Grades and study results

Secondary schools use a grading system from 1 (lowest pass) to 12 (highest pass) to assess study results. All these grades are passing grades. A student has failed if there is no grade.

The following documents allow students to prove that they have completed Ukrainian secondary education:

• A diploma from the school: a plastic card. A copy must be made of the front and back. This card always looks the same. The state prints the cards. See the examples on the ENIC Ukraine website: Documents of Completed Secondary Education.
• An additional document (dodatok – додаток). On this document you can find the final grades of all subjects. It also states in which subjects the student took state exams. See the examples on the ENIC Ukraine website: Supplement.

Apostille

Some diplomas have an apostille from the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science. This means that the Ministry has checked whether the diploma is genuine. The apostille always looks the same.

• You can check the apostille in the ENIC Ukraine’s database: Verification of apostilles issued by MES.
• More information About the apostille (webpage of ENIC Ukraine).

In higher education, institutions use a system from 0 to 100 to assess the study results. Often, they also list study results as A to F. The method of assessment differs from one educational institution to another. These are the ones we see most often:

If there are also assessments in letters on the documents, the system is usually as in the table below. Here, too, it can differ per educational institution, so always look carefully at the explanation on the diploma supplement.

The following documents allow students to prove that they have completed Ukrainian higher education:

• a diploma from the higher education institution;
• a diploma supplement or transcript.

Checking what diplomas look like

You can check what all types of Ukrainian diplomas look like on the ENIC Ukraine website:

• Go to the overview on Higher education.
• You can also select the diploma you are looking for:
  • Bachelor diploma
  • Master diploma
  • PhD and Candidate of Sciences Diploma
  • Junior specialist diploma
  • Specialist diploma

Please note: the oldest examples are at the top. Scroll down for the newest diplomas.

From 1997 to 2014, diplomas were in the form of plastic cards. Since 2014, higher education institutions have chosen their own form, but this must always meet the fixed rules of the state:

• The diplomas are bilingual: Ukrainian and English.
• There is an image of the coat of arms of Ukraine on the diploma and/or in the stamp.

Want more information on what Ukrainian diplomas should look like? You can check the ENIC Ukraine website:

• Scroll down to the 2nd half of the page.
• Check the information under ‘Documents on higher education of state-standard sample’.

Checking what diplomas supplements look like

You can check what the different types of documents look like on the ENIC Ukraine website:

• Go to Diploma Supplement.
• Please note: the oldest examples are at the top. Scroll down for the newest examples.

Ukrainian higher education institutions have started issuing diploma supplements gradually since 2010. As of 2014, the diploma supplement must be included.

Apostille

Diplomas regularly have an apostille from the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science. This means that the Ministry has checked whether the diploma is genuine. The apostille always looks the same.

• You can check the apostille in the ENIC Ukraine’s database: Verification of apostilles issued by MES.
• More information About the apostille (webpage of ENIC Ukraine).

Forgeries

Unfortunately we sometimes come across forged Ukrainian diplomas. Apostilles are sometimes forged, too. This is why you should pay close attention to the fixed rules of the state and what the document looks like (see above under 'Checking what diplomas look like'). Corruption in education is a problem, too, for example in admission or grades for exams. Diplomas do not show this.

Please note: you can check whether a diploma is genuine in the Unified State Database on Education (EDEBO), but this is only possible in Ukrainian script: РЕЄСТР ДОКУМЕНТІВ ПРО ОСВІТУ (Register of educational documents).

All Ukrainian higher education institutions use the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) for their courses. The system is based on:

• 60 credits per academic year;
• 1 ECTS stands for 30 hours of study.

You can find more information on ECTS in the European Commission's ECTS Users’ Guide.