UzhNU together with its European partners is actively developing "educational tourism"

Young people, particularty students, are especially sensitive to the possibility of expanding ties. Therefore, it is not surprising that they gave impetus to the European integration aspirations of Ukraine and initiated Euromaidan. The development of international cooperation between Ukrainian and European universities is gradually turning into educational tourism and is the most visible public achievement of Post-Maidan Ukraine.

In this sense, the last two years were rich in productive solutions for Uzhhorod National University. A number of agreements have been signed since 2014. They are aimed to provide students with educational and scientists with academic mobility.

 "Cooperation with our foreign partners can be divided into two units - says the head of the department of international relations of UzhNU Oksana Svezhentseva. - The first one is an opportunity of free study for one semester. Students of UzhNU can study for free in Polish, Hungarian and Slovak higher educational institutions on the basis of bilateral agreements between partner institutions. The main precondition of academic mobility is for a student to study at the university they were admitted to in the first and the last semester. They can choose any other semester to study in our partner university".

For instance, such agreements were signed with two Polish universities - "Pomeranian Academy" in Slupsk and "Polonian Academy" in Czestochowa. The study is conducted in Polish and English, so language fluency is another prerequisite for participation in exchange programmes. The Academy of Slupsk offers courses in natural sciences, particularly, at the faculties of biology and ecology, mathematics and computer science and physics. Social science students have the opportunity to study at the institute of political science and history, geography and regional studies. The agreement with this academy has been active for two years. 82 students of UzhNU have already received training there. They all acquired positive experience and professional training. This year, the Pomeranian Academy in Slupsk hasn’t made any substantial quantitative restrictions and all successful students whose GPA is "4" or higher, who understand Polish and fluently speak English have the opportunity to study there. Uzhhorod students are actively applying. We have received over 20 applications from students of the faculty of tourism and international communications.

The Academy of Czestochowa provides courses mainly for students of economics and international relations.

 The opportunities to study in the universities of Slovakia and Hungary are mainly provided to our students due to intergovernmental agreements. In particular, students are able to receive training and graduate students and teachers are able be engaged in research work and deliver lectures by winning scholarships. The preference is given to the applicants specializing either in the study of the Slovak language or historians, political scientists, lawyers, etc. engaged in research of the issues related to Slovakia.

Only students speaking fluent Hungarian can study at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Last year 42 students of UzhNU received training at this university.

When talking about another separate direction of intenational exchange it should be noted that in 2014 Ukrainian universities joined Erasmus+ mobility programmes. Uzhhorod National University also concluded more than two dozen contracts within Erasmus+ programme providing scholarships to successful students.

 Scholarships considerably contribute to students’ overall development giving them opportunity to travel, buy books or attend language courses. For example, our students are now studying in Arad (Romania). Owing to the scholarship, they have the opportunity to attend courses of Italian.

Vice-rector for academic policy and research Myroslava Lendel comments on the international activity of UzhNU: "At present UzhNU is actively cooperating with foreign partners having signed 12 bilateral agreements over the past two years. These are the agreements with Charles University (Prague), Universities of Pardubice (Czech Republic), Porto (Portugal), Oradea (Romania), Novi Sad (Serbia), Latvian University (Riga), Lithuanianian University (Vilnius), Nyiredhaza College (Hungary), Faculty of physics, mathematics and computer science and the department of experimental physics of Comenius University (Bratislava), Greek Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Presov (Slovakia).

Based on current legislation UzhNU has developed "Regulations on academic mobility of students" establishing the general procedures of academic mobility of students. As a result, in the academic year 2015-16 7 students, 1 post-graduate student and 7 teachers of UzhNU won Erasmus+ scholarships and the opportunity to study and teach abroad in the Universities of Foggia (Italy), Oradea (Romania), Nicholas Romeris University (Lithuania) Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad (Romania) and Pan-European University in Bratislava (Slovakia). We are currently considering scholarship proposals to our social scientists to study at P.J.Safarik University in Kosice.

 At the same time, students and scholars of UzhNU actively participate in international conferences and workshops and win scholarships offered by such international funds as OcAD, DAAD, Fulbright, Visegrad Fund, Kirkland Fund, etc."

• International Activities