Creative competitions in Ukraine: 2025 schedule and important details of the admission campaign
Against the backdrop of the active admission campaign that is already underway in Ukraine, many applicants are facing special challenges — in particular, the need to pass creative competitions to obtain higher education in certain specialties. For the fourth year in a row, graduates have been taking the National Multi-Subject Testing (NMT) instead of the traditional external independent assessment, but for some areas, these standardized exams are not enough, so it is necessary to resort to creative tests. When will creative competitions be held in 2025 and how will they be held? This aspect attracts the attention of future students, because it is their result that often determines the chance of getting into the dream specialty. A creative competition is a special entrance exam that is held in a transparent format, with a face-to-face test of the abilities of applicants in one day. Its purpose is to assess the creative or physical abilities of students, in particular, taking into account previously acquired specialized education, in accordance with the requirements of specific faculties and areas. This year, Ukrainian applicants will also be able to take the creative competition remotely - for those who are in temporarily occupied territories or taking the NMT abroad. This is done to ensure equal opportunities for all participants, regardless of their place of residence or special circumstances. What about the registration dates? Applicants must submit applications for participation in creative competitions within the specified deadlines: for participation on the budget - from July 3 to 10, with the last day - until 18:00. For those who choose contract training - from July 3 to 25, also until 18:00. Information about specific deadlines for accepting documents is published on the official websites of universities and university structural units. Applications are submitted through the electronic accounts of applicants, which ensures a quick and convenient process, and in the absence of a personal account, paper applications are also acceptable. To participate in the creative competition, it is necessary to have an original identity document with you in order to confirm the identity of the applicant. This is an important condition for admission to the creative test. Regarding the duration of the competitions, in 2025 they are scheduled for the period from July 8 to 19 for all sources of funding, and for the contractual basis - until August 1. It is important to note that higher education institutions are obliged to ensure quality control of the competition. This requires mandatory video recording of the process using at least two video surveillance cameras, publication of relevant materials on the official resources of the university and storage of these recordings for a year. Video recordings for applicants who are in temporarily occupied territories are stored in the admissions committees and are not published publicly. As for the evaluation of the results of creative competitions, the structure and procedure for their evaluation are approved by the admissions committees no later than March 30, 2025. An important condition is strict adherence to the program - the task is not allowed to go beyond the specified framework. The score is given on a scale from 100 to 200 points or, in case of unsatisfactory results, a negative score ("unsatisfactory") is given. The results must be announced no later than 24 hours after the competition, which ensures quick and transparent publication. Information about the passing score and results is published on the official websites of institutions and entered into the Unified Database of Educational and Scientific Institutions of Ukraine - ЕДЕБО. One important question remains - is it necessary to take the NMT when entering creative specialties? The answer is determined in accordance with the requirements of a specific program and specialty. In any case, the mandatory nature of the exam depends on the chosen direction of study and the established rules for submitting documents to a specific institution. Therefore, we advise future students to carefully follow the updates and coordinate their plans with official sources of educational institutions in order to successfully complete all components of the 2025 admission campaign.