Will applicants from Russia be able to enter European universities

Has it become more difficult to enter Europe?

— We continue to apply and receive offers from universities. Some universities have sent us letters stating that they will not allow discrimination based on nationality and will continue to cooperate as before.

And the admission process itself has not changed much - only some difficulties have appeared. The main ones are related to passing language exams and obtaining visas in some countries.

In addition, Belgium has suspended the issuance of scholarships to Russians. Following them, the directorate CheveningChevening is a scholarship program in the UK. also decided not to nominate candidates from Russia for financial support. They also became unavailable to one of the scholarship programs in Germany - from the region of Bavaria. At the same time, others, such as DAAD, continue to cooperate.

— What are the difficulties in obtaining visas?

— Norway, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland have suspended their extradition to the Russians. Therefore, if you have only Russian citizenship, then you will not be able to leave to study at the universities of these states in the near future. Hope things change soon.

— How now to get to the European countries? Are there any difficulties at customs?

- While the airspace over Europe is closed, you can get to the desired country with a transfer, through third states. For example, through Turkey.

I don't think there should be any problems with customs. If you have already entered another country, then it is not interested in you staying inside it. You should also be allowed into European states, because you will have legal grounds to be there.

- How can you now pass the language exam, given that TOEFL and IELTS are still impossible to pass?

- There are three options. Firstly, you can take the exam on the territory of any nearby country that is open for Russians to enter. For example, in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan.

Secondly, you can take other language exams - Pearson Test of English or Duolingo. Some universities accept them. Whether the exam is suitable for admission to a particular university should be clarified on its website or in the directorate.

Thirdly, you can write to the official mail of the university: “Hello, now I don’t have the opportunity to pass TOEFL and IELTS, what should I do? Most often they have International Admissions, an international student service that processes letters received by e-mail.

You can also contact directly the coordinator of the program you wish to enroll in. It is possible that a particular university will offer alternative solutions to the problem.

For example, if we are talking about admission to a master's program, then instead of test results, some universities can count the results of the English exam that you took while studying at bachelor's degree. You can also ask them to conduct an internal test.

So, one Italian university went to meet my student and gave her an interview in English. As a result, TOEFL or IELTS certificates were not needed.

- What do you think, will the Russians have problems with socialization in Europe?

- I live in Europe and I can say that the bulk of the population is not against Russians. I've never experienced any negativity in this regard. On the contrary, people empathize, they are interested in how things are with me, with my family, who remained in Russia. Perhaps there is nationalism somewhere, but definitely not in my inner circle.

Many understand that ordinary Russians are not directly involved in geopolitical conflicts. If we talk about the educational system, then universities are also struggling with discrimination on a national basis: they offer help to Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians - to everyone, regardless of citizenship.

- There was news about the fact that Russian students were illegally expelled from a European university. Could this happen? And what to do in such a situation?

“The day the news broke, I immediately wrote to my students. She asked if everything was fine with them, had something similar happened at their universities? They said no. Nobody was expelled. The only thing was a case in the Czech Republic when a teacher spoke unflatteringly about Russians, but after that he was immediately suspended from work.

But even if it happens that some of the students illegally deducted, the university can be sued, as this will be considered discrimination based on nationality.

— What is important to consider when applying abroad right now?

“It is important to bear in mind that the situation can change at any second. Therefore, you need to be able to react quickly and have a backup plan. By this I mean a selection of several universities in different countries, as well as participation in not one, but several scholarship competitions at once.

Let's say if you apply for a student allowance in Bavaria (a region in Germany), then you have several options: state scholarship, regional scholarship, university scholarship. It's worth trying to use them all. It is also better to choose universities not only in Germany, but also in Austria.

You can quickly track all changes related to foreign education on the websites of universities, as well as on news channels. However, it is important to always check the accuracy of the information.

If you doubt the truth of any data or cannot determine whether it applies to you, do not be afraid to ask about it in the departments of work with international students at universities. This is absolutely normal practice. Their function is to communicate with you.

— What can change for applicants from Russia in the future?

— It is difficult to predict something. I think there are two ways to develop.

The first is pessimistic. Russia will be further cut off from the rest of the world. The number of sanctions, restrictions on scholarships and so on will increase. It will become much more difficult or almost impossible to do so.

The second is optimistic. Soon all restrictions will be lifted - both on visas and on the issuance of scholarships. Although the hope for this is illusory. But I still hope for him.

However, in any case, it is worth remembering that students and scientists are cut off from interethnic cooperation last. Even during the pandemic, they were practically the only category of citizens who continued to receive visas and who could travel to Europe. I hope that the changes that are taking place in the world will affect the education sector as little as possible.