Mass academic leave of students: data from 24 universities debunk myths

The only institution where a noticeable increase in the number of academic leaves has been recorded is Uzhhorod National University. However, even here it concerns only a few dozen individuals: the number of applications from male students aged 18-22 rose from eight in 2024 to 22 in 2025.

After the government decision to allow men aged 18-22 to travel abroad, there were reports in the media that students are supposedly taking academic leave en masse to take advantage of this opportunity. However, official data from 24 Ukrainian universities obtained by 'Glavkom' demonstrated that the picture is not as critical as the media portrays it. This is discussed in the investigation 'Student 'evacuation'. How the permission for young men to leave the country has impacted education and the labor market.

The situation in Ukrainian universities

At Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, this year 25 male students took academic leave - the same number as last year. The Vice-Rector for Scientific and Educational Work Andriy Hozhyk explained that the university consciously emphasizes offline learning: 'By implementing offline, we effectively preserved the gender distribution as it was in pre-war times.'

At Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, 18 applications were submitted - the figure remains unchanged compared to last year. In 'Mohylianka' and Kharkiv National University named after Karazin, only nine academic leaves were recorded each.

Using official data from Ukrainian universities, the investigation showed that student 'evacuation' abroad is not as mass-scale as it may seem at first glance. In many universities, the number of academic leaves remained stable or increased only slightly, indicating other reasons influencing students' decisions to leave the country.