european students’ union
Menu

Help for Ukraine – Information and advocacy resources to help students in Ukraine!

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered international condemnation and what risks to be the worst humanitarian crisis on the European continent in 20 years. The European Students’ Union, together with the Global Student Forum and the Ukrainian Association of Students issued a joint statement condemning the invasion, and many ESU member unions published their statements against the war. The response of the European civil society has been a big mobilisation across the frontiers to provide help and support to people fleeing Ukraine and to those remaining in the country.

This tab serves as a collection of various initiatives and methods of assistance developed for the purpose of assisting Ukrainian students throughout Europe in order to ensure their safety. It can be used by both students studying in Ukraine and those interested in providing assistance from anywhere in the world.

If you have any initiatives that you would like to propose or that you have recently discovered, please contact us at ukraine@esu-online.org.

Our goal is to compile a comprehensive list of potential sources of assistance for our fellows

 

FYI: Because we’ve been gathering initiatives from all over Europe since the war began, some of the links below may be out of date.

HELP FOR UKRAINE

  • Information on staying in Belgium by UNHCR, in English, French, Dutch and Ukrainian.
  • Information for Belgians staying in Ukraine or Russia, and for Ukrainian and displaced persons in Belgium. 
  • Bulgarian citizens who are on the territory of Ukraine and want to be evacuated can also contact the Situation Center Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria via e-mail crisis@mfa.bg
  • Ukrainian citizens who are seeking shelter in Bulgaria can sign up in our Embassy in Kiev and consulate in Odessa Bulgarian Embassy in Kiev

Bulgarian Embassy in Kiev

+380 44 235 4389; +380 44 235 2202 – embassy.kiev@mfa.bg

Consulate General in Odessa

+380 48 7466 554; +380 48 746 65 58; +380 48 746 63 75 – consulate.odessa@mfa.bg

  • Ukrainian students studying in Bulgaria under the intergovernmental agreement are advised to travel to Bulgaria immediately.

Contact centers Ministry of Education and Science – press_mon@mon.bg as well as universities. 

https://eamt.ee/en/the-estonian-academy-of-music-and-theater-is-ready-to-offer-study-opportunities-to-ukrainian-refugees

https://www.tlu.ee/en/news/rector-tonu-viik-tallinn-university-stands-ukraine

  • EÜL is willing to coordinate the arrival and allocation of Ukrainian students and we are in contact with relevant government offices and NGO-s. Arriving student-refugees will receive a free ISIC card.

Call for applications: Tel Aviv University – Emergency Scholarship for Research Students from Ukraine


In the name of academic freedom and in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, Tel Aviv University (TAU) established an emergency fund to support research students from Ukraine. TAU is offering to host up to 20 research students from Ukrainian universities in all disciplines for a full semester at TAU. During their stay at TAU, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to further their research through collaboration with TAU’s leading scholars and scientists.

Program Outline

The program is intended for Postdoctoral students, PhD students, and research-track MAMSc students currently enrolled in a university in Ukraine in any discipline.

  • Students must be Ukrainian citizens to apply.
  • Students must be able to communicate effectively in English.
  • Scholarship recipients will be invited to come to TAU soon after notification of acceptance and to remain for up to six months.
  • The university will match each scholarship recipient with a TAU faculty member who will serve as the student’s mentor while at TAU.
  • The scholarship will cover full tuition and a stipend. Please email the following material to Ms. Michal Linder at TAU International –
    Intlprojects@tauex.tau.ac.il

Requirements:

  • 1-page (up to 500 words) statement describing the research.
  • Letter of recommendation from an advisor.
  • Document showing active status at home university in Ukraine.
  • Interested applicants can also contact Nurit Shnabel – shnabeln@tauex.tau.ac.il and he will connect you to relevant researchers at TAU.
  • In collaboration with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Authority, the Universities of Trieste, Udine and SISSA are preparing to welcome Ukrainian students and researchers and support them through scholarships. In particular, regional universities make available up to 18 semesters for doctoral students or master degrees for thesis preparation. Additional mobility grants for visiting faculty are available at SISSA.

Contacts: 


diamond@sissa.it

phd@sissa.it

mobility@sissa.it

research@sissa.it

lucia.piani@uniud.it

giorgio.alberti@uniud.it

delegato.internazionale@units.it

delegato.ricercassh@units.it

relazioni.internazionali@amm.units.it

  • The University of Camerino is offering 15 scolarships reserved for students from Ukraine. Click here for further details!
  • The University of Bologna has already made available more than 30 opportunities for PhD ‌students, post-docs, researchers, and professors who are either refugees from ‌Ukraine, refugees in Ukraine or holders of permanent residence permits in ‌Ukraine. Learn more here!
  • The University of Naples Federico II has decided to offer free distance learning courses in Italian language and culture. Since April 4th, it is possible to enrol in online Italian courses for levels A1 and A2. If you wish to register, fill this form! 

Contact: 0048 22 523 88 80

  • 24-hour hotline for Ukrainian citizens.

Contact: 0048 47 721 75 75

They can also declare whether they want to stay in Poland. If they do, they will be informed about the places where they can be temporarily housed. There are QR codes with more info about reception points.

For further details: https://dopomoha.ro/ro

DO YOU NEED OR OFFER HELP? CONTACT OUR HELPDESK!

Is there anything we can do to assist you? Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns, and please be as detailed as possible. We recently opened a special helpdesk connecting students studying in Ukraine with the European Students' Union and its member organisations from 40 countries across the continent, so please keep us updated and do not hesitate to contact us.

ARE YOU A STUDENT IN UKRAINE OR DO YOU WISH TO HELP STUDENTS IN THIS COUNTRY?

Are you a student in Ukraine?

  • The European Union has created a hotline (in the 24 EU languages, Ukrainian and Russian) on the aid to Ukraine (more info here). The EU has also compiled a comprehensive information page for people fleeing the war in Ukraine, in the 24 EU languages, Ukrainian and Russian (more info here). 
  • The Ukrainian Association of Students (contact: jvkprivate@gmail.com) and our member unions, in the neighbouring countries and beyond, are fully committed in supporting people studying in Ukraine that are still in the country or have crossed the border. Check our members’ list and find which unions can help you! 
  • ESU members and partners are compiling a file with information of help for people fleeing Ukraine, divided per country. The file contains two sheets: ‘Help/Support’ and ‘Transportation’, which includes information on border crossing and once crossed the border. The document is constantly updated: check it regularly!
  • The European Youth Forum has gathered three documents to help students in Ukraine: a document with some  useful links for the population still in Ukraine, which also includes transport links, at the border and outside Ukraine; a list of safety/security tips; a guide for refugees from Ukraine, in Russian, English and Ukrainian.
  • Are you an international student in Ukraine? The Ukrainian government announced the creation of  an emergency hotline for African, Asian and other students wishing to leave Ukraine because of Russia’s invasion. The number is: +380934185684. Furthermore, here you can find a series of contacts for people trying to cross the border, asylum and legal advice in Germany, hosts in Germany and Finland, means of transport, psychological support (document not managed by ESU). The Global Student Forum (GSF) is made of continental student organisations, including from Africa and Latin America. Should you need assistance from the student organisations, look if the union of your country is member of GSF. You can contact GSF at steering.committee@globalstudentforum.org.

Would you like to support Ukrainian students?

  • Look for associations organising donations, giving voluntary help, sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine. In particular, for the organisation of humanitarian help and convoys, get in touch with the Red Cross of your country (here the contacts of the EU Member States’ and Nordic Red Cross offices).
  • Donate: the Ukrainian Association of Students have started a bank account to support the Ukrainian efforts of these moments. UAS is committed to use your funds in accordance with your wish (for instance, donations with the subject ‘Humanitarian aid’ will be used only for humanitarian purposes), based on their best conscience and knowledge of the situation. UAS is ready to provide details of future funds movement to ensure full transparency. More details on how to donate to UAS here. Furthermore, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum gathered a series of organisations open for funds, specifying the different aims of these associations: more info here.
  • Join a demonstration: you can see here the demonstrations near you, or you can organise one and register it.
  • Demand that your Ministries and Higher Education Institutions do their part in welcoming and supporting students and academics leaving from Ukraine (and Ukrainian students already abroad) in pursuing their academic life: you can take inspiration from the joint statement by ESU and several European and international youth and Higher Education organisations. Ask ESU and, especially in cases of international students leaving Ukraine, the Global Student Forum to cosign your demands and support you in addressing your institutions/ministries.
  • The Ukrainian Association of Students published an appeal to the Ministries of Higher Education of the European Higher Education Area and to the European organisations in Higher Education. If you share those demands, you can send them to your Ministry. ESU supports the suspension of Russia and Belarus from the European Higher Education Area and demands to cease contact and cooperation with any central government agency of Russia or any other country that actively supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to ensure that they only engage in cooperation with organisations and institutions from Russia where these are clearly based on shared European values. 
  • The European Union has created a system to provide in-kind donations to Ukraine, Moldova and the neighbouring EU Member States, to help cater for the needs of internally displaced and refugees. The EU will organise and financially cover the delivery of items to its logistical hubs in either Poland, Romania or Slovakia. More info here.
  • The Coimbra Group, which is an association of long-established European universities, has published on its website a page with all initiatives taken from specific institutions in order to help and support Ukrainian students. Check them all here.
     
     

We recognize the courage shown by those members of Russian civil society who are engaging in protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in spite of great personal risk and ask all members and consultative members of the EHEA to offer support and protection to members of the Russian higher education community taking a public stance against the invasion. Furthermore, we need to recognise that many Belarusian students are de facto living in exile from their country, and with the rapidly deteriorating situation of civil liberties in Russia, this is going to be the case for Russian students in Europe. We ask the Member States and Higher Education institutions to consider the possibility of extending their visas and study periods in Europe. 

Share our page with others

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email
Telegram

Newsletter sign-up

We make sure you dont miss any news

ESU is supported by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Programme and the Council of Europe’s European Youth Foundation. This website reflects the views only of the author, and neither the Commission nor the Council of Europe can be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.