KYIV, 17 November 2011
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN UKRAINE:
EDUCATION OR EXPLOITATION?
by the Social Action Centre/No Borders Project
authors' collective:
Halyna Bocheva/No Borders Project Lawyer
Olena Bondarenko/ No Borders Project Assistant
Inna Kholondovych/ No Borders Project Legal Intern
DEVOTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' DAY 2011[1]
This Overview of the situation faced by foreign nationals and stateless persons who arrive to Ukraine to receive higher education, is prepared by the Social Action Centre/No Borders Project on the basis of the previous research by by Amnesty International (2007-2008, partly reflected in 2008 report “Ukraine: Government must act to stop racial discrimination”), the Eastern European Development Institute (EEDI: “Unheard voices problems of immigration, human rights and freedoms in Ukraine”, 2008) and Elise Garvey (Fulbright fellow, “The Experience of Foreign Students in Ukraine”, 2008) as well as on empirical data available to the Social Action Centre/No Borders Project from its case-work.
I. Introduction
According to the data of the Ministry of Education and Science in 2010/2011 academic year 46 600 foreign nationals studied in 195 higher education institutions of Ukraine[2]. During that year Ukraine hosted foreign students from 134 countries mostly from Asia and Africa. The biggest number of foreign students come from China (about 6000) and Turkmenistan (around 5000), as well as from the Russian Federation -3500, India – 3000[3]. Most of them study in universities of Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Luhansk and Donetsk cities. Almost 40% of all international students come to Ukraine to study medicine. Foreign students receive education in the universities of Ukraine on fee paid basis. Moreover, tuition fees foreign students pay for their education in Ukraine approximately two times exceed the fees that Ukrainian nationals studying on a fee paid basis have to pay for the same courses.
The Government of Ukraine is aiming at increasing the numbers of enrolment of foreign students into Ukrainian universities. In April 2010 the Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine has passed a decree that permits all universities of Ukraine to choose any language of instruction at the courses taught for foreign students depending on demand. The decree is designed to increase attractiveness of Ukrainian educational institutions that as a result of that legislative innovation would be able to freely offer foreign students any courses or educational programmes in English. In connection with adoption of this instrument the Minister of Education of Ukraine D.Tabachnyk expressed the hope that due to its adoption during 2011-2012 academic year Ukrainian universities will be providing education to more than 50 000 foreign students that would make Ukraine one of the top 20 states in the world providing international education[4].
The desire of the authorities to increase the number of international students studying in Ukraine is fairly understandable not least because foreign students not only constitute an important source of income for Ukrainian universities, but also positively influence the economy of Ukraine in general. According to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine international students bring around 800 million hryvnas per year in school fees to Ukraine's budget. It is estimated by the Minister D. Tabachnyk that in total they spend in Ukraine around 500 million dollars per year[5]. The money they bring to Ukraine help to sustain or even create new jobs in educational sector, as well as allows administrations of the universities where these students study to invest resources into improving the quality of educational services provided by national educational establishments to all students regardless of their nationality.
In fact, many of the international students have chosen to study in Ukraine due to a very positive reputation of the higher educational establishments of the Soviet Union that was succeeded by the universities of modern Ukraine in combination with comparatively lower tuition fees that have been charged by Ukrainian higher educational establishments after education of foreign nationals became a matter of business for them. However, despite the fact that measures aimed at attracting new international students to Ukrainian universities prove effective and numbers of enrolment are increasing, majority of international students after arrival to Ukraine discover that the quality and cost of education and life that they expected are not true[6]. For many of them the contrast between their expectations that were based on promises of recruiting agents representing Ukrainian universities was a cause of not just a slight disappointment but even prompted some to abandon the time and money invested into gaining higher education in this country and pursue higher education elsewhere.
This paper contains a general overview of the most common problems faced by the international students in Ukraine, before arrival to Ukraine to study and upon graduation as identified by a pilot research initiatives undertaken by the Eastern European Development Institute, Amnesty International and a Fulbright Fellow Elise Garvey in 2008 as well as through the practice of the Social Action Centre/No Borders Project throughout March 2008 – October 2011. It does not lay a claim to be an exhaustive, comprehensive or a representative study. However, the data is intended to serve as an invitation for further research into the topic that could prompt a positive change in the situation of the international students in Ukraine.
II. Studying in Ukraine: information received prior to arrival
Since Soviet period Ukraine has been an attractive destination for foreign students. Foreign students, being often misinformed, choose Ukraine as a place of their graduate or post-graduate studies. Prevailing majority of them prefer studying in Ukraine because of the relatively low university fees and cost of living (particularly in comparison to EU and North America). Another reason is a good reputation of Ukrainian universities stemming from Soviet times. Usually they follow advices and references of older relatives or family friends of many of the current foreign students who obtained their university degrees in Soviet Union.
Some Ukrainian universities offer educational programs taught in English that seems attractive to foreign students as well as easier procedures for obtaining visa to Ukraine compared to EU Member-States or North American countries. The awareness of the surge of racist violence and intolerance in Russian Federation also makes many foreign students prefer coming Ukraine for studying as a safer place.Sometimes they found out about Ukraine because of recommendations of their friends and acquaintances who are already studying in Ukraine.
Unfortunately there are not so much reliable sources of information about educational opportunities in Ukraine available for foreign students that is why they often are misinformed about realities of Ukrainian system of education, current valid prices for education for foreigners, dormitory conditions, as well as the level of corruption and racial or religious intolerance . The recruiting agents play the significant role in misinforming and misleading foreigners. They provide students with deliberately untruthful information about the quality of education, conditions of living and prices, promoting Ukraine as a safest state for foreigners, covering up hate crimes and etc.
The main sources of information about conditions of study in Ukraine available to foreign students include:
- Information received from recruiting agents with whom they have to deal to obtain admission to any Ukrainian university. Unfortunately, very often the mentioned agents provide students with untrue information about conditions and quality of studying in Ukraine as well as about the issue of foreign students' safety. For example,media reports from Africa revealed the efforts recruitment agencies to cover up any information regarding the rising patterns of racially motivated violence in Kyiv. For in August 2008 article from The New Vision cites the efforts of a Study in Ukraine agent in Uganda to deny the existence of racially motivated violence[7];
- Internet resources, including web-sites of recruiting companies, agencies assisting with admissions, university web-sites etc. Though very few Ukrainian universities have English versions of their official web-sites, there are web-sites claiming to provide information on behalf of universities while in some cases having private contacts listed in the contact information section. For instance, contact information of LSMU admission office listed on the web-site is identical to that of a recruiting agent providing services to university. At the same time, the official English version, created not earlier than April 2011, includes a disclaimer “The only official site of LSMU is The university is not responsible for any data or information located on other websites”. There is a similar situation with the web-site of Kharkiv National Medical University;
- Limited official information about conditions of studying in Ukraine is provided on the web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine including links to unofficial web-sites. For instance, the link to the web-site of the Ukrainian State Centre of International Education ( leads to a web-site that is not operating,whereas a resource declares itself as being affiliated with the Ministry of Science and Education of Ukraine.
For the majority of the international students the information they receive from agents proves to be untrue after they arrive to Ukraine. Discrepancies between expected conditions and actual situation the students find themselves in:
- Prevailing majority of foreign students stressed, that they were told it would be easy to find part-time employment in Ukraine, as well as be able to earn enough to cover school fees and living expenses during studies. Upon arrival university administrations of their universities instruct international students that they do not have a right to work in Ukraine. Students who undertake employment in Ukraine are often penalised which renders their right to part-time employment established by Ukrainian laws ineffective;
- Majority of students face substantially lower quality of education (particularly when the language of studies is English)as well as promised worldwide recognition of qualifications obtained at universities in Ukraine often turns out to be a misrepresentation, in some cases due to acknowledgement of widespread corruption. For example, according to as the third secretary of embassy Juliya Yuschenko, the Embassy of Ukraine in Iran confirmed the information about non recognition of diplomas obtained in Ukrainian medical universities since 1st January 2010. Iran doesn't recognise diplomas of higher medical universities and doesn’t provide Iranian graduates having Ukrainian diplomas with the right to medical practice. The reason is a low level of education of students trained by Ukrainian universities including the prestigious national O.O. Bohomolets Medical University.[8]
- Local people appear to be not at all as friendly as students were told and expected .In fact international students face violence and harassment (often racial) and it becomes part of their daily routines;
- Many students admit substantially higher actual cost of living as well as higher cost of education, including official fees (as well as cases when students pay their 1st year fees to the agent prior to arrival and upon arrival are demanded to repay extra fees but directly to the university under the threat of deportation) and additional resources invested due to corruption in universities.Despite promises prior to arrival, participation in exchange/internship programmes with European and North American Universities, as a rule, are open only to Ukrainian students. Those international students who managed to find educational opportunities in Europe had serious difficulties obtaining a visa there, even more difficult than if they were to apply for it in their home-country.
- Some of them were misinformed about the location of their host universities. Cities very often appear to be less developed as students were promised (it was reported that students from the Latin American country were told by agents that their university is located in the largest city of Ukraine afterwards the information appeared to be untrue).Moreover they were provided with untrue information by “Study in Ukraine” resource ( and some recruiting agents, that Ukraine is one of EU-members.
According to the chief of Eastern European development institute Mridula Gosh, the main problem is that conditions of studying for foreign students in modern Ukraine are so different from Soviet period. These processes very often aren't fixed in the international treaties between Ukraine and the state X of Africa or Asia. As a rule the private agent is engaged in these affairs, which is often a graduate of any Ukrainian universities or has some knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian. The mentioned agents promote Ukrainian universities in some states and recruit students», told Madam Gosh. In her opinion, students' recruitment is made poorly.
“They recruit students just to earn money. Students came here but there are no appropriate conditions, quality of education isn't proper, because the Ministry of Education very often doesn't control properly”, stressed Madam Gosh.
Three students from Congo were interviewed by the correspondent ofUNIAN[9] and asked not to mention their names. Students told that they decided to study in Ukraine after seeing advertisement over the local TV about education opportunities. They made contract with Moroccan company Carrefour Event. Afterwards they paid the agent some thousand dollars for visa, invitation letter from the university, tickets,medical insurance and language course. Upon arrival to Ukraine, they were notified by the administration of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv that they had to pay extra 20 000 hryvnas for studying and accommodation. According to students they faced the trouble because they weren't notified about such amounts. Students who weren't able to pay risked facing deportation.
Despite of it as students from Congo said scheme kept going on and more and more students from African states came to Ukraine and faced with the same troubles According to their confessions, after coming to dean's office they got deprived of passports, some of them were offered to pay for dormitory as for the hotel — 100 hryvnas per day. Their comrade who failed to pay was deported; another one from Cote d'Ivoire resisted being deported and got imprisoned afterwards.[10]
The same situation has recently repeated in the National Aviation University in Kyiv. Students from Gabon and other African state faced the same problems related to the payment issue. Firstly they were demanded to pay the agent. Upon arrival to Kyiv they discovered that their agent didn't make any transfer to university and they had to repay under the threat of being deported.
Admission requirements
In addition, universities do not set any but formal requirements for admission. Often, there are no admission tests, only the requirement for a future student to have required minimum education level. Universities encourage agents to recruit as many students as possible regardless of the quality of their knowledge and their motivation, and in most cases the agent simply gets a commission off every student recruited to study in the university that he is contracted by. According to available reports, such attitude leads to various malpractices by the agents who misrepresent conditions of studies in Ukraine to perspective students, as well as sometimes forge documentation to receive commission for recruiting students who do not have required minimum level of qualification. This practice often occurs without prospective students being aware of it, and first of all concerns transfer students.
II. Arrival and studying in Ukraine
Arrival of the newly recruited students is associated with a set of issues:
- Students are not allowed across the border unless received by university representative on the other side. As a result, they are kept in airport arrival halls for long hours or even days, as well as it creates a room for abusive and corrupt practices of border-guards and university representatives.
- Foreign students, especially those arriving from African or Asian countries, are treated in discriminatory manner, including being segregated from the general queue during passport control, being subjected to extensive questioning.
- Often, foreign students are not allowed across the border and kept in the terminal for a long time (sometimes even several days), even though despite the fact that their documents are in perfect order.
- Quite a number of incidents when border guards extort money from arriving students, explaining it as a fee for bringing additional mobile phone or wearing jewellerywere reported by international students anonymously.[11]
According to studies that relied on student's own explanations of this problem such cases were due to the biased attitude of border-guard service of Ukraine who viewed every person of African or Asian origin who arrived to Ukraine to study as a potential infringer of visa regime and due to lack of intervention on the part of the administration of Universities.
They held me at the airport after I had just arrived. I slept on an iron chair for two days. They take you into a room and won’t even allow us to contact the university. I was treated like a prisoner“,confessed one of African students.[12]