Admissions Campaign 2023: Popular Fields of Study

The 2023 admissions campaign has come to a close. This month, 1358 students are beginning their studies in 19 Bachelor’s degree programs that were modernized and introduced by the Lviv IT Cluster, in partnership with tech companies and four universities in Lviv. On average, there were five applicants for each available spot, and some programs received as many as 12 applicants.

Student numbers are increasing in the west of Ukraine, while remaining steady in the central region 

For the second consecutive year, the university admissions campaign took place amidst the backdrop of the full-scale war initiated by Russia. Naturally, this situation influenced the choices of prospective students in terms of where they wanted to study. Our data indicates that interest in Ukrainian universities is slowly but steadily rebounding. Nevertheless, the security conditions in specific cities still play a significant role in students’ decisions. In Kyiv, for instance, the number of applications from potential students has decreased for the second consecutive year, mainly due to Russia’s ongoing air attacks. It’s essential to highlight the events in May when Kyiv experienced frequent rocket and drone attacks during the night.

The situation is more promising for universities in the west of Ukraine, with growing interest in studying in Chernivtsi and Vinnytsia. However, the numbers remain lower than they were before the full-scale invasion.

In 2022, approximately 81,000 applications were submitted for education in the Lviv region. This year, that number has increased to 95,000 applicants, with 21,000 opting for technical specializations. Almost half of the applicants, precisely 44%, applied for programs modernized by the Lviv IT Cluster. This figure is 5% higher than the previous year but still below the pre-war statistics of 2021.

The most popular programs: Cybersecurity and Software Engineering

For the second consecutive year, Cybersecurity has been one of the most popular choices among applicants. Lviv Polytechnic National University received 1739 applications for this program. At Ivan Franko Lviv National University, Cybersecurity received 589 applications, with competition reaching 9 applicants for each available spot. Lviv State University of Life Safety received 284 applications for this program, and even the absence of state scholarships did not deter prospective students.

Another popular program among applicants is Software Engineering at Ivan Franko Lviv National University. A total of 899 applications were submitted for this program, even though it has a limited capacity of only 75 seats. This means that competition for this specialty is exceptionally fierce this year, with 12 applicants competing for a single seat. It’s important to highlight that there are only 8 state scholarships available for this program.

The Internet of Things program at Lviv Polytechnic National University is also experiencing significant popularity. Despite having a licensed capacity of 150 seats, it received a remarkable 835 applications, highlighting its strong demand among prospective students.

The Software Engineering program at Ivan Franko Lviv National University has also become highly sought after among applicants. A total of 899 applications were submitted for this program, despite its limited capacity of only 75 seats. This means that competition for this specialization is at a record high this year, with 12 applicants vying for a single spot. It’s worth mentioning that there are only 8 state scholarships available for this program. Similarly, the Internet of Things program at Lviv Polytechnic National University is experiencing significant popularity. Despite having a licensed capacity of 150 seats, it received 835 applications, highlighting its strong demand among prospective students. The popularity of AI tools, including ChatGPT, has also influenced students’ choices. A total of 1098 applicants expressed their desire to study in the Artificial Intelligence Systems program at Lviv Polytechnic National University, which has a licensed capacity of 150 seats.

The new educational programs in UX/UI Design have also gained popularity. Lviv National Academy of Arts received 457 applications, even though there are only 40 licensed seats available, with 14 of them being budget-funded. A similar educational program at Lviv Polytechnic National University, which was enrolling students for the first time this year, received 231 applications for 70 seats.

Among the humanities disciplines, Public Management and Administration (HR Management) at Ivan Franko Lviv National University and IT Sales Management at Lviv Polytechnic National University have become popular choices. Both programs had a competition rate of approximately 6 applicants per available seat.

Seven out of twelve applicants who achieved a perfect score of 600 on the National Multidisciplinary Test (NMT) in Lviv region submitted applications for admission to the modernized Bachelor’s degree programs.

Competition for technical specialties at the Ukrainian Catholic University was also high this year. The university offers programs in Computer Science and IT and Business Analytics. For both programs, the competition rate was nearly 5 applicants vying for each available seat.

Despite all the challenges, this year’s competition score at IT Step University was quite high – 152.87. In addition, compared to the previous year, 2022, they have maintained the predicted stability in the number of applicants (55 bachelor’s and 11 master’s students).

The goal is to encourage prospective students to study in Ukraine

Despite the fact that this year, prospective students were more inclined to choose Ukrainian universities, a significant portion of former school students still opt for foreign universities. It’s challenging to estimate the exact number of young people “lost” by Ukrainian universities this year. It’s likely that this number fluctuates within the range of 25-30%. This viewpoint was expressed by Dmytro Sherengovsky, the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Internationalization at the Ukrainian Catholic University. Additionally, it’s known that half a million Ukrainian students continue to study abroad. This data is provided by the Ministry of Education and Science. These are the students for whom the education system should strive to attract back.

The Lviv IT Cluster consistently works towards providing Ukrainian youth with a modern and high-quality education in Ukraine that aligns with the current demands of the job market. We understand that migration and the loss of human capital are among the most significant issues in education today. In collaboration with tech companies within the community, we are creating and launching new Bachelor’s degree programs at Lviv’s universities. Additionally, continuous efforts are made to improve existing programs. Experts from top tech companies are involved in mentoring and teaching. All students have the opportunity to undergo internships in community companies.

“The Lviv IT Cluster aims to ensure that after completing programs supported by our community, young individuals are competitive in both the Ukrainian and global tech markets. To achieve this, we continually monitor the industry’s status. Unfortunately, the situation for ‘junior’ specialists in the job market is challenging due to the full-scale circumstances. Therefore, we have actively started working on developing entrepreneurial skills in our students while they are still in their educational phase. This way, after obtaining their degrees, they can not only strengthen tech company teams but also create their own products,” explains Yulia Tsymbala, Education Lead at the Lviv IT Cluster.

To achieve this goal, students from each Bachelor’s program supported by the Lviv IT Cluster work on their own projects under the guidance of a mentor from a tech company. These projects have the potential to develop into actual startups.

For example, this year, first-year students in the Internet of Things program at Lviv Polytechnic National University created a unique smart cane for partially sighted individuals. Additionally, first-year students in the Cybersecurity program at Ivan Franko Lviv National University developed the HORUS app. Using artificial intelligence, it identifies hostile targets, obtains their coordinates, and sends them to the interactive battle map system.

Furthermore, the Lviv IT Cluster has initiated the establishment of a Research Center for students of engineering specialties in Lviv. According to the community’s idea, this center will bring together all stakeholders of the tech industry in one place: students, professors, company representatives, local authorities, and partners. It will be an ecosystem that fosters the emergence of new ideas. To implement these ideas, a modern space will be created for high-quality scientific and interdisciplinary research, not only for the tech industry but also for other related fields. This includes 11 innovative labs that will be interconnected, as well as co-working spaces, lecture rooms, and classrooms.

To recap, in April, the Lviv IT Cluster proposed the creation of a Research Center with laboratories for education and practice for students of engineering specialties at higher education institutions in the city. The Lviv City Council, in collaboration with the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program, endorsed the idea and signed a memorandum regarding this initiative.

The Ministry of Education and Science also supported the establishment of the Research Center. This was outlined in the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Lviv IT Cluster and the Ministry, signed in June. The partnership also involves collaboration in the field of higher, professional (vocational-technical), advanced professional, and general secondary technical education.

To learn more about tech specialties at Lviv universities supported by the Lviv IT Cluster, visit the link.