How it all began
The road to this graduation proved a true test of resilience for Metinvest Polytechnic. Six years ago, Metinvest Group conceived the idea of creating Ukraine's first private mining and metals university. It was designed as a European-style institution that would train a new generation of engineers, technologists and IT specialists for Ukrainian industry, ready to apply advanced technologies in practice.
In 2021, construction began on an ultra-modern student campus in central Mariupol, comprising an academic building, a residence hall and a sports complex. The full-scale war destroyed those plans, but not the idea itself. The university retained its teaching team, developed new educational programmes and organised learning in a blended online and offline format. At the height of the war, in autumn 2022, the first intake took place: more than 450 students began bachelor's and master's degree programmes under entirely new conditions. Four years later, the university has produced its first bachelor's graduates.
Today, Metinvest Polytechnic operates in Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih and Kamianske, combining online lectures with practical training at Metinvest enterprises. Since its inception, the university has built a complete technical education pathway, from professional junior bachelor's degree to postgraduate study, and all its educational programmes have been accredited by the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance. The university now has 1,335 students. More than 50 war veterans have chosen it to gain a civilian profession and adapt to life after military service.
The education is geared towards the practical needs of industry: students solve real production cases and learn to use modern equipment directly at enterprises. Metinvest supports students with scholarships of up to UAH10,000 and guarantees its best graduates their first job and opportunities for career development. More than 300 master's graduates, and now the university's first bachelor's graduates, are already building careers at companies across the sector.
Tetiana Petruk, chief sustainability officer at Metinvest, said: “The university that could not be built in Mariupol has become a symbol of the resilience of Ukraine’s technical education. Metinvest Polytechnic graduates are the country’s future engineering elite and will play a defining role in rebuilding industry and the economy as a whole. We look forward to welcoming every one of them to our enterprises so that together we can build a new Ukrainian steel industry.”
What the first bachelor's graduates chose to study
This year's graduates completed programmes in high-demand engineering disciplines: metallurgy, mining, automation, computer science and occupational safety. Most plan to continue to master's degree study to deepen their knowledge.
Many graduates combine their studies with work at Metinvest enterprises, including the iron-ore operations in Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhstal, Kamet Steel and Metinvest Digital. For specialists already working in production, university education has provided an opportunity to systematise their experience and master the latest technologies.
For Arsen Poghosian, an electric locomotive driver at the Kolachevskyi mine of Central Iron Ore, the university became an important part of his professional adaptation after he was forced to relocate from the Donetsk region. He began studying on an underground mining programme while working at the Group’s Pokrovske Coal. After evacuating his family to Kryvyi Rih and changing jobs, he transferred to an open-pit mining technology programme.
Arsen said: “It was not easy at first, because a mine and an open pit are completely different. But practical training at the Hannivskyi and Pershotravnevyi open pits helped me to understand open-pit mining better. After seeing the scale of the equipment and production, I began to view the profession differently. I am now planning to continue my studies on a master's programme.”
Another graduate, Daryna Miniailo, completed her degree with honours. Through Metinvest's First Workplace programme, she is already building a career at Kamet Steel, where she works as a chemical-analysis laboratory technician in the water and air protection laboratory of the environmental protection department. She recalls that while the four years were intensive and the studies required considerable effort, support from her lecturers and fellow students helped her to keep moving forward.
Daryna said: “I am sincerely grateful to them for not only the knowledge, but also their support, kindness and attitude towards students. It was this atmosphere that helped me to keep going even when things were difficult. I still have many plans ahead, so I do not think my education will end here.”
How to apply to Metinvest Polytechnic
The university's admissions campaign is currently under way.
- Bachelor's degree programmes: applications are open until 1 August
- Professional pre-higher education: applicants can obtain a professional junior bachelor's degree without taking the National Multi-subject Test
- Simplified procedure: preferential admission conditions apply to war veterans and certain categories of internally displaced people
Applicants can book an individual online consultation and receive assistance with submitting documents. More information about admission requirements and educational programmes is available on the university's website or by phone:
- +38 (067) 760-49-54
- +38 (066) 170-71-85
- +38 (067) 630-18-78