03.08.2026 · 5 min
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Veteran, veteran’s child, fallen defender’s child: three mechanisms.
Oksana is the wife of a serviceman with a combat veteran’s certificate. In the next entrance lives Maryna, who is raising the daughter of a fallen defender. Both mothers heard the same thing from acquaintances: “a state-funded place is guaranteed for your children”. And both got different answers at the admissions committee — because these are two completely different cases, and in fact there are three. The benefits of a combat veteran, the benefits of the child of a living combat veteran and the benefits of the child of a fallen defender are three separate mechanisms with different rules. Let us take each one apart molecule by molecule so that you know exactly what you are entitled to and which documents to prepare.
Remember the main thing: “child of a combat veteran” is neither a quota nor extra points. The Ministry answers this question almost daily — and every day somebody finds it out too late.
If you hold a combat veteran’s certificate (demobilized, currently serving — other than conscript service, a veteran), you have the widest set of benefits:
The same rights to an interview and to quota 1 are held by injured participants of the Revolution of Dignity and by people released from captivity.
This is where most of the disappointment lies, so let us put it plainly. The child of a combat veteran:
So what is there? Three real benefits:
Transfer from a fee-paying to a state-funded place. If the child of a combat veteran did not get a state-funded place and enrolled on a fee-paying one, they are entitled to be transferred to a vacant state-funded place. The conditions (Education.ua, 24 Kanal): under the age of 23, a competitive score of at least 130 (120 — for the specially supported specialties), and the application must not have been marked “fee-paying only”. The key word is vacant: the transfer only happens if state-funded places have freed up or remained unfilled. It is a chance, not a guarantee. Be sure to check the exact conditions for your situation with the admissions committee.
A social scholarship. On a state-funded place, the child of a combat veteran under 23 receives a social scholarship — in 2026 that is 1,180 UAH a month at universities (890 UAH at professional pre-higher education institutions).
Compensation of the tuition cost. Since 2025 an experimental project has been running (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 318): through the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the state compensates the full cost of the tuition for the academic year (with a limit: in 2025/26 — no more than 140% of last year’s first-year cost) for defenders’ children — including the children of combat veterans, of persons with a war-related disability, and of those killed, held captive or missing in action. The mechanics resemble the grant system: the certificate arrives in Diia, has to be confirmed within 20 calendar days, and the money goes straight to the institution. The institution has to be a participant in the project — check that with the admissions committee. This compensation does not stack with the state grants: it is one or the other (compare in the guide on the grant system).
Here the state gives the strongest guarantee, but through a non-obvious scheme that often makes parents panic. Step by step:
The categories this covers (24 Kanal): the children of combat participants who were killed or died of their wounds, the children of those killed during the Revolution of Dignity, and the children of servicemen and police officers who died in the line of duty. In its clarifications the Ministry places the children of missing defenders alongside the children of the fallen — the transfer mechanism applies to them too.
The most important date for this mechanism: the documents confirming the status have to be entered into EDBO by 1 October 2026. So even if the certificate is still being processed when applications are submitted, there is time. But do not leave it to the last minute.
For a combat veteran themselves: a combat participant’s certificate or an entry from the Unified State Register of War Veterans. Note: a certificate of participation in combat operations does not replace the veteran’s certificate — that is a direct answer from the Ministry and mistake number one.
For the child of a combat veteran: the father’s or mother’s combat veteran certificate + a birth certificate (confirming the family relationship). A certificate of family composition (form 6) does not confer the benefit. Since 2026 it has become simpler: under Resolution No. 606, instead of the certificate you can submit an extract from the Unified State Register of War Veterans — it is issued free of charge through Diia or an administrative services centre.
For the child of a fallen or missing defender: a certificate of family member of a fallen defender, documents proving the family relationship, and documents on the circumstances of the death or disappearance and their connection with military service.
Where to take them: in person to the admissions committee of any institution — the committee checks the documents and enters the benefit into EDBO, after which it is automatically taken into account in all your applications. For the special admission conditions (interview, quota) this has to be done before you submit your first application; for a transfer to a state-funded place — by 1 October. It can be done remotely if the documents carry a QR code or the institution’s qualified electronic signature. How to use the account and what to do when something has not been picked up is in the guide on submitting applications in EDBO.
“We were told the child of a combat veteran gets enrolled automatically.” No. The child of a living combat veteran competes on general terms; their benefit is a chance of transfer to a state-funded place after they have enrolled on a fee-paying one. Plan your finances as though you will have to pay for the first semester.
“We have a certificate, that is enough, isn’t it?” Most often — no. A certificate of participation in combat operations ≠ a combat veteran’s certificate; a form 6 certificate ≠ proof of the status of a combat veteran’s child. Check in advance that what you have really is the certificate or an extract from the veterans’ register.
“The certificate is still being processed, we will not make it in time.” For the interview and the quota — true, the deadline is hard (before the first application). But for a transfer to a state-funded place the documents can be brought in by 1 October. And an extract from the veterans’ register through Diia is issued within minutes — try that route.
“We do not know who to believe.” Do not rely on chats and neighbours — call the Ministry’s consultation line on 0 800 504 570 (open until 31 August), for applicants from the temporarily occupied territories 0 800 50 44 25, and for technical questions about the account vstup@inforesurs.gov.ua. Complex legal cases (appeals, refusals) go to the education ombudsman or to free legal aid. The full list of hotlines is on Studway.
The father is currently serving and has no combat veteran’s certificate. Does the child have a benefit?
The benefit is tied to combat veteran status confirmed by a certificate or an entry in the veterans’ register. If there is no status yet, there is no benefit yet. Check the register: sometimes the entry is already there even though the paper certificate has not been issued.
Do the benefits apply at master’s level?
Yes: combat veterans take an interview and a professional exam instead of the EVI, the children of fallen defenders are entitled to a mandatory transfer to a state-funded place, and the children of combat veterans to a transfer if places are available (the details).
The child enrolled on a fee-paying place at a private university. Will there be compensation?
If the institution takes part in the experimental project under Resolution No. 318 — yes. Check the list of participating institutions with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs or the admissions committee.
Can you receive a social scholarship and tuition compensation at the same time?
The social scholarship is for students on state-funded places, the tuition compensation for those on fee-paying ones. They do not combine, because they relate to different forms of funding.
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