During the 2022-2023 entrance campaign, the majority of men opted for full-time contract education

Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mikhailo Vinnitsky provided data that in 2019-2021, the number of graduate students in Ukraine slightly exceeded 7 thousand people. In 2019, there were almost 7.7 thousand, in 2020 — 7.1 thousand, and in 2021 — 7.6 thousand. The share of men aged 25 and older among them did not exceed 33%.

From 2022, the number of men enrolled in graduate school increased 6.5 times. In 2022, the proportion of men among graduate students was 65% of the total, and in 2023 it was 72%. The majority of men chose the full-time form of education under contract: 7,400 in 2022 and 11,200 in 2023.

According to the MES, a total of 56,400 people, including almost 30,000 men over the age of 25, have enrolled in graduate school over the past 5 years. 78% of them started graduate school between 2022 and 2023 (23,300). The share of men who are over 30 years old is almost 60%.

This year, Ukraine also registered a large number of people who plan to enroll in master's and postgraduate studies — 200 thousand. However, the MES said that they will not increase the number of places in universities. But, according to Mikhailo Vinnitsky, the government is now working on a mechanism to "filter out real scientists" from those who may have enrolled in graduate school for another purpose.

Postgraduate students of contract and budgetary forms of education in Ukraine have a deferment from mobilization.