How to enter or continue studying abroad for Ukrainians who left because of the war
The University of Vienna welcomes new students/University of Vienna
With the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee as far as possible from the war and genocide that the Russians brought. The life habitual for Ukrainians was destroyed.
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As a result of Russian aggression, millions of people found themselves outside of Ukraine, many of them young. For them, in the countries that have become a place of temporary asylum, conditions were created for studying and entering higher educational institutions. Read about preferences for Ukrainians in foreign universities in the article on Channel 24.
Status
A very important point is legalization, that is, obtaining the official status of a refugee or temporarily displaced person. Such a document is issued for a period of one year with the right to extend. It is the basis for the calculation of benefits and assistance, as well as the right to work, medical protection and education.
However, in some countries, legal issues may be secondary to continuing education. For example, in the universities of Italy, Ukrainians who for some reason do not yet have official refugee status are allowed to attend lectures as a “free listener” (and only the universities of Palermo and Messina allow asylum seekers to go through “full registration”). You must already have an official document to enter university.
In Poland, you do not need to confirm the Ukrainian diploma/Photo – Pixabay
In the context of martial law, the Ukrainian authorities decided to complete the academic year remotely, and also canceled the UPE and introduced a significantly simplified “multi-subject test” for applicants instead. The new school year is expected to start offline. The recommended start date is August 15, 2022 (for first-year students and 1st year master students – September 1).
Higher education in Europe and the USA is usually paid and such a thing as a “budget” is quite rare. However, there are many “moments” that allow students to get an education and not pay at least the full amount. This is, first of all, about scholarship programs, as well as about grants. Many Ukrainians used them until 2022, but now, for obvious reasons, the number of Ukrainian students around the world will increase significantly.
Admission conditions
The authorities of the countries that hosted the refugees provided fairly wide preferences for young Ukrainians. So, in Poland, which received the most of our fellow citizens, Ukrainians do not need to confirm their diploma (bye-bye, apostille) to enter or continue their studies. It is enough to submit documents and an application to the university, the decision on admission will be made by the rector. Similar rules for Ukrainians apply in other European countries.
Attention! The apostille mentioned above will most likely not be needed, but a “sworn translation” of documents should be required.
In Italy for refugees, grants for education are provided. Since 2016, there has been a CRUI Scholarship Program in the country, which annually provides 100 scholarships to refugees. In 2022, due to the events in Ukraine, the program should be scaled up.
Italy is ready to provide grants for education of refugees from Ukraine/Photo – Pixabay
There is also a DSU scholarship program in Italy. Grants are managed at the regional level, so conditions may vary by region.
Graduates of grades 9 and 11, who left Ukraine because of the war, will be able to receive certificates of education in the diplomatic missions of Ukraine. Delivery of documents on basic and complete secondary education to graduates will be carried out on the basis of applications from parents or graduates that will be submitted to the school. The application (its scanned copy or photocopy) may be submitted visually, by fax, e-mail or other means of communication. Based on the applications received, school principals must submit documents on education to the education department, from where they will be transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In Germanyfor applicants from Ukraine who left their homes to escape the war, as an exception, a certificate (an analogue of the local Abitur) was made optional. In one form or another, the corresponding decision was made by other EU countries.
Germany also simplified the conditions for Ukrainians who want to study/Photo – Pixabay
However, there is another nuance, since education in a secondary school in Germany lasts 13 years, Ukrainian applicants will have to study for one year in a local school or at the local analogue of the preparatory department – Studienkolleg (by the way, a very similar system in Austria).
What is Studienkolleg
College of Preparatory Education. His profile is applicants who have graduated from school in non-EU countries. The task of the Studienkolleg is to improve languages and adapt them to local life and the requirements of German universities.
Language issue
Ignorance of the required language of teaching can become a problem, because teaching is mainly carried out in the language of the country where the university is located. The exception is international programs taught in English.
In addition, there are programs in Poland where teaching takes place in Ukrainian. One of these is the Graduate School of Banking in Warsaw, which offers a wide range of economic specialties, as well as an express course in Polish.
Continuing education
Since Ukraine is a member of the Hague Convention on the Simplified Procedure for the Legalization of Documents and the Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications in Europe, has signed relevant bilateral agreements with many countries, in particular Poland and Hungary, France and Romania, Estonia and Slovakia, continuing education and undergraduates is not a big problem.
Money could be a problem, because higher education abroad is expensive, but scholarships came in handy.
Where and how to look grants and scholarship programs
The list of programs where Ukrainians can apply and get the right to actually free or partially free education is quite large and constantly growing.
Ukrainian students and young scientists can study at the best universities in the world and even can to choose. To do this, there are social networks that have replaced the so-called “word of mouth”.
Also, information about scholarship programs for Ukrainian refugees is collected on specialized resources. In Ukraine, this is the educational platform “Ukrainian Global University”, the website Osvita.ua or the profile section “Education 24” on Channel 24. Among the global ones, it is worth mentioning Erudera.com, as well as a special reference platform Scienceforukraine.eu >In addition, there are national projects. For example, the offers of German universities are collected on the DAAD platform or on the site with the eloquent name Support UAstudents, and the options for Ukrainians in the Netherlands are on the Factcards resource.
