Summer at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv traditionally unfolds to the ceremonial strains of Gaudeamus. The University’s Assembly Hall becomes a meeting place for generations, filled with warm emotions, memories, dreams and life-changing decisions. Years of study, academic exploration and student discoveries are now behind the graduates, as new professional challenges and opportunities lie ahead.
This year, 3,989 students graduated with bachelor’s degrees. Philology (across its various specialisations) had the largest number of graduates at 673, followed by Law with 388, Computer Science with 233, Economics with 222 and Secondary Education (across its various specialisations) with 181.
As is customary, the summer graduation season also saw 57 students complete educational and research master’s programmes. The graduates represented the Faculty of Chemistry, the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of International Relations and the Faculty of Physics.
In his address to the graduates, Rector of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Professor Roman Gladyshevskii, a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, urged them to stay curious, embrace the challenges ahead and remain true to the values they had developed during their time at the University.
“New professional and personal achievements lie ahead of you, and I sincerely hope that you will always remain eager to learn, find joy in every new discovery, have the courage to make difficult decisions, and uphold the values of honour, dignity and responsibility. I would especially like to thank you for choosing to stay in Ukraine at this exceptionally difficult time for our country, – for pursuing your education here, at Lviv University, and for choosing to build your future in your homeland. Ukraine needs your talent, expertise, energy and intellectual courage. Put your knowledge and skills to work for Ukraine. Contribute to its science, education, economy and culture, and help strengthen its standing in the world. May the knowledge you have gained at the University provide a firm foundation for your future, and may your love for Ukraine guide you in all that you undertake. Remember that the doors of Lviv University will always be open to you.”
The graduating class of 2026 holds particular significance: it is the first cohort to have begun their studies at the University after the start of the full-scale war. Over the years, these students have gained a solid education, made friends and found like-minded people, grown both personally and professionally, and taken their first steps towards their future careers. Above all, they have left a lasting mark on their departments, faculties and the University as a whole – and on the people who shared this journey with them.
Dzvenyslava Fedyshyn, a graduate of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics who studied Mathematics with a specialisation in Financial and Actuarial Mathematics, reflects on her time at the University:
“Over the course of my studies, Lviv University became much more to me than simply a place to earn a degree. It became a place where I truly felt at home – one where I could grow both personally and professionally. Here, I had the opportunity not only to deepen my knowledge, but also to gain experience, discover new interests and develop a clearer sense of who I wanted to become.
The Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, where I was fortunate to study, gave me more than a strong foundation in mathematics. It taught me to look beyond complexity and grasp what lies at its core, to think systematically, to pay close attention to detail, and to see complexity not as an obstacle but as an opportunity for deeper understanding. My years at the Faculty were also an education in themselves: they taught me perseverance, intellectual discipline and responsibility, as well as the understanding that the paths requiring the most time and effort often prove the most rewarding.
But a special place in my memories of the University will always belong to the people I was fortunate enough to share this journey with. My classmates, friends at the University, lecturers and colleagues became an integral part of the experience – of working together, supporting one another, making new discoveries and sharing moments that gave me a profound sense of belonging to the University community. Lviv University has become an important part of my life and a source of strength and stability whose value, I am certain, will only become clearer with time.”
Another graduate of this year’s class, Oleksandr Yaniuk from the Faculty of Philology, reflects on his four years at the University through an extended metaphor of a running track:
“I will shape this memory like the running track at my school, where I always earned top marks in the shuttle run. The starting line was the Dean’s first speech at our freshman induction ceremony, when he spoke about the responsibility a philologist bears towards the times in which we live. Back then, those words sounded like little more than a ceremonial formality. But I was intrigued by them, and by the rhythm of the University’s heartbeat…
How can I describe studying at the Faculty of Philology? Perhaps it is enough to think of the lecturers who, generation after generation, show students by their own example what it means to care deeply about language, and of a university community that inspires academic discovery while carrying its traditions forward. Every lecturer has left something of their worldview with us.
We were taught syntax and the principles of punctuation in a way that transformed grammar from an intimidating system of complex sentence structures into a tool we could use with confidence and purpose. Those classes were among our last, bringing this chapter of our studies to a close. In morphology, we took words apart almost atom by atom to understand what made each part of speech unique. And then there was the sound system of the Ukrainian language… Together, we learned to uncover subtext, authorial intent and historical context – everything a text needs before it can fully speak to us.
My academic supervisors patiently helped me refine my course papers, teaching me to express ideas with precision and support them with sound arguments. The value of these skills extends far beyond academic writing. Ultimately, it is not individual classes or subjects that shape a student into a professional, but the people who work here with a shared purpose: to pass their knowledge and wisdom on to their students.
There is something symbolic about the fact that this race, which began with the Dean speaking of language as a calling, has now reached a finish line that leaves me not with sadness that it is over, but with confidence in the path I have chosen. The running metaphor is no coincidence: just as every second counts in a race, these four years of study have dissolved like morning mist over Ivan Franko Park – almost imperceptibly, drop by drop, leaving clarity behind.
And so I place a comma here, pausing to catch my breath before the next start, with another race still ahead – a year and a half of master’s study. My time at the Faculty of Philology came at a point when the question of language in Ukraine had ceased to be purely academic. But then, when has language ever existed apart from society? Language has always been, and will always remain, a matter of identity and resistance, and never simply a matter of choice. After all, do we really choose our language? Words preserve the memory of the past. Words shape reality. Words protect. Words wound.”
Mariia-Suzanna Teplinska, who graduated this year with a degree in Chemistry from the Faculty of Chemistry, shares her experience:
“The Faculty of Chemistry is a place of opportunity. It teaches you not only how to work confidently in a laboratory and conduct experiments but also how to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of chemical processes. It is a place where logical, critical and analytical thinking is cultivated, and where many of the challenges we encounter call not only for a solid foundation of knowledge but also for creativity in finding solutions.
Over my four years of study, I had the opportunity to learn from lecturers who are outstanding in their fields and, from my very first year, to become involved in research at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry. Through my work on the synthesis, crystal structures and selected properties of complex oxides and intermetallic phases, I came to understand that science is not only about results: it is also about continuous exploration, perseverance and a willingness to keep asking new questions. This research gave me the opportunity to present my work at numerous conferences, from student conferences here at the Faculty to international conferences abroad.
Modern chemistry is a truly international field, and collaboration between researchers across countries is integral to its progress. Through the Faculty, I was therefore able to take part in international workshops and complete a practical training placement in three leading laboratories at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Wrocław in Poland.
Beyond my studies and research, my university years were also a time of active involvement in student life. My involvement in the Faculty Student Trade Union, my role as Head of Communications at the Faculty’s Scientific Society, and later my work as Head of LNUGlobal, the Centre for International and Regional Cooperation, gave me invaluable experience in organising events, building international connections and creating new opportunities for students. It was through these experiences that I came to understand that university life is shaped not only in the classroom but also through initiative, collaboration and a genuine desire to make the Faculty and the University better places to study and grow.
But the greatest strength of our Faculty is its people. Although the Faculty of Chemistry is one of the smallest at the University, it has a remarkably close-knit community. Support is always there when you need it. Lecturers generously share their knowledge and experience, while students help one another not because they are expected to, but because that is simply part of the culture here. It is this atmosphere of mutual respect, openness and collaboration that makes our Faculty truly special.”
Nazar Tymkiv, a graduate of the educational and research master’s programme in Finance and Credit at the Faculty of Economics, says that the programme allowed him not only to deepen his knowledge of finance but also to develop his research skills and gain a broader perspective on contemporary economic processes. For him, one of its key strengths was the opportunity to combine theoretical study with practical analysis and academic research:
“This year, I completed the educational and research master’s programme in Finance and Credit that lasted almost two years. At the time, I was weighing educational and professional programmes versus this educational and research programme. After some consideration, I chose the latter because I wanted to explore finance as a system rather than focus solely on its individual components.
The programme gave me the opportunity not only to apply theory in practice but also to experience research first-hand. I learned to use research methods and tools, formulate and test hypotheses, and analyse relationships between socioeconomic phenomena. It also gave me a better understanding of economic policy in Ukraine and other countries. The active involvement of students in research, discussion and the development of their own ideas made the programme particularly engaging and rewarding. Overall, I am very pleased with my choice and with the experience I had throughout the programme.”
We warmly congratulate all of this year’s graduates on completing their studies and wish them exciting new paths ahead, new achievements and every success in the future!
