Ukraine is a very good destination for international students seeking university education. However, there are three (3) important drawbacks that should be considered by international students planning to study in Ukraine before making the final decision.
Below are brief explanations for each.
1: No State Scholarship, No Stipend: Ukraine has no scholarship provisions for international students, regardless of how exceptionally brilliant the student may be.
Prospective international students planning to pursue university education in Ukraine should take into consideration that they will be fully responsible for funding their entire academic and living expenses.
Some candidates hope that their excellent academic performance might somehow win them a scholarship. Please, be informed that the Ukrainian government has no such provision for international students.
Also, international students do not receive any form of stipend from the Ukrainian government. Not even Ukrainian students are paid any form of stipend from the government, except those on scholarship.
However, international students enjoy the same rebate that is meant for all students, such as transport discount cards.
2: No Work Permit For International Students: Currently, Ukraine has no provision for international students to legally work while studying, even during vacations.
This means that an international student is not legally eligible for employment. Working illegally is, therefore, a violation and punishable.
So, international students that may be planning to augment their finances with income from work should know that such provision is not available, and will attract appropriate penalty for violation.
This also includes the absence of job opportunities for international students upon graduation. So, candidates nursing the hope of assimilating into the system after graduation by getting employed should also reevaluate their plans.
3: Sophisticated Corruption: Ukraine is a developing country, and still considered a third (3rd) world country. However, the kind of corruption we’re talking about is not the type that is typical of many third world countries where it is blatant corruption.
It is the kind of corruption that is not easily visible on the surface but strategically and covertly embedded in the system by the officials.
An example is the visa application process where visa applicants might have to pay considerable kickbacks to third party agencies which act as covert fronts for the officials.
This happens mostly in African and Asian countries such as Nigeria, Pakistan, Afganistan, etc.
This kind of covert & sophisticated corrupt practices is something an unsuspecting foreign student might also have to deal with even in the school, and other administrative places.
Of course, there is no country that is completely free of corruption, so, if you are absolutely allergic to this type of corruption, then you might want to rethink your plans for university education in Ukraine.
Those are the 3 main study in Ukraine drawbacks, in our opinion, that a prospective international candidate should definitely consider.
Also worth mentioning is the strict immigration laws in Ukraine.
As an example, an international student can be expelled from the university for non-payment of tuition, or severe administrative violations, which will result in revoking the student’s residential permit.
Under immigration laws, such a student is expected to leave the country, and can only return back to Ukraine through a fresh university invitation and another round of entry visa application process. Yes, it is that strict.
Some refer to these as study in Ukraine disadvantages, but we rather consider it as drawbacks, because it is of selective importance. While it may be of importance and a drawback to one candidate, another may completely not care.
With that said, there is no country that doesn’t have its peculiarities. It all depends on what is of utmost importance to each candidate.
Ukraine has total religious freedom, beautiful environment, quality universities and people with great hospitality and friendliness to foreigners. Those qualities are also very huge and of immense importance when choosing an educational destination abroad.
Those are also part of the reasons why thousands of international students, from more than 120 different countries come to study medicine in Ukraine, engineering, MBA, & numerous other courses, annually.
In conclusion, those are the 3 drawbacks we believe you should definitely consider, while making your final decision to study in Ukraine. What you do with the information is totally at your discretion, but you can no longer blame ignorance.