Who Will Study on a Budget and Who Will Receive a Grant: New Rules for Student Tuition Payments Are Being Prepared
The higher education financing system in Ukraine may undergo significant changes. The relevant parliamentary committee supported the draft law for the second reading, which provides for updating approaches to state support for students, combining state orders with educational grants, and closer alignment of specialist training with the needs of the economy and labor market. The initiative aims to make the support system for applicants more flexible and focused on individual educational trajectories.
The Committee Reconsidered the Draft Law
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation reconsidered the draft Law "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Financing of Higher Education and Providing State Targeted Support to Its Recipients" No. 10399.
During the meeting, it was noted that the proposed changes take into account the results of the experimental project on the introduction of educational grants, the needs of youth, features of adult education, as well as challenges related to the war, state recovery, and the training of necessary specialists.
The concept of the draft law envisages that the applicant should be at the center of the financing system. When distributing state support, it is proposed to consider academic achievements, the chosen specialty, and other circumstances that affect the possibility of obtaining education.
At the same time, the state will maintain priority support for training areas that are important for the country's security, reconstruction, and development.
How Many Amendments Were Considered for the Second Reading
During the preparation of the document for the second reading, a comparative table with amendments and proposals from members of parliament was processed.
In total, 1,123 proposals were submitted for the draft law. As a result of the review:
- 1,118 proposals were rejected;
- 5 proposals were accepted;
- there were no partially accepted proposals;
- there were no editorially accepted proposals.
The committee noted that additional amendments were aimed at eliminating inconsistencies, controversial provisions, and ensuring legal certainty of certain norms.
Following the discussion, committee members decided to cancel the previous conclusion on the draft law and recommend the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the document in the second reading and in full with the necessary technical and legal amendments.
What Will Change for Applicants and Students
As previously reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper," the draft law provides for reforming the mechanism of higher education financing and state support for students.
The document proposes to combine the state order system with the mechanism of state grants.
The state order is planned to be preserved primarily for strategically important specialties, including:
- medical;
- pedagogical;
- military;
- certain engineering specialties.
For other training areas, it is proposed to expand the system of educational grants, which can be used to pay for tuition under contract in higher education institutions.
It is expected that the size of the grants will depend on the results of the NMT and the chosen specialty. It was previously reported that the amount of support may range from 15,000 to 50,000 hryvnias. For certain categories of applicants, co-financing of tuition fees will also be provided.
How the State Order Will Be Formed
The relevant committee emphasizes that the draft law does not provide for a reduction in state funding of education.
The changes are aimed at a more targeted distribution of budget funds according to the real needs of the labor market and economy.
In addition, an experimental project is already being implemented using a new methodology for forecasting the economy's needs for specialists. This approach should help determine which specialists and in what quantity the country will need over the next 5–7 years.
Preferential Student Loans Are Planned to Be Reformed
The draft law also provides for updating the system of preferential student lending.
In particular, it is proposed to transfer the functions of issuing and repaying educational loans to banks. Currently, these mechanisms are implemented through higher education institutions.
For socially vulnerable categories of citizens, existing benefits are planned to be preserved. They will continue to be able to obtain education mainly at the expense of state or regional orders.
What Will Happen Next
After support by the relevant committee, draft law No. 10399 is to be considered by the Verkhovna Rada in the second reading.
If the document is adopted, a new model of higher education financing may start operating in Ukraine, combining state orders, educational grants, and an updated system of preferential lending, with the distribution of state support being more oriented to the needs of applicants and the labor market.
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