Ukraine’s 2025 admission campaign is almost complete: during the main session, higher education institutions received more than 1,138,000 applications — 7% more than in 2024. About 10% of them were submitted for tech majors. According to the Unified State Electronic Database on Education, this accounts for 114,248 applications, which is an 8% decrease from last year’s 124,205 applications for tech-related programs.
Despite the overall decline in the number of tech applications across Ukraine, this year’s results show growing interest in the Lviv IT Cluster’s educational programs. In 2025, they received 11,840 applications — almost twice as many as last year, when the number was 6,812.
This year, a total of 1,612 first-year students started studying in Lviv IT Cluster programs — 481 more than in 2024.
For the second year in a row, every second applicant in the Lviv region chose educational programs updated by the Lviv IT Cluster. In 2025, universities in the Lviv region received 11,626 applications for these programs, accounting for 56% of all tech-related applications in the region.
At the same time, the number of bachelor’s programs increased, as Lviv IT Cluster launched three new educational programs at Lviv Polytechnic National University. One of them ranked first in terms of student enrollment nationwide — the “Applied Mathematics & Computer Science” program. 70 students were admitted, with nearly five applicants competing for each spot. Overall, the university received 435 applications for this specialty.
“Today, our business association supports 24 bachelor’s programs, including 22 in four universities in Lviv and two at the Kyiv Aviation Institute. At Lviv IT Cluster, we understand that migration and loss of human capital are among the biggest challenges today. That’s why we are scaling our nine-year experience of systematic cooperation with universities, so that young people can obtain modern, high-quality tech education here in Ukraine. We are also actively working on establishing a Research Center for Engineering Students in Lviv. It will unite cross-sectoral research laboratories with spaces for lectures and workshops, where students will be able to develop their own projects and entrepreneurial skills,” comments Julia Tsymbala, Education Lead at Lviv IT Cluster.
Unlike the nationwide trend of declining tech applications, interest in the Lviv region has grown. In 2025, applicants submitted 20,758 applications for tech-related programs in the region, compared to 14,151 last year.
Moreover, according to the 2025 study “Future Index: Professional Expectations and
Development of Adolescents in Ukraine” by the Olena Zelenska Foundation, 13.5% of surveyed high school students consider tech careers for future study and employment.
For the fourth year in a row, Cybersecurity remains the most popular major among tech applicants in the region, with steadily growing demand.
This year, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv received a record 862 applications for the Cybersecurity program — the highest number since the start of the full-scale invasion (658 in 2024 and 544 in 2022). It was also the top tech specialty in the university.
The program was equally popular at Lviv Polytechnic National University, which received 2,156 applications — nearly four applicants per spot.
The second most popular tech specialty in 2025 was Computer Engineering. Lviv Polytechnic National University received 1,164 applications for the program, with almost four applicants per spot. This is a significant result, especially considering that Lviv IT Cluster, together with GlobalLogic, Infineon, and Renesas, fully renewed the program only this year.
The Artificial Intelligence program ranked third among the most popular tech majors in the Lviv region. In 2025, it received 1,069 applications at Lviv Polytechnic, compared to 899 in 2024. The program had a licensed capacity of 120 spots, with almost nine applicants competing per spot.
The highest competition reached nearly 12 applicants per spot for the Cybersecurity bachelor’s program at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The program admitted 71 students, with a licensed capacity of 75.
At Lviv Polytechnic, the most competitive program was Artificial Intelligence, with nearly nine applicants per spot (120 licensed capacity). It was followed by Business Analysis & Data Science and IT Sales Management, both with about seven applicants per spot.
Nearly six applicants competed for each spot in the Data Science program at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and the new Virtual Reality program at Lviv Polytechnic. Competition also reached four applicants per seat in the Sensor and Analytical Systems program at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
In addition, this year, the Lviv IT Cluster launched two updated educational programs at the Kyiv Aviation Institute: Intelligent Systems and Electronics. These programs focus on the development of intelligent tech solutions, particularly with the use of AI and electronics. The programs were developed by highly qualified specialists from tech companies, including Renesas, Brainstack, Indeema, N-iX, and SoftServe. In total, 214 applications were submitted for these programs.
Ukraine’s 2025 admission campaign is almost complete: during the main session, higher education institutions received more than 1,138,000 applications — 7% more than in 2024. About 10% of them were submitted for tech majors. According to the Unified State Electronic Database on Education, this accounts for 114,248 applications, which is an 8% decrease from last […]
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