New requirement for admission to a medical specialty: prospective medical school applicants must reach a 150-point threshold on the EIE test

Only the applicants with the external independent evaluation (EIE) test score above the set minimum threshold of 150 points in compulsory disciplines – biology, chemistry or mathematics – are now eligible to enroll in a medical school and to pursue a degree in Dentistry, Medicine or Pediatrics. Therefore, future health care practitioners must prove their abilities and demonstrate motivation to become a highly educated professional already at the stage of admission to a medical school.

On July 12, the 2018 nationwide higher education admission campaign started in Ukraine. For the first time ever, irrespective of the form of student admission (tuition-free or contract students) and subordination of the higher educational institution, all applicants have to get a minimum score of 150 points on the EIE test in each compulsory subject to be admitted to a medical university.

The purpose of this innovation is to select the best prospective students and, ultimately, to improve the quality of health care in the country. Before, most first-year students admitted to medical schools demonstrated unsatisfactory levels of knowledge, despite high competition among those entering medical specialties. For example, in 2017, 41% of the medical specialty entrants scored below 150 points on the EIE test in one of the compulsory disciplines, 19% – in two compulsory disciplines, and 7% – in three compulsory disciplines. The statistics were even worse for certain medical specialties. For instance, more than half of prospective pediatricians scored below 150 points on the EIE test in one subject, 20% – in two subjects, and 6% – in three subjects.

In 2018, 4507 medical school entrants choosing a specialty in Medicine will be enrolled as government-subsidized students. Admission is subject to the availability of places at higher educational institutions, with no restrictions on the number of government-subsidized places in specific institutions – the strongest applicants will be offered the opportunity to study tuition free in medical schools of their choice. This means that the higher educational institutions with the highest competition for places will get the largest number of government-subsidized students.

The new rules of admission to the medical profession aim to ensure that prospective applicants make informed choices and apply to programs appropriate to their interests, academic qualifications and potential, i.e. their academic performance results and high motivation to become a doctor are key to pursuing a degree in a particular medical specialty.