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Four Ukrainian students and one faculty member from our partner university, Oles Honchar Dnipro National (DNU), were welcomed at Sussex for a summer of studying, and social and cultural events.
 
Yuliia, Elizabeth, Ivanna and Alina attended Summer at Sussex during August, aiming to improve their English language skills and increase their understanding of British life and culture.

Alongside their studies the students visited local landmarks and enjoyed social activities with other students from our Pre-sessional English and Undergraduate Summer School courses.

The students, who have just finished their second year, had never had face to face classes before due to the war – so they really enjoyed the interaction with each other and other students on campus.

Ivanna said:“Having the support and care around our education is so valuable to us. This is not just a trip to another country and university to study – it’s also a great opportunity for us to feel safe and make new friends.”

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 over 100 UK universities have been twinned with Ukrainian ones in the hopes of reducing ‘brain drain’ and to support the Ukrainian institutions through the crisis. The initiative, which received a £5 million UKRI investment in late 2022, has been instrumental in keeping Ukrainian campuses operational, enabling academics to continue their work, and providing students with opportunities to pursue their studies.

Gavin Mensah-Coker, Head of English Language, in the Faculty of Media, Arts & Humanities, expressed his delight in welcoming the Ukrainian students: “It was with immense pleasure that we at Sussex welcomed our Ukrainian students to their English courses this summer on our beautiful university in the South Downs. We know that they haven’t had a typical university experience back home in Ukraine, and hope that through this trip, they could both learn and take home some wonderful memories of their time in the UK. As a University of Sanctuary, we are committed to making the University a welcoming and safe place for all.”

The summer scholarship programme was made available to the four Ukrainian students through the Sussex Fund emergency appeal, which was launched to provide urgent hardship bursaries and scholarships to Ukrainian students affected by the war and who require assistance.

The Sussex Fund aims to help students stay and succeed at university, and the schemes can provide a safety net for all students, irrespective of their background or nationality. The Sussex Fund also partly funds the Hardship Fund, which is open to all students in need – or those living in conflict areas.

As a University of Sanctuary, Sussex seeks to provide a welcoming and safe place to study for students from all over the world, and among its recent graduates was Ukrainian student Mariia Sinkevich, who won the prestigious MacQuitty Prize for the best student across the Sciences and will be starting an MSc in Mathematical Sciences at Oxford in the autumn. Naimat Zafary is another student, one of nine Chevening Afghan scholars who joined Sussex shortly after the Taliban arrived in August 2021. Having completed his MA, Naimat is now studying a PhD in International Development. In September Sussex will also be welcoming Naimat’s brother, Naweed Zafary, who will be starting an undergraduate course in engineering.

Professor Kate O'Riordan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education & Students), said: “It was wonderful to have the Ukrainian students on campus and see them enjoying all the opportunities on offer during a summer at Sussex. As a university, Sussex is firmly committed to supporting educational resilience in times of crisis, and I hope that we will be able to offer similar opportunities to students from other areas of conflict in future.”