Armed Forces Officer School Admission (Ukraine)ЗСУ officer schools

Overview

Officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trained at higher military educational institutions (VVNZ) and at military training units of civilian universities. There is no single entrance exam. Admission is a competition that combines results of the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT) or an institution's own entrance tests, a medical board, a psychological screening and a physical fitness check. This page describes the 2026 campaign as explained by the Ministry of Defence in Ukrainian. Dates and rules change each year, so read the admission rules of the institution you choose.

Who can apply

• Citizens of Ukraine aged 17 to 30, including those who turn 17 in the year of admission.

• Complete general secondary education, or vocational, pre-higher or higher education.

• No officer rank already held.

• Women apply on equal terms with men, for the specialities in which they will later serve.

The Ministry lists civilian applicants, graduates of military lyceums, serving privates, sergeants and petty officers, and reservists as eligible groups.

Levels or stages

The Ministry describes two levels of military education.

Officer track

Officers study for a bachelor's degree, which takes 4 years, or for a veterinary master's degree, which takes 6 years. This is taught at VVNZ and military training units of universities. All cadets serve under contract for the whole period of study, and study is funded by the state budget.

Sergeant track

Sergeants and petty officers study for a professional junior bachelor degree in 2 years at military colleges. The application process is similar, and it runs in parallel with the officer campaign.

Institutions named by the Ministry include the Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University (flying, air defence, radar, unmanned aviation, aircraft engineering), the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (mechanised, artillery and engineer unit commanders), the Military Academy in Odesa (airborne, marines, special operations, intelligence, logistics) and the Heroes of Kruty Military Institute of Telecommunications and Informatization (communications, cybersecurity). The Ministry's specialities page lists more.

Exam pattern

The competitive score is built from four subjects, taken in one of two ways.

Option 1: NMT certificate. Certificates are accepted for the following years.

Option 2: entrance test at the institution. You sit the three core NMT 2026 subjects (Ukrainian language, mathematics, history of Ukraine) and one subject from the additional block: a foreign language (English, German, French or Spanish), biology, physics, chemistry, geography or Ukrainian literature. Where a foreign language is a competition subject, a certificate in one of those four languages can be submitted instead.

Further checks at the institution.

• Professional psychological selection, graded pass or fail. It assesses motivation, nervous-mental stability and professional suitability. Those found unstable, or below the minimum score, are removed from the competition.

• Physical fitness, tested on one day with three exercises in the order speed, strength, endurance. Men do a 100 m run, a 3 km run and pull-ups. For women the listed events are a 1 km run, push-ups and trunk flexion. An unsatisfactory grade removes the applicant. Results count towards the ranking.

• A final medical board (VLK), which issues a decision on fitness for study at that specific institution.

Marking and results

The ranking list is built from the competitive score, in this order of categories: applicants recommended after a positive oral interview (some preferential categories), applicants entitled to quota places, and applicants on general terms. Within each category the list is ordered by score. A recommendation to enrol is published on the notice boards of the admission commissions, after which you submit original documents.

Important dates

For the 2026 campaign, the Ministry gives these dates.

The Ministry says admission commissions review documents within seven days of registration, and candidates are told when and where to arrive no later than a week before the entrance tests. After the TCC deadlines, the Ministry says candidates can apply to the institution's admission commission directly in the special period.

How to apply

1. Choose an institution and speciality and read its admission rules.

2. Apply to the TCC where you live or are registered. The application names the institution, field, speciality, programme, and your NMT status.

3. Attach copies of your passport, tax number, certificate or diploma, military registration document, a reference from your school or workplace, a medical card and certificate (form 100-2/o), a certificate of no criminal record, six colour photographs and two envelopes. The TCC may ask for more.

4. Go through the military medical board and psychological selection arranged by the TCC.

5. Attend the entrance tests at the institution when called.

Applicants from temporarily occupied territories or settlements on the contact line can apply to the admission commission directly, by post, email or in person.

After the exam

Cadets are on full state support: free tuition, housing, three meals a day and uniform. The Ministry says first-year stipends are about 10,000 UAH per month, and a graduate receives an officer rank and a post matching the qualification. The Ministry's handbook for 2026 applicants is linked from the algorithm page.

FAQs