In the families of graduates from Dnipro or Ternopil, the most important document right now is not a diploma, but the screen of an applicant's electronic cabinet. That's where by 18:00 on August 11, they need to click "confirm" and, if the place is contract-based, find a sum that at popular specialties of leading universities exceeds 100,000 hryvnias per year.
213 thousand "yes," but not equally for everyone
The Ministry of Education reported that following the automatic distribution of places, 212,837 applicants received recommendations for enrollment in bachelor's programs: 73,129 for state-funded places and 139,708 for contract-based places. This means that nearly two out of three people who already see their name on the list of recommended applicants must find a way to pay for their education independently.
You can check your status in two ways — through the applicant's electronic cabinet or on the EDEBO website, and the Ministry of Education names these two resources as the only official sources with verified data.
What a "contract" actually costs
The figure "139,708 on contract" stops being abstract when you look at actual prices. At Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv for the 2026/2027 academic year, the most expensive programs cost over 119,000 hryvnias, while the most affordable start from 54,600 hryvnias per year. This is no longer just an educational decision, but a financial one spanning several years ahead.
Among state universities with the highest contract costs are the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (up to 110,000 hryvnias per year), Lviv Polytechnic (up to 100,000 hryvnias), and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv itself (up to 97,100 hryvnias), with medicine, dentistry, and English-language programs traditionally remaining among the most expensive fields.
So when an applicant confirms a contract place in the cabinet, they are essentially agreeing to a sum that for many families equals annual income — and this doesn't account for possible price increases next year.
What changed technically this year
- For the first time, an education agreement can be signed directly in the applicant's cabinet using a qualified electronic signature — without visiting the admissions office, although the paper version remains available.
- For the first time, EDEBO tools automatically verify the applicant's military registration document.
- A recommendation is given only for one application and one place; after enrollment, all other applications with priority are automatically deactivated.
A second chance and a second bill
For those who did not receive a recommendation in the first wave, enrollment does not end. Starting August 14, distribution of vacant contract-based places begins, and these applications will be accepted until August 30. But vacant places are almost always contract-based, so for some applicants, a "second chance" also means additional expenses that weren't part of the first distribution.
This year's context is special: according to the "Vstup.OSVITA.UA" system, the 2026 admission campaign received over 1 million 640 thousand applications from applicants — this creates competition not only for state-funded places but also for contract vacancies at popular universities where prices have already risen.
Questions for August
If a third of applicants are admitted to state-funded programs every year and the rest — to contract programs costing tens of thousands of hryvnias, then access to higher education increasingly depends not on ZNO or NMT scores but on family budget. The question for the coming weeks is simple: how many of the 139,708 recommended for contract places will ultimately confirm their place by August 11, and how many will decline after failing to find the funds — and will enrollment statistics show this difference openly?
