We are pleased to announce the launch of the All-Ukrainian SMART CHALLENGE 2026 competition, organized jointly by the teams of «Yedyna Shkola» and American University Kyiv (AUK). The competition opens up opportunities for talented Ukrainian school students, offering a chance to receive high-quality education based on American standards.

Grants for winners and finalists

As part of the competition, the following are предусмотрено:

• 6 grants for the competition winners to study at AUK in selected bachelor’s programs (3 grants in Kyiv and 3 in Dnipro)

• 44 grants for the competition finalists with partial tuition coverage at AUK in selected bachelor’s programs (22 grants in Kyiv and 22 in Dnipro)

Opportunities this year

Admission to AUK for higher education at the Kyiv campus in 2026 is available for bachelor’s programs in the following specialties: «C4 Psychology», «D2 Finance, Banking, Insurance and Stock Market», «D3 Management», «D5 Marketing», «F2 Software Engineering», «F4 Systems Analysis and Data Science», «F5 Cybersecurity and Information Protection».

Admission to AUK for higher education at the Dnipro campus in 2026 is available for bachelor’s programs in the following specialties: «D3 Management», «D5 Marketing», «F2 Software Engineering».

Attention! In the registration form, choose the campus where you wish to study, as this choice will determine which grant competition you will participate in — for studying in Kyiv or in Dnipro.

Competition stages

Stage I: Online mathematics testing in the «Yedyna Shkola» system. The tests are developed by a team of top teachers from different regions of Ukraine and include tasks of varying difficulty based on the standard-level «Mathematics» curriculum for general secondary education institutions.

Stage II: Writing an essay in English at the AUK campus in Kyiv or Dnipro. Finalists of the first stage will be invited to the selected campus to write an essay that will reveal their worldview and demonstrate their level of English proficiency. The essay topic will be announced on the day of writing.

Participation requirements

• Individuals are eligible to participate in the competition if they:

• are citizens of Ukraine;

• are 11th-grade students of Ukrainian educational institutions providing complete general secondary education;

• have documented high academic results in algebra, geometry, and English for the 10th grade and the first semester of the 11th grade (annual/semester grades of 9+);

• have submitted an online application for participation in the competition.

Competition timeline

Application submission: from March 18 to April 6, 2026

Registration form

• Selection of participants by the Competition Committee: April 17, 2026

• Stage I (online mathematics test): April 25, 2026

• Announcement of finalists: May 6, 2026

• Stage II (essay writing): May 16, 2026

• Announcement of winners: June 2, 2026

How to apply?

• Registration is open from March 18 to April 6, 2026.

• To participate, you must complete the registration form via the link: Registration form

• Do not miss the online presentation of the competition on March 26 at 17:00 via the link: https://youtube.com/live/b0c0nQOhEPA

Competition details and conditions

• More detailed information about the competition, participation requirements, and stages can be found on the official website: smartchallenge.auk.edu.ua

Do not miss the opportunity to become part of a community of leaders and innovators! Join SMART CHALLENGE 2026 and take the first step toward your successful future!