03.08.2026 · 5 min
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The 2025 cut-off scores by specialty and what to take into 2026.
The 2025 admission campaign ended with a record 816,088 applications — 3% more than in 2024 (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). Of those applicants, only 64,873 got a state-funded place. The rest got a fee-paying place or nothing at all. The 2025 cut-off scores were another indicator: some specialties remain accessible, others demand 180+ points.
This analysis is built on data from EDBO, the Ministry of Education and Science and the UCEQA. We have collected the cut-off scores by specialty, the average NMT results, the competition figures of the top universities and the trends worth taking into account when applying in 2026. If you are preparing for the , these figures will help you choose a realistic strategy.
One important warning up front: the cut-off score is not calculated within a single offer. The offers for one specialty — often across different institutions — are combined into a wide competition, and the targeted placement algorithm distributes applicants across the whole competition at once. The cut-off of a particular offer is a consequence of that shared distribution: the lowest score among those recommended for that specific offer. So read the figures below as a reference point for the specialty, not as a separate competition inside a single offer.
TL;DR: In 2025, 178,720 first-year students were enrolled and 816,088 applications were submitted. The average cut-off for a state-funded place at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv was 170.27 points, at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute 162.25, and at Bogomolets National Medical University 166.93. The competition in computer science reached 5.9:1. The highest cut-offs were in political science / law (182.9). The most accessible state-funded places were in agronomy, construction and electrical power engineering (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025).
The data for this analysis comes from three official sources: EDBO (the Unified State Electronic Database on Education), the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the UCEQA. All the figures relate to the 2025 admission campaign — bachelor’s level, full-time study.
The cut-off scores are given as the average competitive score of those enrolled on state-funded places. For some specialties the minimum cut-offs at particular universities are given. We deliberately do not give figures for fee-paying places — they say less about how competitive a specialty is.
The minimum competitive score for a state-funded place in 2025 was 130 points for most specialties, but for medicine, law, dentistry, international relations and pharmacy the threshold was raised to 150 (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). In practice, though, the real cut-offs at the top universities are considerably higher.
Source: EDBO, 2025.
These figures are averages across all the specialties of each institution. In individual specialties the cut-off can be 180+ (law at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) or 145 (technical specialties at regional institutions).
Want to find out your approximate competitive score? Use the NMT calculator — it takes the coefficients of each specialty into account.
Political science and law top the ranking with an average cut-off of 182.9 points. Then come applied linguistics (178.2) and economics / marketing (175.9) (EDBO, 2025). The competition is not always proportional to the cut-off score — the number of applications and of state-funded places matters too.
Source: EDBO, 2025.
CS (specialty 122) remains one of the most competitive: 5.9 applications per state-funded place across 3,816 places. But the number of applications fell 14% against 2024 (EDBO, 2025). The minimum cut-off for a state-funded place in CS was 145.111 points.
Why did the applications drop? The possible reasons are the rising cost of fee-paying study, a market correction in IT salaries and the appearance of alternative routes into IT without a degree. But the competition is still high.
Source: Ministry of Education and Science, 2025.
A large number of applications does not always mean tough competition. Management and psychology have plenty of state-funded and fee-paying places. Law, on the other hand, has a limited number of places and a high threshold.
Forty-four specialties were given state support status (priority funding) in 2025 (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). They include agronomy, construction, electrical power engineering and automation. These fields have the largest numbers of state-funded places with moderate competition.
Source: Ministry of Education and Science, 2025.
Construction, agronomy and electrical power engineering are specialties with plenty of state-funded places and moderate competition. For applicants with an average score of 140–155 that is a real chance of free education.
Some specialties have almost no competition. Information security management — just 5 applications. Youth services — 46 applications. Religious studies — 79 applications (EDBO, 2025). That does not make them bad — hardly anyone knows about them.
Law shows a steady decline in cut-offs: at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv from 191 in 2021 to 183 in 2025, and at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv similarly from 190 to 183 (EDBO, 2025). That does not mean law has become easier — the structure of the competitive score and the number of participants have changed.
A rise in the number of applications. 816,088 applications is +3% against 2024. Applicants submitted an average of 4 applications instead of 3 (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). More applications per person means tougher competition for every place.
Falling interest in IT. Applications to computer science fell 14% (EDBO, 2025). A trend worth tracking. If it holds, CS cut-offs in 2026 may fall.
The stability of the humanities. Management, philology and psychology consistently hold the top places by number of applications. But these are mass specialties with plenty of places — the competition here is not always high.
A 14% drop in CS applications alongside a stable competition of 5.9:1 may mean that the “accidental” applicants (those who applied to IT just in case) have started choosing other fields. The quality of the CS intake has probably risen.
The lowest average score on the NMT 2025 was in mathematics (132.3), the highest in German (155.5). In total, more than 317,000 people took the NMT, and 13.5% failed to clear the threshold in at least one subject (UCEQA, 2025).
Source: UCEQA, 2025.
Mathematics is the most problematic subject. More than 34,000 people (11.9%) failed to clear the threshold in mathematics specifically (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). That is every eighth participant.
Choosing your elective subject for the NMT 2026? Look at our guide to choosing the fourth subject — it explains how the subject coefficients affect your competitive score.
178,720 people were enrolled in 2025 — only 36% of them on state-funded places (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). Your admission strategy depends on your level of preparation, your target specialty and your willingness to consider alternatives.
You are competitive for a state-funded place at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and Bogomolets National Medical University. Focus on the subjects with the highest coefficients for your specialty. A difference of 5 points in your core subject can be worth 3–4 points of competitive score.
Use the competitive score calculator to work through several scenarios. Apply to 2–3 top institutions and 1–2 “safe” options.
This is the zone where the choice of specialty is critical. CS with a cut-off of 145 is a real but risky option. Consider the adjacent specialties: software engineering, automation, cybersecurity. They have less competition and a similar set of competences.
Be sure to apply to several institutions of different levels. Check the available specialties for your score.
The specially supported specialties are your chance of a state-funded place. Construction (2,580 places), agronomy (2,283) and electrical power engineering (2,083) have places enough. Do not ignore regional institutions — the competition there is considerably lower.
The main thing is to prepare for the NMT 2026 as seriously as you can. Even +10 points in mathematics can change your situation. Practise on the .
The minimum competitive score for a state-funded place is 130 points for most specialties. For medicine, law, dentistry, international relations and pharmacy a higher threshold of 150 points is set (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). The real cut-offs at the top institutions are considerably higher: 170 at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 162 at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
In 2025 applicants submitted an average of 4 applications (against 3 in 2024). In total, 816,088 applications were submitted by roughly 200,000 applicants (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). The maximum number of applications is set by the Admission Procedure.
The highest average cut-off scores in 2025 were in political science / law (182.9), applied linguistics (178.2) and economics / marketing (175.9) (EDBO, 2025). By applications per place the leader is computer science — 5.9:1 across 3,816 state-funded places.
The number of applications to computer science fell 14% against 2024, but the competition remains high — 5.9 applications per place. The minimum cut-off score was 145.111 (EDBO, 2025). If the decline continues, CS cut-offs in 2026 may fall.
The most state-funded places in 2025: secondary education (5,909), medicine (3,762), computer science (2,979), construction (2,580), agronomy (2,283) (Ministry of Education and Science, 2025). Forty-four specialties were given state support status with priority funding.
The 2025 admission campaign painted a clear picture: the competition is growing, there are more applications, and the number of state-funded places in the popular specialties has not increased. The 2025 cut-off scores are a reference point, not a guarantee. In 2026 the figures will change along with the structure of the NMT and the number of participants.
Three things worth doing right now. First, for your target specialties. Second, identify 2–3 “safe” options where the cut-off is below the score you expect. Third, — especially in mathematics, where every eighth participant fails to clear the threshold.
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