Regulations on the Commission for the Recognition of Educational Degrees Obtained
in Foreign Educational Institutions
Approved by:
Academic Council of the
National Aerospace University
«Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
Protocol No. 7 dated February 19, 2025
Put into effect by Order No. 84 dated February 20, 2025
QMS KhAI-TsMZE-R/002:2025
Date of introduction: February 20, 2025
Revision No. 1
1. General Provisions
1.1 These Regulations establish the procedure for the recognition in Ukraine of education documents of the respective levels of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, and/or acquired higher education qualifications and completed periods of study, or having completed a certain period of study in educational institutions of foreign countries, in order to ensure the right of citizens to admission and/or continuation of studies / acquisition of education in higher education institutions of Ukraine in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine.
1.2 In these Regulations, terms are used in the following meanings:
- academic rights - the right of the holder of a foreign education document to continue education, including at the next level of higher education and/or under a specific educational program, granted to the holder of the education document in the country of origin of the document;
verification - the process of checking and confirming education documents submitted by the applicant, in the scope and by the methods defined by these Regulations, by means of which the recognition commission concludes that they are valid (unaltered and reflecting reliable information);
- refusal of recognition - an official decision of the competent recognition body to refuse recognition of a foreign education document;
- recognition - official confirmation by the competent recognition body of a foreign qualification of complete general secondary education of the relevant level, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, and the academic level of a foreign educational qualification or periods of study for the purpose of admission to a higher education institution and/or continuation of studies in accordance with the legislation in Ukraine;
- automatic recognition - confirmation of the right of the holder of a foreign education document, who has been awarded a certain qualification at a certain level of higher education in accordance with the legislation of the countries of the European Higher Education Area, to obtain higher education at the next level;
- holder of an education document (hereinafter referred to as the Holder) - any physical person in whose name the document is issued, who owns, uses, and disposes of the education document;
- applicant (hereinafter referred to as the Applicant) - the Holder of the Document or another legal and/or physical person representing the interests of the Holder regarding the recognition procedure; the interests of a minor may be represented by their legal representative;
- education document (hereinafter referred to as the Document) - a document containing information (including personal data) about the Holder, their qualification, education level and higher education degree, specialty, specialization, retraining, academic and/or professional rights of the Holder, or certifying the completion of a period of study in a foreign educational institution;
- qualification (hereinafter referred to as Qualification) - an official result of assessment and confirmation obtained when an educational institution has established that a person has achieved competences (learning outcomes) upon completion of a complete general secondary education program of the relevant level, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, and in accordance with higher education standards, certified by the respective Document;
- competent recognition body (higher education institution) - a commission officially entrusted with making decisions on the results of the recognition procedure for foreign qualifications and periods of study and/or qualifications of complete general secondary education of the relevant levels, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine;
- educational provider - a branch, representative office, campus, or other separate structural unit of a foreign educational institution; an institution carrying out educational activities under a foreign educational program and/or belonging to the education system of a foreign country;
- educational institution - an educational establishment or another subject of educational activity of a foreign country that awards qualifications of complete general secondary education of the relevant levels, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, higher education degrees, and/or issues documents on education and periods of study;
- educational program (hereinafter referred to as the Program) - a set of educational components adopted and confirmed by a competent body, belonging to the system of complete general secondary education of the relevant level, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, or higher education of a foreign country, upon completion of which a qualification and a corresponding higher education degree are awarded to the trainee;
- official institution - an educational institution, educational provider, competent recognition body, competent authority, body in the field of education and education quality, the center of the European Network of Information Centres in the European Region (ENIC), the National Academic Recognition Information Centre in the European Union (NARIC), a diplomatic mission, a public authority body of Ukraine and/or a foreign country, or an institution that verifies education documents or provides official information in the field of education;
- period of study - any part of an educational program of vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, or higher education, evaluated and documented, which does not constitute a full course of study under the program, but represents a significant acquisition of knowledge and skills;
- notification of refusal to recognize the Document (hereinafter referred to as the Notification) - a document certifying the official decision of the competent recognition body to refuse recognition of a foreign education document;
- professional rights - the right of the Holder to engage in professional activity in the country of origin of the Document;
- recognition procedure - the procedure for recognition in Ukraine of Documents issued based on the results of studies in educational institutions of foreign countries, carried out by the competent recognition body in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine;
- decision on the results of the recognition procedure - a decision on the recognition of the Document made by the competent recognition body based on the results of the recognition procedure for foreign qualifications and periods of study, which is formalized by a respective document on the results of the recognition procedure;
- certificate of recognition of a foreign education document in Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the Certificate) - a document certifying the official decision of the competent recognition body on the recognition of a foreign education document;
- status of an educational institution, educational provider - the presence of the right of an educational institution, educational provider to conduct educational activities under programs of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, or higher education and to award qualifications in the country where the educational activity is carried out and in the country of origin of the education Document;
- substantial difference - a difference between a foreign qualification awarded to the Holder based on the results of studies in foreign educational institutions and/or educational providers and a qualification in Ukraine, which, according to the general results of comparing the components of the qualification (level, workload, quality, profile, and learning outcomes), may prevent the Holder from continuing education / acquiring education, getting employed, and/or carrying out professional activities in Ukraine;
- temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine:
1) territories of Ukraine defined by the Law of Ukraine «On Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and the Legal Regime on the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine». The start date of the temporary occupation of these territories is February 20, 2014;
2) territories of Ukraine defined by the Law of Ukraine «On Peculiarities of State Policy on Ensuring Ukraine's State Sovereignty in Temporarily Occupied Territories in Donetsk and Luhansk Regions».
1.3 Other terms are used in the meanings given in the Laws of Ukraine «On Education», «On Higher Education», «On Vocational (Vocational-Technical) Education», «On Professional Pre-Higher Education», and «On Complete General Secondary Education».
2. Competent Recognition Bodies
2.1 The procedure for the recognition of Documents in Ukraine is carried out by the following competent recognition bodies:
1) by a higher education institution - for the purpose of enrolling the Holder for studies to acquire education at this higher education institution. The decision of the higher education institution on recognition confirms the right of the Holder to acquire education at this higher education institution, for which a Certificate is issued;
2) by the MES - for the purpose of enrolling the Holder for studies in educational institutions of Ukraine and/or engaging in professional activities in Ukraine. The decision of the MES on recognition confirms the right of the Holder to study / acquire education and/or engage in professional activities in Ukraine, for which a Certificate is issued.
2.2 To carry out the recognition procedure, the higher education institution establishes a Commission for the Recognition of Foreign Education Documents of the respective levels of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, and professional pre-higher education (hereinafter referred to as the HEI Recognition Commission), higher education, or assigns these functions to the commission for the recognition of higher education degrees and academic degrees obtained in foreign educational institutions.
The composition of the Recognition Commission is approved by an order of the Rector of the National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute» (hereinafter referred to as NAU KhAI).
In its activities, the Recognition Commission is guided by the Law of Ukraine «On Education», the Law of Ukraine «On Higher Education», the Procedure for Recognition of Higher Education Degrees Obtained in Foreign Higher Education Institutions, the Procedure for Recognition in Ukraine of Documents on General Secondary, Vocational (Vocational-Technical), and Professional Pre-Higher Education Corresponding to Levels 2-5 of the National Qualifications Framework Issued by Educational Institutions of Foreign Countries (approved by the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated May 5, 2015, No. 504), these Regulations, and other regulatory documents.
3. Scope of Application
3.1 This Procedure applies to Documents certifying the acquisition by their Holder of a qualification of complete general secondary education of the relevant level, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, an educational or educational-professional degree of higher education, specialty, specialization, or retraining included in the higher education system, as well as to documents evidencing periods of study in educational institutions.
3.2 The effect of this Procedure does not apply to documents issued in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, taking into account periods of study or based on study results in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
3.3 Documents issued for the purpose of continuing education within the framework of academic mobility programs in accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated August 12, 2015, No. 579 «On Approval of the Procedure for Exercising the Right to Academic Mobility» do not require the recognition procedure.
4. Procedure for Submitting Documents
4.1 The recognition procedure is carried out upon an application submitted by a person to the Commission for the Recognition of Educational Degrees Obtained in Foreign Educational Institutions.
4.2 The Applicant shall attach the following documents to the application:
1) a copy and a translation into Ukrainian of the Document certified in the manner established by legislation (if necessary, presentation of the original);
2) a copy and a translation into Ukrainian of the diploma supplement to the Document and/or other documents containing information on the content of the educational program certified in the manner established by legislation (if necessary, presentation of the originals);
If the issuance of electronic Documents is provided for in the country of origin of the Document, the Applicant may submit the electronic Document together with a translation of this Document into Ukrainian, certified in the manner established by legislation;
3) copies of documents on previous basic/complete general secondary, vocational (vocational-technical), professional pre-higher, or higher education (if such education is available) if necessary;
4) a document from an official institution (certificate, attestation, or other) on the academic rights and/or professional rights granted to the Holder in the country of origin of the Document (if necessary);
5) copies of identity documents of the Applicant and the Holder, if the Applicant is not the Holder (if necessary, with translations into Ukrainian);
6) an application (consent) of the Document Holder for the processing of their personal data in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine «On Personal Data Protection».
4.3 The documents specified in sub-clauses 1, 2, and 4 of clause 2 of this section must be certified in the country of their origin in the manner officially applied in that country (consular legalization or affixing an apostille, for member states of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (The Hague, 1961), ratified by the Law of Ukraine dated January 10, 2002, No. 2933-III «On Ukraine's Accession to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents»).
In case the Document is not certified in the country of its issuance in the manner officially applied in that country, or if the certification does not confirm the signature and the capacity in which the official who signed the Document acted, the Commission shall take measures to verify such a Document;
4.4 The Applicant also has the right to submit other documents confirming the education and/or qualifications of the Holder, including documents on admission to professional activity and practical experience (if necessary, with translations into Ukrainian).
The Recognition Commission has the right to apply to official institutions and/or the Applicant (Holder) to provide additional information and/or documents, including an affidavit, necessary to carry out the recognition procedure for the Document and to make a decision on its results.
4.5 The Applicant may submit the application and the documents specified in sub-clauses 1-6 of clause 2 of this section to the Recognition Commission in the format of an electronic document and/or electronic copies of documents.
The Commission has the right to check the compliance of electronic copies with the originals and/or copies with translations of the documents specified in sub-clauses 1-5 of clause 2 of this section.
4.6 If the documents provided by the Applicant are incomplete and/or do not meet the requirements of these Regulations, the Commission may return the documents without consideration within 10 working days from the date of registration of the application, of which the Applicant shall be notified with an indication of the deficiencies to be corrected.
4.7 The provision of reliable information, data, and documents to the competent recognition body shall be ensured by the Applicant and the Holder.
4.8 The recognition procedure for the Document for the purpose of study / acquisition of education shall be carried out during the first year of the Holder's studies. In the case of the Holder's studies at the preparatory faculty (department or unit) of a higher education institution of Ukraine, the recognition procedure for the Document shall be carried out before the Holder is enrolled in studies to acquire the relevant educational or educational-professional degree of higher education from the level determined by the higher education institution.
4.9 The retention period for documents submitted to the Recognition Commission in accordance with clause 2 of this section is 8 years. The retention period for copies of documents on the results of the recognition procedure is 75 years.
5. Recognition Procedure
5.1 The recognition procedure for the Document, except for the cases specified in clause 3 of this section, consists of:
1) verification of the Document and/or the diploma supplement to it, and, if necessary, verification of documents on previous education;
2) verification of the status of the educational institution and/or the Program based on which the Document was issued (hereinafter referred to as status verification);
3) determination of the level of the awarded qualification and comparison of academic and/or professional rights, as well as the assessment of the qualification or period of study granted to the Holder in the country of origin of the Document regarding compliance with the educational or educational-professional degree in Ukraine, and academic and/or professional rights.
The Recognition Commission has the right to verify the origin of the Document, the document on previous education from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and information regarding the completion of periods of study by the Holder in illegitimate educational institutions and educational providers located in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Verification includes requests to official institutions, additional interviews and testing of the Document Holder, analysis of additional documents, and written statements from the Document Holder.
5.2 The recognition procedure for Documents issued by educational institutions, educational providers, and/or based on studies in these institutions that are included in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) or in accordance with this ranking for teaching specific disciplines (depending on the year of completion of studies / awarding of the degree) consists of sub-clauses 1 and 3 of clause 1 of this section.
5.3 The recognition procedure for a document on periods of study consists of:
1) verification of the Document;
2) verification of the status of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program based on which the Document was issued;
3) verification of the period of study and the level of education at which the study took place, and establishment of the appropriate level of education, educational or educational-professional degree at which education can be continued / acquired in Ukraine.
5.4 Automatic recognition of the Document may be applied by the Recognition Commission if all specified criteria are met:
1) the country of origin of the Document has ratified and implemented the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon, 1997), ratified by the Law of Ukraine dated December 3, 1999, No. 1273-XIV «On Ratification of the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education in the European Region»;
2) the national qualifications framework of the country of origin of the Document is mapped to the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning and self-certified in accordance with the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area;
3) the higher education system of the country of origin of the Document is organized in accordance with the three-cycle structure and principles of the Bologna Process, including, where applicable, a short cycle within the meaning of the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area;
4) in the country of origin of the Document, external quality assurance in higher education is carried out by independent quality assurance agencies included in the European Quality Assurance Register or operating to achieve such inclusion, functioning in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area and the European Approach to Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes;
5) the Document is issued in accordance with the three-cycle Bologna system;
6) the country of origin of the Document has implemented the European diploma supplement form, and the supplement to the Document complies with this form;
7) verification of the Document can be carried out by one of the methods defined in sub-clauses 1 and 2 of clause 5 of this section;
8) verification of the status of the educational institution can be carried out in the manner defined in sub-clause 1 of clause 6 of this section;
9) the Recognition Commission does not require additional information from official institutions to make a decision.
5.5 The following methods may be used to verify the Document:
1) checking the presence of an apostille or consular legalization, if such stamps confirm the signature and the capacity in which the person who signed the Document acted, as well as checking the apostille particulars in the respective register, if such a register has been introduced by the country of origin of the Document or the educational institution that issued it, provided access to such a register is available;
2) checking in the register of education documents, if such a register has been introduced by the country of origin of the Document or the educational institution that issued it, provided access to such a register is available;
3) obtaining confirmation of the fact of issuance and/or authenticity of the Document from official institutions;
4) if the country of origin of the Document, the educational institution, or the educational provider has approved samples (standards) for the execution of education documents, an analysis for compliance with such samples (standards) of the submitted Document is carried out;
5) if necessary, the Recognition Commission may take measures for additional verification of the Document;
6) the Commission has the right to apply and/or send a request for verification of the authenticity of the submitted Document to the National Information Centre for Academic Mobility of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
5.6 In order to establish the right of an educational institution and/or educational provider to grant a certain qualification, the Recognition Commission shall verify the status of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program based on which the Document was issued.
Verification of the status of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program shall be carried out by one of the following methods:
1) checking in official national or regional sources: registers of accreditation / education quality assurance bodies, specialized management bodies, associations of accreditation / education quality assurance agencies, and other official institutions, official national publications on the educational system;
2) checking in international official sources: websites of recognized international organizations, websites of recognition networks;
3) obtaining information from official institutions regarding the status of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program.
The status of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program is verified by the Recognition Commission as of the date of qualification awarding, taking into account the legislation of the country of issuance of the Document and the country where the studies were conducted.
The Commission has the right to apply and/or send a request for verification of the status of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program of the submitted Document to the National Information Centre for Academic Mobility of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
5.7 To determine the level of the awarded qualification and to compare the academic and/or professional rights granted to the Holder in the country of origin of the Document with the rights granted upon obtaining the respective qualification in Ukraine, the following methods may be used:
1) comparison of education systems, international and/or national qualifications frameworks with the National Qualifications Framework of Ukraine for the following Documents:
- for Documents issued in countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD);
- for documents meeting the automatic recognition criteria defined in clause 4 of this section;
- for Documents issued in foreign countries, if the country has approved a national qualifications framework;
2) for Documents issued in countries with which Ukraine has concluded international treaties regulating the recognition of education documents and determining the unconditional equivalence of educational qualifications - based on the provisions of the relevant international treaty, taking into account the purpose of recognition;
3) for Documents issued in other foreign countries, or if the international treaty between Ukraine and the country of origin of the Document does not determine unconditional equivalence of qualifications awarded in the contracting countries of the treaty, the comparison of academic or professional rights shall be carried out as follows:
- analysis of information obtained from official sources: registers, databases of accreditation / education quality assurance bodies, specialized management bodies, associations of accreditation / education quality assurance agencies, and other official institutions, official national publications on the education system;
- obtaining information from official institutions regarding academic and/or professional rights;
4) for Documents recognized exclusively for the purpose of continuing studies in higher education institutions of Ukraine and not falling under the scope of sub-clauses 1 and 2 of this item - based on determining the level of education at which the studies took place and establishing the corresponding educational or educational-professional degree at which education can be continued in Ukraine, through the analysis of information in official national or regional sources: registers of accreditation / education quality assurance bodies, specialized management bodies, associations of accreditation / education quality assurance agencies, and other official institutions, official national publications on the education system;
5) for Documents not falling under the scope of sub-clauses 1-3 of this item, or if the international treaty between Ukraine and the country of origin of the Document does not determine the unconditional equivalence of educational and educational-professional degrees and qualifications awarded in the contracting countries of the treaty - establishing the compliance of the qualification specified in the Document with the higher education qualification of Ukraine by conducting a comparative analysis of the Program (curriculum) under which such a Document was issued with the content of the Program (curriculum) within the respective or related field of study, specialty, etc., for which Documents of the corresponding level are issued in Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as Comparative Analysis);
6) qualification assessment may be carried out by the competent recognition body on the basis of another Comparative Analysis of a similar Program that does not substantially differ in the period and outcome of studies.
7) the Recognition Commission has the right to apply and/or send a request to determine the qualification level and compare the academic and/or professional rights of the submitted Document to the National Information Centre for Academic Mobility of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
If a Document is issued in a country with which Ukraine has concluded an international treaty regulating the recognition of education documents, the competent recognition body shall check whether the Document falls under the scope of the respective international treaty during the recognition procedure.
The existence of an international treaty between Ukraine and the state, educational institution, and/or educational provider that issued the Document does not cancel the necessity of obtaining an official decision from the competent recognition body on the results of the recognition procedure.
5.8 Comparative analysis is carried out by this higher education institution, which trains specialists at the corresponding level of higher education under accredited higher education educational programs in the respective or related specialty.
Comparative analysis includes:
1) the higher education degree and qualification certified by the respective Document, and its place in the national education system as of the date of issuance of the Document;
2) the content and volume of the Program (expected learning outcomes under the academic (educational) program, the number of credits or academic hours in professionally required disciplines, or other criteria);
3) the compliance of the Program with a specific level of higher education;
4) the profile of the Program;
5) the academic and/or professional rights granted by the Document;
6) the purpose of recognizing the Document in Ukraine;
7) the learning outcomes of the Holder.
5.9 The Recognition Commission determines the scope of differences in educational programs in Ukraine and in the country of origin of the Document permissible for:
1) making a decision on recognition;
2) making a decision on recognition after the differences are eliminated by the Document Holder;
3) making a decision on recognition with a downgrading of the educational level;
4) the impossibility of making a decision on recognition due to the establishment of a substantial difference between the educational programs;
5) making decisions on the recognition of qualifications of the initial level (short cycle) of higher education for the purpose of continuing studies in higher education institutions of Ukraine from the level determined by the higher education institution (The volume of the Program of the respective degree is determined by the higher education institution that enrolls the person for studies).
5.10 In case of the impossibility of making a decision on recognition due to the establishment of a substantial difference between the educational programs, the higher education institution may grant the Holder the right to continue studies to acquire the corresponding higher education degree from the level determined by the higher education institution of Ukraine.
5.11 If the comparative analysis identifies differences between the educational programs of Ukraine and the country of origin of the Document, without eliminating which the recognition of the Holder's qualification is impossible, they may be offered additional training and/or competence testing, etc., or recognition with a downgrading of the higher education level.
5.12 Additional training, competence testing, practical training, defense of coursework, diploma papers or projects, interviews, and preparatory courses to compensate for differences in academic (educational) programs for the purpose of recognizing a qualification in Ukraine shall be carried out by the Document Holder at a higher education institution that trains specialists at the corresponding level of higher education of Ukraine for the educational or educational-professional degree, at a professional training or advanced training center, etc.
5.13 For the purpose of assessing the qualification and obtaining additional information and documents necessary to make a decision on recognition, the Commission has the right to apply to the educational institution and/or another official institution.
5.14 Data obtained during verification, confirmation of the status of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program, and qualification assessment shall serve as the basis for drawing up a Conclusion by the Recognition Commission in the form of a conclusion on the results of the procedure for recognizing education documents issued by educational institutions of foreign countries (hereinafter referred to as the Conclusion).
5.15 The Commission has the right to apply and/or send a request to obtain additional information and documents necessary to make a decision on the recognition of the submitted Document to the National Information Centre for Academic Mobility of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
6. Decision Making
6.1 Higher education qualifications awarded by educational institutions, educational providers, and qualifications at the levels of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, and professional pre-higher education shall be recognized by the Recognition Commission if there is no substantial difference between the foreign qualification requested for recognition by the Applicant and the corresponding qualification in Ukraine, provided there is a positive Conclusion and in the absence of the grounds specified in sub-clause 4 of clause 9 of section V of these Regulations and in clause 3 of this section.
A document on periods of study is recognized as giving the right to continue studies at the respective level of education at this higher education institution, from the level also determined by this higher education institution where the Holder is studying (taking into account the level of education and academic rights in the country of origin of the Document).
The determination of the academic difference and its elimination (if necessary) shall be assigned to this institution where the Holder is studying.
6.2 Based on the Conclusion, the Recognition Commission shall make one of the following decisions, which is formalized by an order of the Rector:
- on the recognition of the Document, on the basis of which a Certificate is issued to the Applicant;
- on the refusal to recognize the submitted Document, of which a respective notification indicating the grounds for making such a decision shall be sent to the Applicant.
6.3 A decision on the refusal to recognize the submitted Document shall be made if the following grounds exist:
1) regarding the documents specified in sub-clauses 1-3 of clause 2 of section IV of these Regulations, a negative verification result has been received by the Commission;
2) a negative result of the status verification of the educational institution, educational provider, and/or the Program based on which the Document was issued has been received by the Recognition Commission;
3) the Document does not certify the acquired level of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, or professional pre-higher education, and does not grant academic and/or professional rights in the country of origin of the document;
4) the documents specified in sub-clauses 1-3 of clause 2 of section IV of these Regulations are issued based on the results of studies / acquisition of education in an educational institution or educational provider that is not officially recognized in the education system of the state to which it belongs and the state in the territory of which the educational activity is carried out;
5) the Document is issued based on the results of studies / acquisition of education in an educational institution or educational provider that is not officially recognized in the state in the territory of which they conduct educational activity, if provided for by the legislation of this state, and/or conduct educational activity without complying with the requirements of the current legislation of this state;
6) the Document is issued by an educational institution or educational provider of unrecognized states (territories) in accordance with Ukraine's external legal relations;
7) the Document is issued by an educational institution or educational provider conducting educational activity in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine;
8) the Document is issued by an educational institution or educational provider to which personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) are applied in accordance with the decision of the public authorities of Ukraine (within the validity period of the decision);
9) it is established that the Document is issued on the basis of documents originating from educational institutions or educational providers conducting educational activity in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine;
10) signs of forgery or unreliability of information in the submitted documents are detected;
11) the Document is issued based on the results of studies during which the total workload is less than the minimum workload provided by the educational institution for one semester of study;
12) the Document is issued based on the results of studies / acquisition of education under a Program that is not included in the education system of the country of origin of the document;
13) the Document is issued based on the results of studies under a Program that cannot be mapped to any higher education degree in Ukraine;
14) the documents specified in sub-clauses 1-2 of clause 2 of section IV of these Regulations do not contain complete information about the Program necessary to establish the respective degree and/or educational program in Ukraine;
15) the Document is issued based on the results of studies for a period constituting less than one academic year from the date of admission to the educational program;
16) the Document does not contain information regarding the level of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, or professional pre-higher education necessary to determine the equivalence of academic and/or professional rights;
17) it is established that the Document was obtained on the basis of a previous education document or a period of study that did not grant the Holder the respective academic rights;
18) if the text of the Document and/or its translation cannot be read as a result of damage, there are unconfirmed corrections or additions, or errors that substantially alter the content of the Document;
19) during the comparative analysis, a substantial difference in educational programs is established, which makes it impossible to make a decision on recognition.
6.4 The decision on recognition shall be drawn up in electronic form by the Recognition Commission in the form of a Certificate in Ukrainian; if necessary, part of the information, namely the last name, first name, and patronymic (if any) of the Holder, the name of the educational institution that issued the Document, and the higher education degree, shall be duplicated in a foreign language. The Certificate shall be prepared by the Recognition Commission in paper form by printing the electronic form of the Certificate and shall be certified by an authorized person of the Recognition Commission.
6.5 The Certificate is valid together with the original Document and is valid indefinitely.
A document on the results of the recognition procedure issued by the MES shall be accepted by all educational institutions, establishments, and organizations of any form of ownership in Ukraine.
6.6 In case of receiving a refutation of the fact of study / acquisition of education, the fact of issuance of the Document, or establishing signs of forgery of the Document, the decision on the recognition of the Document shall become impossible, and information regarding such a Document shall be forwarded to the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.
If the fact of study / acquisition of education and the fact of issuance of the Document are confirmed, and the fact of forgery of the Document is refuted, the Recognition Commission shall review the decision.
6.7 The Recognition Commission has the right to cancel its decision if additional information or documents from official institutions affecting the results of the recognition procedure have been received, of which the Applicant (Holder) shall be notified, and to annul the respective Certificate or Notification.
6.8 The time limit for providing the Applicant with the decision on the results of the recognition procedure shall not exceed 45 calendar days from the date of receipt of all documents and information necessary to make a decision.
7. Recognition of Qualifications of Refugees and Persons Equated to Them
7.1 Refugees and persons in need of subsidiary or temporary protection have the right to have their qualifications (periods of study) acquired in foreign educational institutions at the levels of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, and higher education recognized by the Recognition Commission without having a full package of documents.
7.2 The basis for initiating the recognition procedure without a full package of documents is a refugee certificate, a certificate of a person in need of subsidiary protection, a certificate of a person granted temporary protection, or a certificate of application for protection in Ukraine.
7.3 To carry out the recognition procedure, refugees and persons in need of subsidiary or temporary protection shall provide the educational documents available to them, including those not specified in clause 2 of section IV of these Regulations, such as: copies of education documents or periods of study, school card, student ID card, certificate, academic transcript, record book, course description, documents on non-formal and informal learning or other documents certifying learning outcomes (certificate of achievement, report card, etc.), certificates of merit for learning outcomes or participation in school Olympiads, professional skill contests, and documents that can confirm the fact of study / acquisition of education and/or acquisition of a qualification; as well as available documents on work experience, such as a work experience certificate, employment contract, labor book, certificates from places of employment, or other documents that may indicate the relevant qualification.
7.4 In case of insufficient information, the recognition procedure for the levels of complete general secondary education, vocational (vocational-technical) education, professional pre-higher education, and higher education acquired in foreign educational institutions by refugees and persons in need of subsidiary or temporary protection may include specially arranged exams, testing, or interviews by the competent body, the results of which shall be taken into account by the Recognition Commission when making a decision.
8. Record Keeping of Recognition Certificates
8.1 Certificates must be registered by the Recognition Commission in the electronic register of recognition of foreign education documents in Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as electronic record keeping).
8.2 To register a Certificate, the Commission shall fill out the draft Certificate in electronic form and attach electronic copies (photocopies or scanned copies) of the following documents:
1) the Document;
2) the diploma supplement to the Document and/or another document containing information on the content and duration of the Program, as well as the successful completion of educational components or achievement of learning outcomes;
3) the Conclusion;
4) the document on the result of the recognition procedure for entering information into the Certificate;
5) a copy of the document certifying the identity of the Holder.
The documents specified in sub-clauses 1 and 2 of this clause shall be submitted together with duly certified translations.
8.3 After entering the necessary information into the electronic records by the Recognition Commission, the institution ensuring the functioning of the electronic records shall generate the registration number of the Certificate and the electronic form of the Certificate, which shall be issued by the Recognition Commission in paper form by printing the electronic form of the Certificate and certified by an authorized person of the Recognition Commission.
The Certificate shall be issued to the Applicant or another person authorized by the Applicant.
8.4 The MES shall ensure the entry of information on the Documents recognized by the Recognition Commission into the Unified State Electronic Database on Education.
9. Review and Appeal of Results
In case of the Holder's disagreement with the results of the recognition procedure, the Holder or another person authorized by them may, within three months from the date of issuance of the Certificate or Notification, apply to the competent body that carried out the recognition procedure with a reasoned written application for a review of the decision, which must indicate the registration date, the number of the document on the result of the recognition procedure, and provide additional documents regarding the completed Program, the acquired qualification, etc. In such a case, the competent body shall review all additionally provided documents by the Holder and conduct their study, as a result of which the previous decision may be revised.
Based on the results of the decision review, a Certificate or an official letter indicating the grounds for refusal to review the decision shall be issued.
The review of the decision shall be carried out within a period of no more than 4 months from the date of receipt of all necessary documents and information required to carry out the review of the decision.
1. If the Holder disagrees with the results of the recognition procedure carried out by the competent recognition body — a higher education institution — the Holder or a person authorized by them may apply to the MES to carry out the recognition procedure.
2. If monitoring reveals non-compliance of the decision made by the competent recognition body — a higher education institution — the MES has the right to cancel such a decision. The document on the results of the recognition procedure in such a case shall become invalid and be annulled.
3. The MES shall provide the competent body — the higher education institution whose decision has been cancelled — with a respective notification indicating the grounds for the cancellation of the decision.
10. Specifics of the Procedure for Recognition of Documents During the Period of the Legal Regime of Martial Law, Emergency Situation, or State of Emergency Associated with the Military Aggression of the Russian Federation and Its Support by the Republic of Belarus
10.1 The provisions of this section determine the specific features of the procedure for recognition of Documents issued by educational institutions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus during actions in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine on martial law, an emergency situation, or a state of emergency associated with the military aggression of the Russian Federation and its support by the Republic of Belarus.
10.2 From the date of introduction of martial law, an emergency situation, or a state of emergency in Ukraine associated with the military aggression of the Russian Federation and its support by the Republic of Belarus, and until the date of their termination, Documents whose Holders are citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus and which were issued by educational institutions of these countries shall not be accepted for the recognition procedure by a competent recognition body.
10.3 The effect of clause 2 of this section shall not apply to citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus who have obtained refugee status or the status of a person in need of subsidiary protection in Ukraine, or who have obtained a permanent residence permit in Ukraine, or who enrolled up to and including 2021 and are studying in educational institutions, or who enrolled in educational institutions on the basis of an individual permit from the MES, or in other cases determined by legislation.
10.4 The procedure for the recognition of Documents issued by educational institutions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus whose Holders are citizens of Ukraine, citizens of third countries, stateless persons, and persons defined in clause 3 of this section shall be carried out in accordance with sections I-VIII of these Procedures, taking into account clauses 5 and 6 of this section.
10.5 The competent recognition body shall make a decision based on the results of the procedure for the recognition of Documents issued by educational institutions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, provided that complete information necessary to make a relevant decision is available.
10.6 In the absence of complete information necessary for the competent recognition body to make a decision on the recognition or refusal to recognize Documents issued by educational establishments and institutions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, the recognition procedure shall be suspended until the termination of the circumstances specified in clause 1 of this section.