In October, an additional admissions campaign for master’s programs of Ukrainian Catholic University finished. So, joining the university in 2025 were 482 first-year bachelor’s degree students and 360 master’s degree students. In total, 842 students started studying at UCU this fall. 47% of bachelor’s degree students receive financial support for their studies, of which 25 students have non-interest-bearing loans and 94% of entrants can receive government grants according to their scores on standardized tests.
Ukrainian Catholic University continues to maintain its status as an educational institution chosen by the best high school graduates. Bachelor’s students entering UCU are among Ukraine’s top 5% of high school graduates. In particular, 68% of first-year students were in the top 5% for standardized test scores in the Ukrainian language and 66% in mathematics and 83% in history.
“We are proud that our entrants have such high standardized scores. We thank our students and their parents for their trust and for choosing UCU,” emphasized Senior Vice-Rector Yaroslav Prytula.
“This is a good, clear signal for employers and donors: Ukrainian Catholic University is a place full of talented young people; that is, an investment in cooperation, internships, or grants has a high multiplying effect,” added Yaroslav Prytula.
For entrants whose families are unable to pay the full price of studies, annually there is a two-stage competition for financial support from UCU. In order to compete for a scholarship or loan, high-schoolers in 11th grade submit applications and write letters of motivation, expressing their desire to study at UCU and explaining their volunteer experience, academic successes, and ambitions. In the second stage, they are interviewed in person, which gives an opportunity to become acquainted with potential students and scholarship winners and choose the best.
This year in the second stage of the competition, admissions staff, representatives of educational programs, professors, and UCU graduates conducted more than 800 interviews, and so 47% of entrants received financial support for study.
For many students, study at UCU would not be possible without the help of the university’s benefactors throughout the world. This year, Ukrainian Catholic University received scholarship donations from 336 donors: 158 from Ukraine, 128 from the USA, 44 from Canada, and 6 from Europe. Thanks to these donations, 572 named scholarships were provided and, in full or in part, covered costs for student tuition and lodging at the Collegium, which includes being part of a formational program.
Andriy Hlushko, a second-year student in Theology, received a scholarship from Ariya Motors. He sings in the UCU choir and participates in a campus club. “This scholarship covers 75% of my tuition and 100% of my lodging at the Collegium, including the formational program,” said Hlushko. “I need financial support as a consequence of the war, as do most students. My father lost his job because of the full-scale invasion. So there was a question about further studies without a scholarship.”
Mahdalyna Barabash is a second-year student in Psychology who also sings in the choir and is part of a Christian community called Don Bosco’s Garden. “My scholarship covers 50%, for which I am very grateful! Because of the health of my parents, paying tuition is a challenge for them. I probably couldn’t study without financial support,” she said.
UCU has received more than $2 million in scholarship support for students for the 2025-2026 academic year. Thanks to this, the university can provide financial support to more than 1,000 students of bachelor’s and master’s programs. Part of this support comes from the monthly donors of the DoNatsiya [Donation] program, which has hundreds of donors.
Despite the war, Ukrainian benefactors and businesses continue to invest in young people and their education. Among the largest annual donors are the Believe in Yourself Foundation of the Ivanchyk family, the Zagoriy family foundation, and the Nova Poshta company. This confirms the resiliency of Ukrainian business and its strategic vision for the country’s future.
Ivanka Mohylyak, head of UCU’s Charitable Fund, noted: “Thanks to benefactors, we open the door of education for those who have talent and a calling, but don’t always have the financial possibility to pay for their studies. UCU students come from various parts of the country, from various families which are suffering the problems of war, loss, forced re-location. For them, a scholarship is a chance with great hope, for Ukraine’s victory and transformation. We thank everyone who believes in education and supports Ukrainian youth.”
UCU’s admissions team
September 1st, the first day of school, was an opportunity for benefactors to present scholarships and meet students.
Yaroslav Bazylevych presented a scholarship in memory of his daughters and wife, who were killed in a missile attack. The recipient was Bohdana-Stefania Trishchuk, a second-year student in the Artes liberales: Culture Studies program.
“I want to recall my daughter Daria in particular today,” said Yaroslav Bazyleyvch. “She was super responsible and smart. She was so proud that she could study at this educational institution.”
Oleh Nykulyshyn, general director and co-owner of the D.S. pharmacy chain and an UCU benefactor, stated: “A country must have people and an elite who runs it and who are formed here, at UCU. In the future, these students should head institutions and run the country.”
Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak, UCU’s President, during the meeting with benefactors emphasized: “I’m glad that today children from all over Ukraine want to study at UCU. You and I are part of a project that has significance for all Ukraine. I believe that these young people will lead Ukraine and give the world an important witness of hope. We don’t know when and how this war will end. We don’t know how to rebuild all that was destroyed. But I am sure that if our people survived communism, if the Church came out of the catacombs and gave Ukraine the gift of this university, then we can respond to new, great challenges. You have seen too many miracles not to believe. And this faith gives us strength to go forward.”
A 2-minute Ukrainian-language video about the start of UCU’s academic and liturgical year>
