Ukraine has no general concept of legal education development, which would identify the key principles for building a legal education system, nor is there a dedicated law. Various public policy figures and stakeholders have different ideas of its further development. Government bodies tend to make case-by-case, sometimes chaotic, decisions.

Several draft Concepts have been developed but never approved. In February 2025, the Parliament Committee on Legal Policy approved the Concept of the draft law “On Legal Education and Primary Access to the Legal Profession.” Higher legal education is indispensable for numerous positions governed by diverse legal regulations. The qualification criteria for roles demanding such education largely lack a substantial basis. The volumes of government funding for law training are similarly unfounded. The distribution of government-funded spots between higher education establishments needs improvement. More than half the government-funded spots for training of legal professionals at the bachelor level is granted to institutions outside the jurisdiction of Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science.

In Ukraine, lawyers undergo training in numerous universities, the majority of which fail to deliver education of adequate quality. Law studies boast the highest enrollment rates compared to other disciplines. Legal education spans across various levels, including junior bachelor's, bachelor's, master's, professional junior bachelor's, and junior specialist degrees in different specialities.

A notable portion of legal professionals is trained within institutions under the purview of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Justice, which offer specialised training programs. Additionally, a substantial number of standalone structural divisions within educational institutions and colleges also conduct legal education programs.

According to open data from the Unified State Electronic Database on Education, there are 165 higher education institutions and standalone structural units that offer training in Law. 26 educational institutions train bachelors in International Law. 112 institutions of professional pre-higher education train professional junior bachelors in the specialty Law.

As of October 1, 2025, the Unified State Electronic Database on Education indicates that there are 87б172 Law students total, including 48,911 pursuing bachelor’s degrees, 17,297 pursuing master’s degrees, 16,210 pursuing professional junior bachelor’s degrees, 16 pursuing junior specialist degrees, and 4,738 in PhD training. For International Law, the total number of students is 4,949, including 3,684 individuals pursuing bachelor’s degrees, 993 pursuing master’s degrees, and 272 in PhD training. However, a significant number of students are not accounted for in the USEDE because they are studying in higher education institutions with specific training conditions funded by the state budget.

Admission to the Faculty of Law, including master’s degree, is relatively easy. The modest threshold scores often fail to select strong and motivated candidates for training. Certain pathways lack transparent entry mechanisms, potentially harboring corruption risks. Moreover, institutions with specific training conditions follow a separate admission procedure, leading to unequal opportunities among applicants.

There is currently no test for analytical and critical thinking required for admission to law training at the bachelor’s degree. In 2025, the threshold for admission to the master’s degree in Law for UPET and SEE was only 35 out of 140 points. As a result, only 174 people were unable to cross the threshold. Admission procedures for institutions with specific training conditions to secure government-funded education remain different from other higher education establishments.

A considerable portion of students pursue legal education through distance learning, which typically offers lower quality compared to full-time programs. Many law schools rely on outdated teaching methodologies, while numerous educational programs fail to align with current market demands. Ethical standards, foreign language proficiency, legal innovation tools, European Union law, and the practices of the European Court of Human Rights often receive inadequate attention. Additionally, the organisation of practical training for students suffers from conceptual flaws, hindering the acquisition of practical skills. Insufficient emphasis is placed on academic integrity and combating plagiarism.

Educational standards for new specialties that define requirements for curricula are yet to be developed. Graduates with master’s degrees in Law demonstrate poor knowledge, particularly in EU law. A survey of employers on the quality of legal education has found that almost 80% are not satisfied with the level of knowledge and skills of Law graduates. Furthermore, 82.8% of Law students claim that the educational curricula of law schools are outdated.

Regular and final assessments of students often prove ineffective, resulting in varying levels of training among graduates from different law schools who subsequently obtain the same professional rights. The Unified State Qualification Exam (USQE), implemented in 2023, requires significant improvement.

In 2025, the “pass/fail” threshold at the USQE constituted 35 points out of 114. The average number (nationwide) of correct answers to the 114 questions in the USQE is 45.71. 19.23% of students (1,654) failed to score above the threshold. Almost 80% of the surveyed employers note the low level of knowledge and skills among law school graduates.