Higher Attestation Commission (Russian: Высшая аттестационная комиссия, Ukrainian: Вища атестаційна комісія, abbreviated Cyrillic: ВАК, Latin: VAK) is a name of a national government agency in Russia, Ukraine and some other post-Soviet states that oversees awarding of advanced academic degrees.
A commission of a similar kind (Bulgarian: Висша атестационна комисия) operated in Bulgaria until 2010, when it was abolished as part of a reorganisation of academic structures.
With the fall and break up of the Soviet Union, separate Higher Attestation Commissions arose in the newly independent nations.
The responsibilities of the Russian Commission include: Since 2016-2019, some (29, as of June 2020[3]) top-level educational and scientific establishments in Russia, e.g. Moscow State University, were granted the right to award degrees independently, i.e. without a control, of the VAK; there are voices against extension of this option.
Scientific degrees awarded VAK were classified into an established list of specialties, grouped into the following major sections[4]