2026 Admissions Season: Prospective Students Are Flocking to Management, Psychology, and IT Programs
In 2026, applicants to Ukrainian universities most frequently applied for majors in “Management,” “Psychology,” and “Philology.” At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science notes a growing interest in computer science, cybersecurity, and majors that are important for the country’s reconstruction.
According to Trofimenko, the 2026 admissions campaign shows a significant increase in applicant activity.
“We have completed one of the key stages of the 2026 admissions campaign—the submission of applications to universities. This year, applicants submitted 28% more applications than last year. And this is despite the fact that this year, each applicant could submit a maximum of 10 applications instead of 15. Traditionally, the most applications were submitted for management, psychology, and philology, but demand for computer science and cybersecurity has increased. At the same time, we are seeing a noticeable increase in interest in programs with special support. These include construction and civil engineering, electrical engineering, automation and robotics, and mechanical engineering. This is an important signal for universities and the government, as it concerns the training of specialists who are already needed by the economy and for reconstruction,” he noted.
At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science emphasizes that the final results of the admissions campaign will be clear after the recommendation and enrollment phase.
Management emerged as the leader in terms of the number of applications submitted—105,301 applications compared to 79,317 the previous year.
The top three most popular fields of study also included:
- Psychology—66,774 applications;
- Philology—61,410 applications.
The top ten most sought-after majors also included:
- Marketing – 49,345 applications;
- Economics and International Economic Relations – 42,893;
- Computer Science – 40,755;
- Finance, Banking, Insurance, and the Stock Market – 37,667;
- Law – 33,447;
- Secondary Education – 31,265;
- Cybersecurity and Information Security – 30,363 applications.
In terms of the number of applications submitted, Lviv Polytechnic National University leads among Ukrainian universities, having received 59,676 applications.
The top ten also included:
- Ivan Franko National University of Lviv – 46,601;
- Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute – 39,188;
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv – 34,323;
- State University of Trade and Economics – 26,247;
- Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University – 24,322;
- Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University – 23,240;
- Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University – 22,925;
- National University “Odessa Law Academy” – 19,508;
- Lutsk National Technical University – 19,263.
The Ministry of Education and Science also noted a significant increase in the number of applications for majors that receive state support and are critically important for the country’s reconstruction.
The largest increases were seen in:
- Construction and Civil Engineering – 23,822 applications (14,740 in 2025);
- Automotive Transport – 17,861 (12,847);
- Agronomy – 16,984 (12,379);
- Electrical engineering – 16,366 (10,418);
- Automation, Computer-Integrated Technologies, and Robotics – 15,365 (10,009);
- Electronics, Electronic Communications, Instrumentation, and Radio Engineering – 8,797 (6,595);
- Mechanical Engineering – 8,634 (7,060);
- Agricultural Engineering – 8,547 (5,979);
- Food Technology – 8,070 applications.
The ministry believes that this trend indicates a growing interest among young people in technical and engineering professions, which will be in particularly high demand during Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction.
This was announced by Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykola Trofimenko.
On Saturday, August 1, at 6:00 p.m., the main phase of applications for admission to bachelor’s and medical master’s programs concluded. This year, applicants submitted 1,189,960 applications to higher education institutions, marking the highest figure in the past five years.
Applicants can expect a second round of admissions as part of the 2026 admissions campaign.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment commented on the situation in the Odesa region, where participants in the National Multidisciplinary Test spent nearly 13 hours at the testing center due to prolonged air raid alerts. According to the agency, graduates were offered the option to reschedule the exam for an additional session, but they refused and decided to wait until the testing was completed and take the NMT on the same day.
An alternative bill to change the format of the National Multisubject Test (NMT) has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada. The bill proposes reducing the number of subjects to be tested from four to three. In this case, mathematics would be an elective subject.
