Basic military training is mandatory for all students - Defense Ministry

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that basic military training (BMT) is mandatory for all students of higher educational institutions. If you do not pass the exam or refuse to take the oath, you will not be allowed to continue your studies.

This was reported by Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhii Melnyk.

"I want to emphasize that it [BMT] is mandatory for everyone. And if students cannot pass the exam for some reason or pass it unsatisfactorily, if they refuse to take the military oath, they will not be able to study at higher educational institutions in the future," Melnyk said.

On January 17, the Ministry of Defense wrote that starting from September 2025, basic military training for students will begin in all higher educational institutions of Ukraine.

BMT provides for 300 academic hours. It consists of two parts:

• ⁠theoretical course - 90 academic hours, which students will take at their educational institutions;
• ⁠practical course - 210 academic hours in training units, centers of the Armed Forces and other institutions.

Mandatory BMT for higher education applicants is provided for by the updated law on military service, which President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed on January 15. The law introduces military training as a separate academic discipline. Without it, men will not be able to get a job in the civil service, in particular in the National Police, the Prosecutor's Office, local government bodies and other authorities from September 1, 2026.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on January 9, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law that provides for the introduction of basic military training for students - applicants for higher education. According to the law, women who have completed basic military service are registered for military registration exclusively voluntarily.