Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government has taken to make it easier for international, British and commonwealth students to transfer to UK institutions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The department continues to work closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, the UK higher education (HE) sector and across government to ensure that international, British and Commonwealth students that are affected by the war in Ukraine are supported and have a range of options available to them during this difficult time.

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, of which the government announced funding to support in June 2022. Further information is available at: 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.

Students wishing to study at a UK university should speak with prospective providers to see what options are available to them. HE providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for setting their own admissions criteria, but the department has made it clear to providers that they should be as flexible as possible when considering applications for students with difficult circumstances, such as those from Ukraine, or those who were studying in Ukraine.

In addition, in April this year, the government announced £4 million for financial year 2022/23 to support Ukrainian students studying at English HE providers. This funding is intended to help Ukrainian nationals and Ukrainian-domiciled students who have been financially affected by the events in Ukraine.

To help students and providers to understand the comparability of international qualifications at all levels of education, they can get expert advice from the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills (ENIC). ENIC maintains an extensive database of international qualifications and education systems, including those used in Ukraine, and is fully prepared to assess and advise on the comparability of Ukrainian qualifications with those of the UK. Organisations and individuals can apply for a Statement of Comparability through the standard UK ENIC portal, which can be found at: https://www.enic.org.uk/Qualifications/SOC/Default.aspx.

ENIC also has the capacity to assist those without full documentation to have their qualifications evaluated.