Belarusian higher education institutions begin accepting applications from prospective students

July 8, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. The 2014 admission campaign is entering its decisive stage today – Belarusian higher education institutions start accepting applications from prospective students on July 8. This was reported to a BelTA correspondent by Yulia Vanina, press secretary of the Ministry of Education.

According to her, the period for submitting documents to higher education institutions has been shortened this year. Prospective students can decide on the specialities they wish to apply for from July 8 to July 12. Furthermore, a regulation has been introduced allowing applicants' authorised representatives to submit documents to the admission committees of higher education institutions and secondary vocational schools. In cases where applicants cannot submit documents to the admission committee in person during the admission campaign, they are granted the right to do so through their authorised representative. The reason must be valid – illness, participation in international contests and competitions, business trip, or other, and must be officially documented. An applicant's authorised representative can be a relative, guardian, or any other individual to whom the applicant has granted notarised authority to represent their documents at a higher or secondary vocational education institution.

Another innovation of this year's admission campaign is that all higher education institutions in Belarus are consolidated into a single stream. This year, it was decided to abandon the division of higher education institutions into streams, so all prospective students will submit their applications to higher education institutions simultaneously.

The acceptance of documents for all faculties and specialities – for state-funded places in full-time (day, evening) or part-time, including distance learning, forms at state higher education institutions will be conducted from July 8 to July 12. However, for part-time study at agricultural higher education institutions, the period is different – from November 1 to November 30.

Deadlines are also set for those wishing to obtain higher education at the expense of legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, individuals or their own funds, i.e. on a fee-paying basis. For full-time (daytime) or part-time studies at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Mogilev Higher College of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Command and Engineering Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Gomel Engineering Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Institute of Border Service, documents will be accepted from July 8 to July 28. The same deadlines are set for the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, the Belarusian State Academy of Music, and the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. For other state and private universities, this period is from July 8 to July 31 (for part-time studies in agricultural specialties, from November 1 to November 30).

Applicants submit to the admissions committee: an application addressed to the head of the university in the prescribed form, original documents on education and their appendices (with the exception of persons applying for a second higher education), original certificates of the Centralized Testing conducted in Belarus in the year of admission, a medical certificate of health status, documents confirming the applicant's right to benefits upon admission for higher education, and 6 photographs of 3x4 cm.

Yulia Vanina also noted that entrance examinations at law enforcement universities (Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mogilev Higher College of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Command and Engineering Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Gomel Engineering Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Institute of Border Service) will be held from July 13 to July 16, and at universities such as the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, the Belarusian State Academy of Music, and the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts - from July 13 to July 22. For all others, it is from July 13 to July 18 (part-time studies in agricultural specialties - from December 1 to December 20).

Enrollment of applicants for state-funded places in universities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as in the Institute of Border Service and the Military Academy, will be completed by July 20; in state academies of arts, music, and the university of culture - by July 26; and in other universities - by July 22 (part-time studies in agricultural specialties - by December 25). As for places for fee-paying education, in universities of the law enforcement sector - by July 29; in universities of the cultural sphere - by July 29; in all others - by August 2 (part-time agricultural specialties - by December 25).

For the first time this year, applicants who did not get into highly competitive state-funded places will be given a "second chance" – an opportunity to participate in an additional admission campaign for vacant places. The deadlines for such an admission campaign for places remaining after the enrollment of applicants for full-time state-funded education have been determined. Document submission by applicants will be carried out from July 23 to 28 (for "power" specialties – from July 21 to 25, for "creative" specialties – from July 27 to 28). Enrollment will take place on July 29 (for "power" specialties – July 26, for "creative" specialties – July 29). Previously, there were situations where some higher education institutions had unfilled state-funded places after 3:00 PM on the last day of document submission. Meanwhile, in the same or another higher education institution, there were applicants who were denied these places. Now, educational institutions will be able to adjust the state-funded admission process. If a place remains vacant, it can be offered to the next applicant on the list, or to someone who applied to another higher education institution with the same Centralized Testing certificates.

The new edition of the admission rules has made the admission campaign more career-oriented. The short deadlines for document submission will not allow applicants to "wander" from one higher education institution to another. "The choice of one's future should be approached consciously and in advance," believes the press secretary.

This year, opportunities have been provided for applicants who are high-class athletes included in the national and сборные команд Республики Беларусь (national teams of the Republic of Belarus) to obtain higher education at the expense of the budget in part-time or evening forms for specialties not related to physical culture and sports. In addition, the opportunity has arisen for individuals working not only in agricultural, but also in processing and agricultural support organizations, as well as for entrepreneurs engaged in agricultural production, and in peasant (family) farms, to obtain higher education at the expense of the budget in part-time form.

When enrolling in agricultural higher education institutions for shortened-term education programs (based on secondary specialized education), applicants will only take two entrance examinations in specialized subjects, the format of which will be determined by the admissions committee (applicants enrolling in other educational institutions will take the CT in Russian or Belarusian as the third entrance examination). The provision allowing applicants enrolling in the part-time form of education in agricultural higher education institutions for agricultural specialties to choose between taking entrance examinations at the educational institution or presenting CT certificates has been retained.-0-

News of Belarus (BELTA)