Belarus Higher Education Reform: 3-Year University Diplomas from 2025

Significant changes are coming to the higher education system in Belarus: starting from 2025, a certain category of students will be able to obtain a university diploma in just three years. This was reported by the head of the main department of professional education at the Ministry of Education, Sergey Pishchov, in an interview with BelTA. The reform aims to optimize the educational process and eliminate duplication of disciplines while maintaining the high quality of specialist training. We explain who will be affected by the innovations, why they are being introduced, and how the admission process will change.

Who is eligible for the accelerated program?

The shortened study period of up to three years is intended for college graduates who enroll in universities for correspondence courses in specialties related to their secondary specialized education. Currently, the changes will affect about 50 specialties.

• Who can participate? College graduates whose specialty corresponds to the one chosen at the university. For example, a student who graduated from college with a programming major will be able to continue their studies at the university in a related IT specialty.
• Who will not be eligible for the program? College graduates with non-core specialties will not be able to take advantage of the shortened form of study. They will have to complete the full course, just like other students. Also, school graduates who wish to study by correspondence must have at least 10 months of work experience in their chosen profession.

As noted by Sergey Pishchov, correspondence education today is primarily aimed at working youth who already have secondary specialized or vocational education.

Why are study periods being shortened?

The main goal of the reform is to eliminate the repetition of material that students have already mastered in colleges. Instead, universities will focus on in-depth study of new disciplines and relevant professional skills. «It's not about lowering requirements or excluding disciplines, but about revising the program in such a way as to remove duplication of courses already studied in college. There will be no previously covered topics, only complete focus on new knowledge and skills,» emphasized Sergey Pishchov. For example, if a student studied the basics of programming in college, at the university they will immediately move on to areas such as artificial intelligence or cybersecurity. This will not only reduce the study time but also increase its effectiveness. The first vice-rector of BSUIR, Maxim Davydov, is confident that the innovation will accelerate the training of high-level specialists: «In college, they get the basics, which are deepened at the university. Now we will train professionals in the shortest possible time while maintaining quality.»

How will this affect the labor market?

Reducing the study period to three years will help bring qualified specialists to the labor market faster. This is especially relevant for in-demand industries such as IT, engineering, and education. The reform also strengthens the connection between colleges and universities, creating a unified educational ecosystem. For example, at the Minsk Radio Engineering College and BSUIR, students in college create prototypes of devices and write programs, and at the university, they move on to complex projects such as developing software for medical robots or optimizing cloud services.

A new approach to admission

For the convenience of applicants, the Ministry of Education is introducing an electronic queue. Using this system, applicants will be able to choose a convenient date and time for submitting documents through their personal account on the website of the Republican Institute for Knowledge Control. The service will become available after receiving certificates. In addition, in 2025, the first graduates of engineering classes will receive benefits: excellent students will be able to enroll in engineering and pedagogical specialties without entrance exams, only through an interview. Questions for preparation are already posted on the websites of the Ministry of Education and universities.

What do applicants need to know?

• For college graduates: If you plan to apply for the shortened program, make sure that your specialty corresponds to the one chosen at the university. Otherwise, only full-term education is available — for this, you need to register for the CT by April 22.
• For school graduates: Correspondence education is possible only with 10 months of experience in the specialty profile, even on a paid basis.
• Plans for 2025: Universities plan to admit more than 8 thousand college graduates to shortened programs.

Conclusion: a step towards modern education

The decision to reduce the study period to three years for certain categories of students is an important step in modernizing higher education in Belarus. Accelerated programs will allow college graduates to become professionals faster without wasting time on repeating already mastered material. Together with digital innovations such as the electronic queue, the reform makes education more flexible and accessible, meeting the demands of the modern labor market.