The article presents the results of a study of individual learning styles - characteristics related to the category of soft skills. The study with the participation of applicants and students of a medical and multidisciplinary university was carried out in order to identify the importance of a learning style for the successful development of educational programs. It was revealed that the differences in the preferred style are related to the place of graduation from secondary school and the language of instruction. It is shown that there is a connection between the learning style and the effectiveness of mastering the educational program. Students with high academic scores apply more effective learning styles - convergence and assimilation. It was found that the medical university is gradually replacing unproductive learning styles with more effective ones. The results of the study raise the problem of the preparedness of school graduates to study at a university. The importance of pre-university training of applicants and improving the selection mechanisms for higher educational institutions is emphasized, since the current selection of future students through the Unified National Testing does not contribute to the screening of applicants with ineffective learning styles.