While the Russian invasion continues, Ukrainians are not the only ones fleeing the country – those who have come to study abroad are also trying to flee.
Early this month, Naveen S. Gyanagoudar, the 21-year-old medical student from India, was killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine's Kharkiv while he left his bunker to buy food.
My heart goes out to the friends and family of Indian student #NaveenShekharappa who lost his life in Ukraine.
— Akash Anand (@AnandAkash_BSP) March 2, 2022
I am again urging the Centre government to expedite the process of bringing every single Indian student back to India safely. pic.twitter.com/lXfRfwtqFk
In many universities in Ukraine, international students were not unusual. According to the data accumulated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Ukraine welcomed over 60,000 international students at the tertiary level study in 2020. This has increased nearly 15% compared to five years ago.
The majority of the international students in Ukraine are from Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries, which have little in common in terms of culture and language with Ukraine.
Morocco
Iraq
Nigeria
Russia
Turkey
Azerbaijan
Turkmenistan
9734
9979
India
Uzbeki
stan
Jordan
4773
Nigeria
Israel
Turkmenistan
China
Morocco
India
5721
14383
Turkey
Azerbaijan
Jordan
4718
Egypt
The Ukrainian government has attracted these students by offering plenty of courses taught in English, Russian, and French and globally popular degrees, particularly in medicine, pharmacy, and engineering.
A less demanding admission process, affordable tuitions, and low cost of living also lure students who aim for further education and a gateway to better employment opportunities. For example, most universities in Ukraine don't require students to pay tuition before school starts. In addition, permanent residency can be granted to international students after graduation.
Despite an increase in inbound students, many local students in Ukraine choose to study abroad. In 2020, over 77,000 Ukrainian students left Ukraine, encouraging the government to recruit more international students. More than 70% of them head to neighboring Poland and Russia.
The Ukrainian government and universities have reaped the benefits of their efforts. Under the Russian invasion, however, thousands of international students were tragically trapped in Ukraine. Many universities popular among international students are located in Eastern Ukraine, particularly in the area bordering on Russia and the Donbas region, which separatist groups partly control.
The top two universities popular among these students are located in Kharkiv, as one of the most prominent medical schools in Ukraine is in the city. Gyanagoudar, the student killed in the Russin attack, also studied in Kharkiv. In 2020, more than 8000 international students studied in the city, according to the Ministry of Education (the original website is not accessible as of March 8, see archived data here.)
Donbass
Donbass