EYESHЭЕШ

Overview

EYESH (Элсэлтийн ерөнхий шалгалт, the "Unified Entrance Examination") is Mongolia's national university entrance exam, administered by the Education Evaluation Center (EEC), an agency under the Ministry of Education and Science. It is sat at the end of grade 12, after a student finishes upper secondary education and its own grade 12 state examination, and it is the main route into Mongolian higher education: public and private universities and colleges use EYESH subject scores, combined under their own admission rules, to offer places. EYESH is separate from the grade 5, grade 9 and grade 12 state examinations the EEC also runs during school; those check whether a student has met the standard to progress through school, while EYESH exists specifically for university and college admission.

Who can apply

EYESH is open to students who have just completed grade 12 of Mongolian general secondary education, and also to earlier graduates who want to apply or re-apply to a university or college using a fresh score. A candidate who has not completed, or is not completing, upper secondary education is not eligible to sit it. Candidates register with a Mongolian citizen's identity card, or, for foreign candidates, an identity-card reference, foreign passport or temporary residence document, and must register and pay for the exam through the official EYESH portal within the registration window the EEC sets each year.

Exam pattern

Candidates choose which subjects to sit based on the entry requirements of the university programme(s) they intend to apply to; most programmes ask for at least two subject scores, one of which is commonly the Mongolian language exam. Available subjects are:

Exam length varies by subject: in recent years history, English, geography, social studies, biology, Russian and Mongolian language have run for about 80 minutes each, while mathematics, physics and chemistry have run longer. Answer sheets are machine-scored.

Each university sets which subject combination it requires for each programme, and this differs by institution and by field of study, so a candidate should check the specific programme's requirement before choosing subjects.

Marking and results

Each subject is scored on a scale with a maximum of 800 points. The Mongolian language exam carries a published minimum threshold score of 400 points; a candidate who does not reach it can retake the Mongolian language exam, which the EEC offers more than once a year. Raw scores are released soon after marking, and the EEC has stated that percentile scores are posted on its website within about 24 hours of the exam.

Universities, not the EEC, set their own minimum entry scores for admission, and these can differ by institution, programme and year. As a past reference point only, 2019 reporting put the minimum score to enter a public university at 480 out of 800, a private university at 410 out of 800, and an institution located outside Ulaanbaatar at 400 out of 800. Treat these as historical examples, not current figures, and confirm the applicable year's minimum with the specific university or the EEC.

Important dates

The main EYESH sitting has recently run in the second half of June: the 2026 exam was scheduled for June 25-28, 2026, across test centers nationwide. Registration opens some weeks beforehand on the official EYESH portal and closes once that year's registration window ends. A separate, smaller Mongolian-language sitting is also held later in the year for earlier candidates who still need to meet the Mongolian language threshold. Exact dates move from year to year, so confirm the current year's schedule on the EEC's own announcements before planning around it.

How to apply

Registration is online, through the EYESH portal (eyesh.eec.mn), not through individual universities. A candidate confirms their registration record, selects the exam subjects their intended programme(s) require, and pays the per-subject exam fee during the registration window; a subject is not confirmed until payment is made. The EEC's help site (help.eec.mn) and its own announcements carry registration instructions, sample questions and guidance videos for each year's exam. A candidate should register using their own email address and phone number, since these are used to deliver exam-related notices.

After the exam

Universities and colleges use EYESH subject scores as the main input to their own admission decisions; most combine scores from the specific subjects they require, often including Mongolian language, against a cut-off they set for that year. Both public (largely state-funded) and private (tuition-paying) institutions use EYESH results, but each sets its own minimum score and, where one exists, its own quota of state-funded seats; a state-funded seat is generally more competitive and needs a higher score than a tuition-paying place at the same institution. A candidate applies to a university or college directly, after sitting the exam, using their EYESH results.

Preparation tips

• Decide on a target programme's subject requirements early, since that determines which EYESH subjects to register for and prepare for.

• Mongolian language is required by most programmes, so treat it as a default subject to prepare for even before a final course choice is settled.

• If a chosen programme needs a listening-comprehension subject (Mongolian, English or Russian), include listening practice, not only reading and grammar.

• Use the EEC's own sample questions and guidance materials, via help.eec.mn and EEC announcements, rather than unofficial sources, since exam content and format can change between years.

• Check the specific university's minimum score and seat quota for the programme and year, rather than assuming one fixed national cut-off, since each university sets its own thresholds.

FAQs