Mass academic leaves for students: investigation of the real picture in universities.

After the government decision to allow men aged 18-22 to leave the country, media reports emerged that students are allegedly taking academic leaves en masse to take advantage of this opportunity. However, official data from 24 Ukrainian universities obtained by 'Glavkom' demonstrated that the situation is not as critical as the media portrays. This is discussed in an investigation 'Student 'evacuation'. How the permission for young men to leave the country impacted education and the labor market.

Growth of academic leaves in universities

According to inkorr.com: The only institution where a noticeable increase in the number of academic leaves is observed is Uzhhorod National University. However, even here it concerns several dozen applications: the number of requests from male students aged 18-22 increased from eight in 2024 to 22 in 2025.

Situation in universities

The situation in Ukrainian universities

At Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 25 male students took academic leave this year - the same number as last year. The Vice-Rector for Scientific and Educational Work Andriy Hozhyk noted that the university deliberately focuses on offline education: 'By implementing offline, we have essentially preserved the gender distribution as it was in pre-war times.'

At Kyiv Polytechnic, 18 applications were submitted, confirming the stability of indicators compared to last year. At 'Mohyla Academy' and Kharkiv University named after Karazin, only nine academic leaves were reported.

Analyzing the official data of Ukrainian universities, the investigation revealed that the student 'evacuation' abroad is not as massive as it might seem at first glance. In many universities, the number of academic leaves remained stable or increased slightly, indicating other factors influencing students' decisions to leave for abroad.

Against the backdrop of rumors about a mass academic 'evacuation' of students abroad, the investigation results show that the situation is not so dramatic. Most Ukrainian universities demonstrate stable indicators, suggesting that students choose to continue their studies in the country. Even where an increase in academic leaves has been recorded, the figures remain small. This information emphasizes the importance of monitoring real trends and not succumbing to panic due to rumors.