Students with Positive Scores Offered Admission to Universities Without Exams: Armenian Ministry of Education

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, Grisha Tamrazyan, met today with applicants who participated in the university entrance exams, received positive scores but were not admitted to their preferred faculties, along with representatives of their parents.

Presenting the Ministry’s approach, Tamrazyan noted that applicants with positive scores can participate in the competition for vacant spots at universities, as well as apply for admission through distance learning, thus maintaining or improving their positive scores. Of around 739 applicants who did not get into their preferred faculties despite positive scores, about 550 have already applied for the additional round of admissions conducted according to existing vacant spots.

The Assessment and Testing Center is currently discussing extending the deadline for applying for the additional round at the Ministry’s suggestion. After summarizing the results of the additional round, applicants who received positive scores but were not admitted to their preferred faculties can apply for distance learning programs at universities, where, as the deputy minister stated, admissions will this year occur through a single exam, facilitated by the Ministry.

In fact, applicants with positive scores can be admitted without an examination to distance learning as well, by presenting a certificate confirming the positive score issued by the Assessment and Testing Center.

Overall, this year, more than 13,000 applicants submitted applications for admission to higher education institutions, with 2,200 receiving unsatisfactory scores and thus being excluded from the competition. The deputy minister explained to the applicants and their parents that the competition for specialties was conducted based on the priority of the chosen specialty in the first line of the admission application for both free and paid education.

The new admission procedure was established about a month and a half before the start of the entrance examinations. For applicants who did not win in the competition for their first choice specialty, the competition was held in accordance with the order of the specialties listed in the admission application, provided there were vacant spots in those specialties.

The admission procedure has been posted on the dimord.am electronic platform, through which admission applications were registered. All applicants have confirmed before submitting their applications that they are familiar with the admission procedures and have agreed that they are aware of the priority regulations regarding the first choice application. Moreover, there has been public awareness regarding the priority of the first application, as stated multiple times by the Minister of Education, representatives of the Assessment and Testing Center, various officials from the Ministry, and the media have also addressed this issue.

Addressing the proposal from the representatives of the applicants that the government could increase the additional spots for those with positive scores, Deputy Minister Grisha Tamrazyan stated that the maximum number of spots were originally allocated considering the number set by the universities’ licenses. The representatives of the applicants promised to present their proposal in writing to the Ministry of Education and Science.