Primary and secondary education

Children start attending school from the age of 6. They complete:

• 4 years Potsiatkova serednia osvita/Початкова середня освіта, these are the early years of primary education.
• 5 years Basova serednia osvita/Базова середня освіта, these are the final years of primary education as well as lower secondary education.
• 2 years upper secondary education.

Compulsory education ends after secondary school.

You can find more information about primary and secondary education on the ENIC Ukraine website.

When students complete lower secondary education, they receive the Svidotsvo pro zdobuttia bazovoi serednoi osviti.

• Duration i : 9 years.
• Content:
  • 4 classes Potsiatkova serednia osvita/Початкова середня освіта: the language of instruction is Ukrainian, but may be Russian or a minority language (e.g. Tatar or Romanian) until class 4. Pupils take a state exam at the end of class 4.
  • 5 classes Basova serednia osvita/Базова середня освіта: since 2017, education from class 5 is almost exclusively in Ukrainian. Pupils start learning a foreign language during this period of 'basic education'. At the end of this period, pupils take another state exam.
• Diploma:
  • As of 2019: Svidotsvo pro zdobuttia bazovoi serednioi osviti - Cвідоцтво про здобуття базової середньої освіти (Certificate of basic secondary education).
  • Up to and including 2018: Svidotstvo pro bazovu zahalnu seredniu osvitu - Свидоцтво про базову загальну середню освiту (Certificate of basic general secondary education).

When students complete upper secondary education, they receive the Svidotstvo pro zdobuttia povnoi zagalnoi serednioi osviti.

• Duration i : 2 years.
• Content: students take at least 15 subjects, sometimes more than 20. They take a state exam in at least 3 subjects, Ukrainian, mathematics or history, and 1 or 2 elective subjects. This exam is called Derzhavna pidsumkova attestatsia (DPA) - Державна підсумкова атестація (state exam). They take school exams in the other subjects. Students can also specialise in a certain subject combination. Sometimes they can also take a vocational elective subject.
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education. Please note: for admission to higher education, students take entrance exams in the last class of secondary education.
• Diploma:
  • As of 2019: Svidotstvo pro zdobuttia povnoi zahalnoi serednioi osviti - Свідоцтво про здобуття повної загальної середньої освіти (Certificate of complete general secondary education).
  • Up to and including 2018: Atestat pro povnu zahalnu seredniu osvitu - Атестат про повну загальну середню освiту (Certificate of complete general secondary education).

Please note: 'at least a HAVO i diploma' means that these diplomas have a higher level than a HAVO diploma, but a lower level than a VWO i diploma. The level of a Svidotstvo pro zdobuttia povnoi zahalnoi serednioi osviti and an Atestat pro povnu zahalnu seredniu osvitu is between a HAVO diploma and a VWO diploma.