 2 copies of contract and the invoice for study course and other payments. After that you have to send a letter of confirmation of your coming to take a course, one copy of the contract, a copy of the bank document that confirms your payment. The university sends the official invitation to the applicant.

Medical insurance. The procedure of medical insurance of international students is a usual practice in Ukraine. Medical insurance can be paid together with study payment or at the airport in Ukraine. There are other ways of payment as well.

Visa. As soon as you get the invitation you have to address the Embassy of Ukraine in your country. There you can find out the information about the list of documents needed to get a student visa. To get through the passport control you have to show the passport with visa, the copy of the official invitation, medical insurance policy. On coming to the place of study, international students have to be registered in the local authorities. As a rule, the international department of the university does this procedure.

Applicants - citizens of Ukraine pass entrance examinations (usually in July), which are organized by the higher educational institutions and regulated by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. The programs of entrance examinations correspond to the programs of secondary schools. The examinations at the state higher educational institutions are open competitions and admission of the applicants for the places available for "state study" without tuition fee is carried out according to the results of the competitions.

Educational institutions either state or private have the right to admit the applicants for fee-paying education according to the results of the interviews or examinations after preparatory departments.

International students start their studying with foundation year. It includes a course of Ukrainian (Russian) language and some of the comprehensive subjects according to the future profession.

Further education is continuing together with Ukrainian students.

Foreign as well as Ukrainian students have the opportunity to use all available leisure, welfare and sports facilities of the institutions.

Tuition, residence and other facilities fees are fixed by corresponding agreement. As compared with the Western countries education and residence fees in Ukraine are not so high and quite acceptable for all strata of population.

Most of the states Universities provide free medical service in student's hospitals. Student can also go to state and private hospitals, where medical service is to be paid. Service of the ambulance is free.

Useful information

Money.
Monetary unit in Ukraine is Hryvnia. You can change foreign currency in banks, kiosks, in the international airport. In the airport the currency rate is the same as in other places. Payment for purchasing and services is done in hryvnias. Nevertheless, some companies take payments in USD. You can use credit cards of international payment system. They can be used in many of the shops, hotels, transport companies, clubs and restaurants. In cities the net of exchange machines is well developed including the most popular among students that of AVAL bank. This bank is often used to open the account for international students. Here you can save money both in foreign currency and Ukrainian hryvnia. Departments of the bank are situated in many regions of the country. It makes it easier to transfer money through the Western Union.

Climate.
Climate is mostly continental. The average temperature in January is - 1C, in November +5C, in July +22 C.

Transport.
The international airport of Borispol is the air gate of the country, 36 km from Kiev. To get from the airport to Kiev you can take a taxi, shuttle-bus, bus. You can also order pick up service in the university.

Besides Borispol airport you can take international flights from Simferopol, Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk. International railway connections are with Bulgaria, Check Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Poland. International bus routes are from Poland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany. By ship you can get from Turkey and Israel. During warm period water transport is quite comfortable: on the Dnepr river or by the Black sea.

Higher educational institutions of Ukraine welcome everybody who wants to study and they have opportunity to receive the education of the international level.

More detailed information about the entrance and studies at higher educational institutions of Ukraine you can get at UKRAINIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER "OSVITA" of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine:

27 A, Shevchenko Boulevard
Kiev, Ukraine
Phone: (038044) 246-54-40
(038044) 246-54-50
e-mail: vvs@minosvit.niiit.kiev.ua