Ukraine

If you have a residence permit according to Section 24 of the Residence Act (AufenthG), you can study or do an apprenticeship.

If you cannot obtain a residence permit according to §24, you can try to get a visa for vocational training or a student visa. You can find out more in our “Vocational Training Visa” and “Student Visa” chapters.

You can find out more about this in our "Learn" category.

Special rules apply to asylum seekers or people with "Duldung". You can find out more about this in the relevant parts in our "Learn" category.

People with a residence permit according to Section 24 of the Residency Act or a corresponding “Fiktionsbescheinigung” plus registration with the Ausländerzentralregister (AZR) can also receive BAföG. BAföG is a state student finance program. You can find out more about this in our chapter “BAföG”.

At the Conference of Ministers of Education on April 20, 2022, it was decided that Ukrainian students who were unable to graduate from school because of the war should be able to study in Germany. The Ukrainian students have to apply to their chosen university's preparatory course ("Studienkolleg"). There, you will prepare for your university education in Germany. For admission to a preparatory course, you must prove that you attended the 11th grade in Ukraine.

The students who cannot provide proof of their degrees must first go through a three-stage plausibility check. In this process, the validity of your information will be checked. First, your residence status will be checked. Then they try to verify whether you attended school in Ukraine. You can prove you had, for instance, by presenting certified copies of your original educational documents. At the end, there is an examination including major school subjects, which you have to pass.

You can reach out to the Youth Migration Service for support.

Both Germany and Ukraine are members of the Bologna Process. Your academic achievements from Ukraine will therefore be recognized in Germany. Whether you get a place at university is decided by the universities themselves. You can also get advice there. For more English information on studying, please read our "University System" and "Higher Education" chapters.

You can continue your studies even if you have not yet completed your first year of study in Ukraine, as decided by the Conference of Ministers of Education on April 20, 2022. You do not have to take an entrance exam. As a rule, however, you will have to prove that you have the appropriate language skills.

The students who cannot provide proof of their academic achievements must first go through a three-stage plausibility check. In the process, the validity of the information you have provided will be checked. First, your residence status will be checked. Then they try to verify whether you have attended school and university in Ukraine. You can prove you have, for instance, by presenting certified copies of your original educational documents. At the end, you have to pass an aptitude test.

You can reach out to the Youth Migration Service for support.

Important: Most university programs in Germany are in German. But there are also programs in English. On erudera.com, you can search for suitable programs in the desired language.

In our chapters "University System" and "University Education" you will find all the essential information you need about studying in Germany. In our chapter "University Application" you can learn how to apply for a place in a university.

Many universities and colleges are currently considering developing special programs for students from Ukraine. Inquire at local colleges and universities for more information.

On hr-intgrate.com, you will find mentors who will help you find a place at university.

The educational counselling service GF-H provides counselling for refugees from Ukraine who would like to start or continue their studies in Germany. There, you will also receive information about the recognition of your academic certificates. The consultation is free. The employees speak German.

Furthermore, the ApplicAid organisation supports refugee students and researchers from Ukraine in their search for a place to study and in their application procedure. The mentors speak German and English.

You can find support opportunities from German universities and foundations for students and scientists from Ukraine on daad.de.

Alternatively, you can find a list of foundations offering support to students and researchers from Ukraine on stiftungen.org. Please note: Some foundations listed on the site no longer offer support.

The Association for Student Exchange in Central and Eastern Europe (GFPS) e. V. offer students from Ukraine a one-semester scholarship. The deadline for submitting applications for the winter semester is April 30, 2023. You can learn more about who can apply for the scholarship and the requirements on the GFPS e.V. website in Ukrainian and German.

In many cities in Germany, student unions (“Studentenwerke”) support students from Ukraine financially and help them overcome everyday problems. For instance, they can help you with finding accommodation and psychological support.

The National Academic Contact Point (of the DAAD) offers daily online consultations on the topics of "Studying in Germany" and "Researching and Teaching in Germany". Consultations take place via the “Programm Teams”. To benefit form free consultation, you must fill out a form on daad-ukraine.org. Here you must choose a day when you have time for a consultation session and provide the time. In the form, you must also enter a valid email address, your name, and the topic of the consultation, among other things, and submit the form. You will then be contacted by the advisors. The DAAD website is available in German, Ukrainian, and English.

At haushofer.ne, students from Ukraine can find a form that they can fill out. A group of professors will then try to place you at German universities so that you can continue your studies there.

You can find important links for scientists from Ukraine on ndfi.de.

See Academics - Funding for a list of funding opportunities for researchers in a variety of disciplines. 

On scienceforukraine, you will find an English-language map with support offers for refugee students and scientists from Ukraine.

On Labs supporting Ukrainian Scientists, you will find a list of worldwide support offers for refugee researchers and bachelor's or master's students from Ukraine.

At Resources for scholars in danger, you will find a list of organizations that support Ukrainian researchers and students. There you will also find a list of laboratories that would like to support Ukrainian scientists. You can contact the organizations listed directly by email.

On ukraine.uni-foundation.eu, you will also find an overview of the universities in Germany that offer help to refugee students and scientists from Ukraine. Some of the universities listed there offer special scholarships. The website is available in Ukrainian and English. For more information about the support offered, you must contact the respective university.

The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) supports students of social, educational or economic sciences. It is possible to do an internship at BIBB; to do so, however, you must already know German or English. You can reach the staff at praktikum@bibb.de. The employees speak German and English. If you have already completed your studies, you can continue your research at BIBB as a guest researcher. If you have any questions in this regard, contact the staff at forschungskoordination@bibb.de. The employees speak German and English.