The deferment system is undergoing drastic changes at the initiative of the Government.

The Government will provide support in the form of military service deferment to citizens of the Republic of Armenia who are studying at or have graduated from the world’s top 50 universities, on the condition that they return to Armenia after completing their studies. The Government has approved a package of amendments to the Law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen,” which proposes to reform the deferment system for students of high-ranking universities.

Under the draft, deferment will be granted only to those studying in bachelor’s, master’s, postgraduate and other full-time programs at the world’s top 50 universities, on the condition of mandatory return and subsequent work in the field and location specified by the Government. The same requirement will apply to those citizens who have previously received deferment and will complete their studies in the future.

The amendments stipulate that a student may receive a final exemption from conscription only if, after graduation, they work for a certain period in Armenia and apply their knowledge in the country’s science, economy, public administration or other sectors. According to the Government data, since 2018, 650 citizens have received a deferment to study at universities included in the top five of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, 570 of whom are currently continuing their studies.

The authors of the draft emphasize that it is necessary to improve the regulations on return and integration into Armenia’s labor market, since the outflow of highly qualified professionals remains a serious problem, including in the IT sector, medicine and engineering professions. The amendments also propose abolishing the “achievement-based” deferment defined by current resolution No. 451, which allowed students of Armenian universities to obtain deferment as well.