Management Outpaces Engineering as Top Choice for Ukrainian University Applicants, Despite Reconstruction Needs

Admission Trends in Ukraine (2021–2025): A Shift in Academic Preferences

According to Главком: An analysis of Ukraine’s university admission campaigns from 2021 to 2025 reveals a significant shift in the fields of study that applicants are prioritizing. According to official statistics, young people are increasingly gravitating toward humanities and management disciplines, including management, psychology, philology, marketing, and economics. Meanwhile, technical fields essential for the country’s reconstruction remain among the least popular, despite their high demand in the labor market. This trend poses challenges for rebuilding infrastructure and industrial capacity in the post-war context.

Popular Specialties and Emerging Patterns

The main session of Ukraine’s National Multi-Subject Test (NMT) for 2026 has begun, with over 355,000 registered participants-43,000 more than in 2025. This session will run until June 25. In 2021, philology led with more than 59,000 applications. After a sharp drop in total applications in 2022, law regained the top spot in 2023 with over 50,000 applications. Psychology first entered the top five in 2023 and became the leader in 2024.

By 2024–2025, management had risen to the first position. In 2025, the five most sought-after specialties were:

• Management
• Psychology
• Philology
• Marketing
• Economics

Notably, law dropped out of the top five for the first time in 2025, while computer science also exited after several years of declining interest. That same year, 'Secondary Education' entered the top ten among bachelor’s programs. At the master’s level, pedagogy surpassed both management and IT for the first time.

In 2025, applications for therapy and rehabilitation more than doubled compared to 2023, while applications for core IT specialties decreased relative to 2024. Cybersecurity was the only IT field to see growing interest. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES) has identified the following as shortage specialties:

• Construction
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical Power Engineering
• Mechanics
• Transport Infrastructure

Labor market forecasts indicate that the most severe talent shortages in 2026 will persist in manufacturing, construction, and engineering. To encourage enrollment in priority fields, the MES has introduced a sectoral coefficient of 1.02, increased grant funding, and preferential admission terms. It is important to note that the growing public demand for psychology, education, and rehabilitation specialties reflects changing labor market needs, yet technical fields continue to be overlooked.

The current choice of specialties among applicants points to significant shifts in young people’s educational priorities, as well as uneven development across different sectors.

Given that the most acute labor shortages are in technical fields, initiatives such as increased funding and sectoral coefficients may prove decisive in improving the labor market situation. These trends also highlight the relevance of psychology and pedagogy programs, which could address emerging social needs in the country’s recovery process.

As the landscape of higher education in Ukraine evolves, understanding the implications of the newly established minimum score thresholds for state-funded university placements becomes crucial. These changes not only reflect shifting academic priorities but also highlight the increasing competition among applicants, further complicating the nation's efforts to rebuild its technical workforce.