Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, 1,100 students have taken academic leave to join military service, Ukrainska Pravda reports.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) total approximately 880,000 soldiers, President Zelenskyy said on 15 January 2025.
In 2022, 517 students interrupted their studies to defend Ukraine. This includes 484 men and 33 women from bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs.
“The anti-draft policy seems to have worked,” Deputy Minister of Education Mykhailo Vynnytskyi said. He explained that deferment now only applies to those pursuing consecutive levels of education.
The numbers decreased in subsequent years. In 2023, 339 students chose military service over studies – 319 men and 20 women. In 2024, the figure dropped to 244, with 233 men and 11 women taking academic leave for military service.
This trend emerged amid significant changes in university enrollment patterns. Before the invasion, women consistently made up 52.3% of bachelor’s program entrants. This changed in 2022-2023, with men comprising 52.7% and 58.2% of enrollments respectively.
The Ministry of Education data shows a surge in enrollment of men aged 25 and older who already held degrees. In 2023, over 35,000 men with previous degrees enrolled in bachelor’s programs – a record high in nine years.
Ukrainian men over 25 are increasingly enrolling in universities to secure a deferral from military mobilization, as full-time students are exempt from conscription under the new laws enacted in 2024. This trend has been driven by the lowering of the draft age to 25.
“Deferment from mobilization applies to all who pursue education consecutively. If a master’s student previously completed another master’s program, there is no deferment. If they enter after completing only a bachelor’s degree, the deferment applies,” Vynnytskyi explained.
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