Stay in Ukraine but Study the European Way: Grants, Double Degrees, and New Opportunities Offered by Uzhhorod National University
International cooperation enables universities to attract millions in grant funding, open pathways for students to study abroad, implement European educational standards, and build a competitive higher education institution. For many years, Uzhhorod National University (UzhNU) has been consistently expanding its network of international partnerships. Today, the university has around 150 active cooperation agreements with foreign higher education institutions, implements dozens of international projects, participates in the Erasmus+ programme, promotes academic mobility for students and staff, and works to improve its position in global university rankings. We spoke with Myroslava Lendel, UzhNU Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, about the opportunities available to students and lecturers, the impact of the war on cooperation with international partners, and the university's ambitious plans for the coming years.
"Even during the Soviet period, Uzhhorod State University took advantage of its border location to develop international cooperation. It was a long standing tradition at our university that some researchers with outstanding achievements in research and teaching were able to undertake internships abroad, which was quite exceptional for a Soviet university. Of course, these were mainly countries of the socialist bloc, such as Czechoslovakia and the former Yugoslavia. However, for example, the renowned Rector of the university, Volodymyr Lendel, had the opportunity even in Soviet times to complete an internship and teach in the United States.
Secondly, even within a closed society, the university still managed to reach the international level. During the summer or early autumn, the best students, most likely members of the Komsomol and active youth leaders of that period, travelled abroad for internships. Given these prerequisites, after 1991 international cooperation became a must have for every rector, vice rector, dean, and lecturer. We understood that we had to establish contacts abroad in order to conduct joint research, organise joint events, and encourage our students not to limit themselves to the boundaries of the university, the region, or even Ukraine alone.
From 2014 onwards, we began considering how to take this cooperation to an entirely new level of quality. This was facilitated by the fact that Ukraine started its path towards association with the European Union in 2014. In 2017, Ukraine obtained visa free travel to the EU, which effectively removed one of the main obstacles, the need to obtain visas.
Thirdly, from 2015 Ukraine gained the opportunity to participate in EU programmes, particularly Erasmus+, which supported the mobility of students, academic staff, and administrative personnel, as well as programmes offered by other international donors such as the German DAAD, the Slovak SAIA, the International Visegrad Fund, and others. Our task was therefore to explain to lecturers that completely new opportunities were opening up for organising conferences, academic exchanges, internships, and joint projects.
Opportunities to Study Abroad for Hundreds of Students Every Year
Today, many Ukrainian secondary school graduates are considering studying abroad. How can UzhNU respond to this trend, and what does it have to offer?
"We understand that we are competing with foreign universities, and I know how young people think. At the age of 17 to 22, they want to experience what studying abroad is like. At the same time, not every student is ready to leave for four or five years. There are many reasons for this: the language barrier, close ties with family, or simply not being ready to adapt to a completely new social environment. That is why our offer of spending a semester abroad, or even just a week through youth mobility programmes, is very attractive to many students. This is why participation in international consortia, concluding agreements between universities to promote the mobility of our students and staff, as well as welcoming European students and lecturers to UzhNU, has become one of our priorities.
We started in 2015 with, if I remember correctly, only five mobility opportunities. Last year, there were already 130. In other words, 130 of our students had the opportunity to study abroad thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ programme. I believe that this year there will be even more participants. However, this requires a sufficient command of a foreign language, at least B1 or B2 level in English or in the language of the host country, for example Polish, Slovak, Hungarian, or Italian. Not everyone is ready for this, so we introduced the so called youth mobility programme.
This is the Erasmus+ Youth programme, which offers five day youth camps and training courses where students can test themselves in an international environment. Around 100 of our students take part in these programmes every year. One of our strongest partners is the NGO INPRO from Rzeszów, Poland. As a rule, after participating in such programmes, students become more active within the university, gain the confidence to apply for semester long study abroad opportunities, or launch their own initiatives. In other words, they all begin to shine a little brighter because they realise that they feel confident abroad and are in no way inferior to their European peers. Sometimes students have an inner doubt, wondering whether they will fit into Europe. These experiences help them overcome it.
What opportunities are available for academic staff?
"Over the years, our lecturers have visited almost every continent in the world. Without exaggeration, this is first and foremost their own achievement. Whenever a lecturer comes forward with an idea and has an opportunity to travel abroad, even if it means rescheduling classes for two weeks or temporarily teaching remotely, we never object. On the contrary, we do everything we can to help them make the most of such opportunities.
Over the past few years, the university has attracted substantial grant funding for its development. UzhNU's project activities are clearly visible and highly productive.
"Indeed, this is one of our greatest strengths. Since 2014, we have been actively developing this area. Today, we have 65 projects through which we have attracted funding directly to the university. In 2024, 2025, and 2026 alone, we secured approximately €1.5 million through the implementation of international projects. These funds have enabled us to accomplish a great deal: we have purchased modern equipment, established laboratories, installed solar panels above our sports and recreation complex, and renovated several university facilities. Most importantly, however, we have gained invaluable experience. We have seen how the educational process can be organised using European practices, how our partner universities operate, and what approaches they apply to teaching and university management.
Our main donors include the Erasmus+ programme, Interreg, now Interreg NEXT, the International Visegrad Fund, and a number of national funding organisations. It is always exciting to discover new opportunities. For example, our journalists have recently won a grant together with a Norwegian partner to conduct an educational and research project. For us, this is an entirely new partner and a completely new source of funding.
Of course, when lecturers have the opportunity to work alongside colleagues from other countries, they begin to view their own work at the university differently. Academic work is both highly demanding and, at times, rather routine. That is why travelling abroad, exchanging ideas with colleagues, and experiencing different academic environments always provides fresh inspiration and renewed motivation.
We also host numerous delegations of various levels. Presidents, prime ministers, rectors, and academics have visited our university. Regardless of the status of our guests, we always strive to give each of them the attention they deserve, hold meaningful discussions, and do everything possible to ensure that our cooperation continues. For example, we recently welcomed the Dean of the Faculty of Language, Literature and Culture at the University of Innsbruck (Austria). This is especially significant to me because the Austrian federal state of Tyrol is a partner region of Zakarpattia Oblast.
Austrian universities are rather conservative institutions, so it is important to find the particular lecturer or department that is genuinely interested in cooperation. The Dean himself once completed an internship in Kyiv, as he is a specialist in Ukrainian studies. For him, this partnership became an opportunity to return to the field of Ukrainian studies. The University of Innsbruck is now establishing a new programme in Ukrainian studies, and we hope that, with the support of the European Commission, particularly through the Erasmus+ programme, our lecturers will be able to contribute to this initiative.
International cooperation is precisely what allows us to become familiar with new approaches. Today, concepts such as sustainable development, gender equality, inclusion, and diversity have become completely natural for us. In reality, however, all of these ideas came to us through international partnerships. Therefore, international cooperation is not only about mobility or grants. It is also, one could say, an opportunity to become more European. If Ukraine is moving towards EU membership, and we sincerely hope that this will ultimately happen, then we must already embrace European approaches today.
For example, we recently visited Trinity College Dublin, where we observed a very interesting practice. The university has a separate Vice Provost responsible for the EDI policy—Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
The Irish interpret this concept very broadly. It is not limited to gender equality, racial equality, or inclusion for people with disabilities. Considerable attention is also paid to supporting students from families with lower socio economic status. I was particularly interested in the term working class. Universities create additional opportunities for these students to ensure that, from the very beginning of their studies, they have the same starting conditions as young people from more affluent families. This may include additional classes, mentoring, and personalised support.
I reflected on this experience and realised that these are the kinds of approaches we should also be discussing with our colleagues."
150 International Partners and a Summer School in Cyprus
I have seen that UzhNU has around 150 international partners. Are there any that deserve special mention? Despite the challenges of the war, with whom have you managed to establish even stronger cooperation?
"Yes, today we can indeed speak of around 150 active international partnerships. It is difficult to single out just one, but I will try. First and foremost, I would mention the United Kingdom. In particular, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has been our partner since 2023 through the Twinning Programme. This initiative was launched by the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Its purpose was to pair Ukrainian universities with British counterparts. Naturally, not every Ukrainian university was able to join the initiative, as there are fewer universities in the UK than in Ukraine. Nevertheless, around eight out of every ten Ukrainian higher education institutions succeeded in finding a British partner.
We were partnered with the University of Central Lancashire, a university with a rich history dating back to the nineteenth century. Throughout its history, it has had several different names. Since 2023, we have been developing a joint annual work plan, identifying the projects we would like to implement together. It is the only British university that has its own campus within the European Union, located in Cyprus. The campus operates under EU legislation while awarding degrees that are recognised both in Cyprus and in the United Kingdom.
Every year, we send approximately 15 to 20 students to the university's summer school in Cyprus, where they improve their English language skills. All expenses are covered by our British partner. Each year we establish different selection criteria. One year we selected students with the best academic performance and research achievements. This year, we decided to support a different group of young people, students whose parents are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine or whose parents, sadly, lost their lives during the full scale war. Our British partner has also helped the university purchase modern equipment. This includes a powerful backup power system that ensures electricity supply to our academic buildings during blackouts, as well as equipment for our Project Office.
Furthermore, it was through cooperation with this university that we began actively implementing the COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) format, in which lecturers from two or three universities in different countries jointly teach online classes to students at their respective institutions. As a result, students gain experience in an international learning environment without even leaving their home country.
Students from Poland, Slovakia, India, and Australia at UzhNU
Before the full scale invasion, UzhNU had a large number of international students, many of whom had moved here from universities in eastern Ukraine after the outbreak of war in 2014. However, over the years their numbers seem to have declined significantly.
"This is undoubtedly the area that has suffered the most since the beginning of the full scale invasion, although we still hope that the situation will gradually improve. I am referring to international students. Before the war, in 2021, around 1,800 international students were studying at the university. Everyone remembers that the streets of our city were filled with young people from many different countries. In one of its publications, Ukraїner even referred to Uzhhorod as the 'Little India' of Ukraine.
Unfortunately, after the full scale invasion began, the majority of these students left Ukraine. Some later returned to complete their studies. However, new enrolment remains relatively modest due to security concerns and logistical challenges. Nevertheless, we are already seeing a positive trend. Last year, we managed to enrol a larger group of approximately 50 international students. Our goal is to restore first year international enrolment to at least 50 to 100 students each year.
At the same time, we are observing another interesting trend. Increasingly, citizens of Slovakia and Poland are choosing to study at UzhNU, primarily in medical programmes. If applicants fail to secure a state funded place in Slovakia, tuition fees there are extremely high, around €16,000 per year. At UzhNU, tuition costs approximately €3,500 per year. As a result, around 20 to 30 students from Central European countries study at our university each year.
We also enrol a considerable number of Polish citizens. In 2023, a decision was adopted under which Polish citizens are admitted under different rules than citizens of other countries. They benefit from a reduced tuition fee of UAH 60,000 per year, which is just over one thousand euros, as well as a number of rights similar to those enjoyed by Ukrainian citizens. This is why Polish applicants increasingly choose to study at our university. They are particularly interested in Medicine and Dentistry, programmes that are significantly more expensive in Poland, especially for those who do not obtain a state funded place.
We have also had some truly remarkable stories. For example, the Faculty of Dentistry recently graduated an Australian citizen who was 61 years old. She found us online, which was possible thanks to the English version of our academic programme. She said she was not afraid of anything because she came from Australia, where, as she put it, 'we have our own problems.' And indeed, she successfully completed her studies.
Overall, during this entire period, our university has educated students from more than 80 countries worldwide. Today, our international student community also includes representatives from South Africa."
UzhNU in International University Rankings
International rankings are another important area of your international activities. Could you explain what they bring to the university, what positions UzhNU holds, and what these rankings depend on?
"Yes, rankings are another area of work overseen by the International Relations Office. We participate in such international rankings as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, QS World University Rankings, UI GreenMetric, and others. In total, we work with six international rankings.
In reality, a university's position in these rankings depends on many factors. First and foremost, these include the number of students, the research achievements of academic staff, particularly their publications indexed in international scientometric databases such as Scopus, and the student to staff ratio. However, many of the criteria are directly related to internationalisation. For example, one indicator is the amount of funding attracted from international sources, not state funding or tuition fees, but specifically resources obtained through international grants and projects. It is therefore only natural that our office is responsible for providing this information, as the International Relations Office maintains the relevant data.
Sometimes participation in international rankings even encourages other structural units of the university to become more active. For example, the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings assess how closely a university's activities align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is not enough simply to submit statistical data. Of course, we provide quantitative indicators, such as the area of green spaces, water consumption, and changes in these figures over time. However, that alone is insufficient. Experts also evaluate what kinds of activities the university organises: conferences, training sessions, awareness raising initiatives, and social projects. That is why we are constantly working together with other university departments.
Fortunately, we have a Centre for Sustainable Development, headed by Anna Melehanych, and a Centre for Gender Education, led by Mariana Kolodii. We constantly encourage our colleagues to ensure that everything they organise is covered on the university website, preferably not only in Ukrainian but also in English. The more high quality information about the university is publicly available, the more often it is read by our international partners and representatives of ranking organisations.
Everything is interconnected: international cooperation, communication policy, presenting the university in English, maintaining an informative website, and strengthening our presence in the international information space. Moreover, the more quality content about the university appears online, the more frequently people discover us through search engines. This is often how new international partners first contact us, having learned about UzhNU through information published on the Internet."
New Double Degree Programmes and International Projects
What are your plans for the new academic year? Do you already have potential new partners, or are you planning to open new areas of international cooperation? By the way, one such step seems to be the new Philosophy educational programme that we recently wrote about.
"Yes, this is indeed a very interesting project. The idea behind it is that the programme has been designed according to the so called Oxford model of teaching philosophy. Let us be honest: the traditional degree programme in Philosophy is no longer among the most popular choices for prospective students. Young people often ask, 'What will I do after graduating with such a degree?' Naturally, those who enrol are primarily individuals who genuinely enjoy reading, analysing, critical thinking, and discussion.
Professor Vasyl Levkulych, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at UzhNU, observed that this model of teaching has been successfully implemented at the University of Oxford for almost one hundred years. It was also previously introduced at the Central European University. We decided to adapt this approach to our own circumstances. In my opinion, the result is a truly interesting educational programme, and we hope it will attract its own community of students.
We also hope that this programme will appeal to applicants from neighbouring countries. We analysed the educational offerings of universities across the region, from Košice to Rzeszów and Kraków, and found no comparable programmes. This could therefore become one of our competitive advantages.
Speaking about new international directions, we are already considering our next steps. We have agreed to prepare joint international projects with Trinity College Dublin, one of the world's leading universities. Its high position in international rankings is only one indicator of its excellence. In reality, the university is truly impressive in terms of the organisation of its educational process, research activities, and international cooperation.
Autumn is traditionally a very active period for us. On the one hand, the admissions campaign is still underway, while on the other, most international funding programmes launch their project calls during the autumn and winter months. We are also discussing the idea of establishing a small consortium with our strategic partners. One of these is Maria Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin, with which we are already implementing a double degree programme and two international projects. We would like to create a permanent partnership that would allow us to submit joint applications for international grant competitions on a regular basis.
In addition, this autumn Maria Curie Skłodowska University plans to sign a multilateral cooperation agreement with our university, as well as with one Slovak and one Czech university. At present, we have bilateral agreements, but a four party partnership will create significantly broader opportunities. Such a framework can support joint educational programmes, international research projects, new formats of academic mobility, and many other large scale initiatives. Overall, we are already thinking strategically about building a circle of trusted partners to whom we can always turn with new ideas, knowing that they are ready to cooperate."
Iryna Breza
Photos are taken from the archive of Myroslava Lendel
