U of A to waive tuition costs for Ukrainian international students affected by Russian invasion

The University of Alberta is offering up to a million dollars in financial support to Ukrainian students who may be suffering financial hardship because of the Russian invasion, per U of A president, Bill Flanagan.

"As we continue to watch the devastation occurring in Ukraine, the University of Alberta has a particular responsibility to respond," said Flanagan Tuesday in a news release. He added the school has longtime ties to Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in the city.  

"We're also home to the Canadian Institute for Ukrainian studies, this is the largest institute devoted to Ukrainian studies in any Canadian university," he said. 

The University announced it will also help with living costs and expedite applications for Ukrainian students for the 2023 school year. 

Despite this, much of this information is still not known to the 50 or so Ukrainian students currently enrolled in various programs at the university.

"The University's support is extremely appreciated," said Natalie Hanas,  President of the Ukrainian Students Society at the U of A. 

Her concern is whether students are even going to find out.

"There's a little bit of a gap in getting the students to be aware of the fact that this exists," she said. 

During the pandemic, classes on the U of A campus went online. For many students from abroad, it meant going back home. 

Up until two weeks ago, PhD student Dymtro Yesypenko and his family were in Edmonton.  

Yesypenko came here last year to work on his PhD in Polish and Ukrainian literature in the Modern Languages and Cultural Studies program. 

After the war broke out, he and his family returned to Kyiv on March 4, to help his parents escape to neighbouring Slovakia, were they able to secure two free months of housing at the Slovak Academy of Science in Bratislava. 

Yesypenko says his work in Edmonton is already funded through bursaries, so the financial aid won't help him. He's sceptical other students will be able to access funding considering their current circumstances.  

"I'm not sure people are able to come back," he said. "This martial law, if you're a young person, a male person it's impossible to leave."