Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the feasibility of Ukrainian refugees who came to the UK through the Homes for Ukraine scheme completing their studies (a) in the UK and (b) remotely without access to Student Finance.

Universities in Ukraine are striving to maintain the education of their students under extremely challenging conditions. This includes through the provision of online distance learning for students enrolled at Ukrainian universities who now live in another country, including in the UK. The department encourages students to speak with their education provider in Ukraine to understand what support is available for them to continue their studies at their Ukrainian provider. This includes those studying through the UK twinning programme which the government announced funding to support in June 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-package-offers-a-lifeline-to-ukrainian-researchers-and-entrepreneurs. The programme provides support to Ukrainian universities by establishing partnerships with those in the UK.

Student finance is available only for eligible students studying a course provided predominantly in the UK by a UK higher education provider, including Ukrainian students who have enrolled at UK universities. In England, those studying via distance learning are, in general, not eligible to receive student loans to cover maintenance costs. This is also the case for Ukrainian students in England, who are studying via distance learning.

Further information on support for Ukrainian students continuing courses online from the UK, including eligibility for Universal Credit can be found here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/support-for-students-from-ukraine-in-uk-higher-education/.