Alexei Komissarov, rector of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told the business daily Kommersant that veterans have been asking for a university diploma. "Many people need higher education to build a new professional trajectory," he said, adding that the academy had "heard" the request.
According to the program's website, candidates are currently required to hold a higher education degree. The course consists of an online component, professional development and a master's program, and runs for two years.
The third cohort will study for three years, with in-person classes starting next September. Graduates will receive bachelor's degrees in state and municipal administration. Enrollment is planned at about 80 people.
Because of the new rules the program is to be renamed, with the preliminary title "Time of Heroes. Higher Education." Komissarov said selection would remain multi-stage: "We are not lowering the bar."
The program was launched in February 2024. Its first cohort at RANEPA numbered 82 people and the second 85. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken since the launch of the need to form a "new elite" from military personnel. According to the program itself, 18 of its graduates won seats in the September elections to the State Duma.
Similar programs operate in almost every region and in the annexed territories, with RANEPA involved in organizing most of them. In August, Agentstvo reported that most regional programs had enrolled only a single cohort of veterans over their entire existence. Komissarov said study in the regions would end by the end of 2026 and that "there is no need to reformat the regional programs to follow the federal one." No new enrollment for them has been announced, according to Agentstvo's analysis.
The program received 639 million rubles in 2026, with 256 million planned for 2027. The State Duma has recommended that the government increase funding "in order to extend its implementation."