Applications are open. Two state universities, in Bitola and in Štip, have published their calls for the 2026/2027 academic year - and together they are opening thousands of free places for the incoming freshmen. For school-leavers across the country, August once again means queues, paperwork and one decision that will mark the next few years.

UKLO in Bitola offers a total of 2,115 places in the first cycle of studies: 1,074 in the state quota, 612 with co-financing and 429 for part-time students. The first enrolment window is set for 18-21 August, the second for 9-11 September, and the third for 23-24 September. The „Goce Delčev” University in Štip, meanwhile, has announced as many as 3,341 places - 1,629 in the state quota, 972 with co-financing and 735 for part-time students, spread across 15 faculties. The largest quotas in Štip are in the medical sciences, informatics and tourism.

The numbers look impressive. But behind every state quota stands what the calls do not spell out: how many of those places will actually be filled, and how many of the graduates will stay in the country? Macedonia's universities have been opening thousands of places for years, and every generation that comes out is looking towards work visas rather than the domestic labour market. The free places are the easy part - the hard part comes four years later.

Both universities highlight the European alliances they belong to - UKLO in the COLOURS consortium, UGD in ACE². Mobility, exchange, „study here and learn across Europe”, as the slogan goes. It is a good thing our students can go there. It is less good if mobility becomes a one-way street - they leave and do not come back.

For the school-leaver now filling in an application, though, this is good news: the choice is wide, the places are there, and the deadlines are clear. The rest - whether the degree will be worth anything here or only there - is a question no admissions call answers on their behalf.