Universities gear up to help Ukrainian academic refugees

The five Nordic nations of Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are gearing up to accommodate as many Ukrainian students and scholars as possible in the wake of disruptions caused by the Russian invasion.

“They are in need of help, and that they will get,” Minister of Higher Education and Research in Norway Ola Borten Moe said in comments coinciding with calls by Norwegian student unions for government support for Ukraine’s academic communities.

Across the region, ministries, rectors’ conferences, universities and other higher education institutions are collaborating to identify study places and funding to accommodate Ukrainian students entering the country as refugees.

Norway

In Norway, students on exchange visas are set to be allocated temporary residence permits for degree studies. Other practical issues to be addressed include application deadlines, documentation of prior education, admission requirements, funding (including tuition fees for English-taught degrees except for Norway and Iceland), language requirements and housing.

In a letter to all higher educational institutions on 5 March, the Norwegian Ministry of Higher Education and Research asked for information about each institution’s capacity to accommodate Ukrainian refugees in the form of students, scientists, and other academic personnel.

“We want Ukrainian students and academics to be able to study and work at Norwegian universities and university colleges and we have noticed that there is a great interest in contributing to this,” the letter said.

In addition to information about capacity issues, the ministry asked institutions to give feedback on their capacity to upscale bachelor and masters degrees taught in English and their ability to rapidly upscale courses in Norwegian for foreign students. The ministry also asked institutions what they need in order to receive the refugees in an efficient manner.

A number of Norwegian universities have confirmed their willingness to assist. University of Tromsø Rector Dag Rune Olsen told Khrono the university is preparing a response to the ministry and that he thinks that the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service, which is receiving all public higher education applications for the next study year by 15 April, will have to make allowances for the Ukrainian students so that they can be admitted after the deadline.

University of Bergen Rector Margareth Hagen said the university has a strong interest in participating and will look into all options regarding accepting academic refugees.

Moe stressed to VG newspaper that flexibility on the part of institutions was needed: “If many refugees are coming during the summer, we have to find out how to have them entered into our higher education system regardless of the deadlines for application. This is needed so that people won’t have to wait a whole year before they can start studying,” he said.

“It is obvious that Ukrainian students cannot go home now, and the Russian students here can lose access to their bank accounts at home and be without any economic means due to the sanctions. Then they need help, and that they will get,” Moe said.

Professor Sunniva Whittaker, rector of the University of Agder and chair of the board of Universities Norway (made up of accredited universities and university colleges), said member institutions were “doing their best” to take care of affected students and staff.

“A united sector stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and has condemned the Russian invasion. We are working together, across institutions, to share experiences and prepare for a future in which many refugees, both students and scholars, will need help from the entire Norwegian society. In cooperation with the government and other relevant agencies, I am convinced we will be able to find good solutions,” she told University World News.

Iceland

In Iceland, universities have thrown their weight behind Ukraine, with the Icelandic Rectors’ Conference strongly condemning the Russian invasion and expressing its solidarity with university students and staff of Ukrainian universities, as well as the entire nation.

In a statement, the Icelandic Rectors’ Conference said universities in Iceland “will keep a close eye on developments and respond as they unfold. The universities will work with the Icelandic government to explore options for accommodating Ukrainian students and staff who need to flee the conflict and seek refuge in Iceland”.

Sweden

In Sweden, the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) said in a press release that it supports universities in Ukraine and strongly agrees with the European University Association’s opinion on solidarity.

“Our universities in Sweden are following developments very closely in order to be able to assist affected students and staff, and we are also ready, in collaboration with Scholars at Risk (SAR), to support and help researchers in flight from the crisis,” it said.

Senior International Officer at Stockholm University Johanna Wiklund told University World News the Swedish section of Scholars at Risk was currently investigating the funding needed for increased SAR placements at Swedish universities. In parallel, a number of chemistry laboratories – including some at Stockholm University – were offering research positions to Ukrainian researchers.

President of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm Professor Ole Petter Ottersen told University World News the crisis facing Ukraine “puts our universities and the academic community to the test”.

“Beyond sanctioning the attacker and beyond voicing our support for the attacked – the population of Ukraine – we need to see how best we can assist in this dire situation by drawing on our competence and resources and our international networks.”

The Karolinska Institute has activated its memorandum of understanding with Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv and is preparing to receive researchers and students from the zone of war and conflict, he said.

“Our newly established Centre for Health Crises will play a prominent role in our efforts to muster our support to those victimised by this terrible act of aggression.”

Ottersen said the issue will be the topic of a webinar hosted by the institute on 14 March.

Finland

Universities Finland (a cooperative organisation for Finnish universities) has also expressed support for Ukraine and the academic community and is investigating possibilities, with SAR Finland, for hosting Ukrainian student and researchers in Finnish universities.

It comes as Finnish Minister of Science and Culture Antti Kurvinen recommended on 9 March that Finnish higher education institutions refrain from all cooperation with Russian partner organisations in higher education and science.

The University of Eastern Finland has announced a grant scheme specifically aimed at Ukrainian students. In a statement, the institution said it will be possible for Ukrainian students to apply for admission to the university under a “separate right to study”, and to apply for a grant. The call for applications is aimed at students who have an existing, valid right to study at a Ukrainian university and Ukrainian citizenship, and whose studies have been discontinued due to the war.

“We want to take concrete action in this very serious situation and to support Ukrainians suffering from the war. We are allocating a total of EUR100,000 (US$110,500) to a grant scheme aimed at Ukrainian students, making it possible to continue academic studies in Finland,” University of Eastern Finland’s Academic Rector Tapio Määttä said.

The University of Helsinki, which lit up its main building in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, has said that all Ukrainian degree and exchange students studying at the University of Helsinki as well as Ukrainian employees of the university have been personally contacted and offered support.

Registrar Esa Hämäläinen, who is in charge of crisis management at the University of Helsinki, told University World News the lighting up of the main building in Ukrainian colours signalled a condemnation of Russia’s military action.

“The picture of the remains of our main building in 1944, bombed by the Soviet Union, is deeply carved into our hearts. Places of learning and scholarly activities need peace and recognition, not war or hostility. We truly hope that Ukrainian universities and their staff and students stay safe in this crisis and do not have to face anything similar,” he said.

“At the same time, as a truly international and multicultural community, inclusion is one of our main values. During this crisis we are committed to offer all possible help and support to our staff and students, many of whom have close contacts, relatives, friends and research collaborators [in Ukraine].”

Denmark

While expressing its solidarity with Ukraine, Universities Denmark (made up of eight Danish universities) on 1 March issued a press release in which it said there was “a clear distinction between the state of Russia and the citizens of Russia. We want to offer our support to both staff and students from Ukraine as well as Belarus and Russia”.

“The Danish universities want to show our solidarity with Ukraine and will seek support among the European universities to cooperate on supportive measures that may help the students and university staff in Ukraine.”

Jesper Langergaard, director of Universities Denmark, told University World News: “It seems like there is a broad political understanding in parliament that we will let Ukrainian refugees have the opportunity to enter university here without tuition fees. This will be decided next week.”

“Universities Denmark has a meeting this Friday [10 March] with the Minister for Higher Education and Science about the situation in Ukraine and how we can deal with it.”

“All Danish universities support the sanctions against Russia. And we will now look at the capacity at the universities to see how we eventually can receive Ukrainian students.”