Support services for Ukrainian students and academics

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, a "round table" initiated by the University of Bremen’s Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and Diversity and the university’s International Office has been meeting regularly to bring together all interested parties and stakeholders at the university as well as representatives from other universities in Bremen. The aim is to coordinate support services for affected students and academics. The response has been great, including to our appeal for donations. At the moment, various counselling services are especially in demand. And Ukrainian refugees from third countries can now also hope to find a place to study in Bremen. 

There are currently around 40 Ukrainians studying regularly at the University of Bremen, plus 13 guest students. For new arrivals, the university has set up initial counselling via a central email address and a website. Since mid-March, there have been around a hundred enquiries – more than 80 per cent of those are from people in Ukraine with Ukrainian citizenship. Most want to continue in Bremen with the bachelor's studies that they had already begun in Ukraine.

Continuing studies in Bremen

At least for the English-language master's programmes, entrance is to be made easier by suspending the admission criterion for German language skills for one academic year. All others can take the route of preparatory studies. There are already 37 applications from Ukrainian citizens and 19 applications from students from third countries, i.e. from people who studied as foreign students in Ukraine and who also had to leave the country as refugees. This last group had initially been granted temporary stay status. However, the Bremen Senator for Home Affairs has instructed Bremen’s immigration authorities to issue them “fictional certificates” of residence valid for six months, allowing them to work, among other things. The plan is to give these students from third countries real prospects in Germany, ideally through a nationwide regulation.

Faculty 1 (Physics/Electrical Engineering) is making a special offer: It is opening its online and hybrid lectures to students who are in Ukraine and participate online from there.

The University of Bremen has now concluded two new institutional partnerships with Ukrainian universities, with a focus on hosting Ukrainian students and academics, particularly in Faculty 1 (Physics/Electrical Engineering) and Faculty 7 (Business Studies and Economics).

Donations for refugees from Ukraine

Students and new arrivals from Ukraine not only need moral support, but often also financial support as the war and their flight to safety cut off or exhausted their resources. After our appeal for donations in the last newsletter, a total of 6,000 euros was received by the XENOS association, which makes the funds available to all those affected by the war in Ukraine, regardless of nationality. A big thank you goes out to the three major donors. Further donations are welcome via bank transfer to IBAN DE53 2905 0101 0010 8187 55.