Information for students from Ukraine
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Our pages provide information for international students.
We have now also put together information especially for student refugees from Ukraine. The situation in Ukraine and developments here in Germany are very dynamic, which is why the following FAQs mainly provide links which reflect our current knowledge but which can – please be aware of that – change at any time.
Please, also consult the National Academic Contact Point Ukraine of the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst / German Academic Exchange Service). The website has put together lots of very useful information, offering a first orientation in Germany, especially regarding the German higher education and research system. You’ll also find an overview of various academic support services.
English: https://www.daad-ukraine.org/en/
Ukrainian: https://www.daad-ukraine.org/uk/
FAQs for students from Ukraine
General information
Here you can search for advisory services for refugees in Munich:
https://adressen.asyl.net/language/en/welcome-to-informationnetwork-asylum-and-migration/
Rechtshilfe München e.V.
The “Rechtshilfe” (Legal Aid Munich) offers support and assistance for international fellow citizens who are having legal problems in Germany due to their international status. Their legal advisory service takes place every week and is carried out by lawyers who offer legal assistance and specialise in immigration and asylum law.
http://www.rechtshilfe-muenchen.de/
http://www.rechtshilfe-muenchen.de/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sd_eng_ansichts.pdf
Refugee Law Clinic Munich e.V
The Refugee Law Clinic Munich e.V. is a student initiative and non-profit association who offer free legal advice on asylum and immigration law for asylum seekers, refugees and foreigners.
http://rlcm.de/index.php/languages/english/
http://rlcm.de/index.php/informationen-fur-gefluchtete-aus-der-ukraine
The Bavarian universities can apply for the resources from the emergency fund proportionally at the Ministry for Science. Students who are personally affected, who are already studying at a university, can directly turn to their own university. The allocation is carried out according to the number of enrolled Ukrainian citizens at each university.
Here you can find important information, places to turn to and services available after having arrived in Munich.
https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/ukraine_ankommen.html (scroll down for information in Ukrainian and English)
Here you can find information regarding entry and residence for people from Ukraine in Ukrainian, English, German and Russian.
When you come to Germany from a third country, you need a residence title. It is dependent on the purpose and the reason for the residence in Germany.
Please read through the information provided under the following link carefully to find out what applies to your personal situation!
On the page titled “Residence” you will find answers to a lot of questions regarding long-term residence in Germany, “temporary protection” according to §24 of the German Residence Act and the associated rights and obligations:
https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/en/aufenthalt.html
The Department of Public Order ("Kreisverwaltungsreferat", short: "KVR") is the citizens' office of Munich. It is responsible for residence permits. There are several "Bürgerbüros" (residence registration offices) as branches of the KVR.
In this overview of the "KVR", you can find important information about staying in Munich/Germany, and the conditions for beginning to study in Germany.
Please pay special attention to the following pages of the overview: pages 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 14!
Another helpful website of the City of Munich: https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/ukraine_ankommen.html (in German, English and Ukrainian).
Should you have any questions regarding the residence status for students and future students, you are very welcome to turn to the Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern’s General Advice and Social Counselling Service for an initial consultation:
https://www.daad.de/en/the-daad/ukraine/
National Academic Contact Point Ukraine of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst):
English: https://www.daad-ukraine.org/en/
Ukrainian: https://www.daad-ukraine.org/uk/
The Town of Munich has now integrated up-to-date information and useful tips in its "Integreat APP" (by Integreat Munich), for people from Ukraine.
The goal:
- multi-lingual up-to-date helpful information for people from Ukraine
- supporting refugees with information upon arriving in Munich.
The Integreat App is free of charge, and can be used offline as well. You can download it on Google Play Store or App Store - or on their own website www.integreat.app/muenchen.
German: https://integreat.app/muenchen/de
English: https://integreat.app/muenchen/en
Ukrainian: https://integreat.app/muenchen/uk
Integreat is active in more than 70 municipalities, many of which have already included up-to-date information for people from Ukraine!
Some Ukrainian students fled to Germany, but are continuing their studies online with their Ukrainian university. The question is, which possibilities there are to finance your daily life.
Digital studies at a Ukrainian university can - according to German law - neither be funded as a "Fernstudium" (correspondance course), nor as "studies abroad". The latter would demand a cooperation with a German university (§ 5 (2) no. 2 BAföG). As a result, you are not entitled to receive BAföG (cf. here, in German).
However, you are entitled to financial support according SGB II ("Leistungsanspruch nach SGB II) via the Jobcenter (Ukrainian version of the site), as the long-term perspectives for integration in the labour market are taken into account and a foreseeable university degree provides better chances in the labour market in Germany. And, people not having the German language level of B1, are to first take part in a course for integration (according to § 3 (2a) no. 1 SGB II).
So, please get in touch with the Jobcenter to clarify your personal situation. Then, an appropriate strategy will be planned for being integrated in the labour market in the long term. It's not probable that an educational or further vocational training measure - once it has begun - will be stopped. That would run counter public interest and the need of qualified employees.
AbilityAid is a programme of the non-profit organization ArrivalAid. ArrivalAid was founded in 2015 and supports people with refugee and migration backgrounds. The AbilityAid programme focuses on refugees and migrants with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses.
What services does AbilityAid offer?
Acvice and counselling (professional support in the areas: challenges in everyday life, questions about asylum and residence, medical care and treatment, and many more).
German course (opportunity to aquire or improve German language skills, even without previous knowledge; Levels: A0, A1, A2).
Computer courses (e.g. for Word, Excel, Powerpoint; open practice hours offered, too).
ADVICE AND COURSES ARE FREE OF CHARGE.
Contact: phone number: +49 89 5999 88 23 (please leave a message, they will call back)
Munich (near to the main station)
email: ability@arrivalaid.org
www.arrivalaid.org/abilityaid
In 2022, several German universities will make their premises and infrastructure available to refugees from Ukraine who are interested in studying in order to conduct standardised examinations for admission and continued studies at Ukrainian universities.
The online examinations will take place between 22 July and 3 October 2022. They will be held in uniformly defined periods at six locations in Germany:
- Berlin; Coordination: Humboldt-Universität
- at Goethe University Frankfurt/Main
- at the Universität Hamburg
- at the University of Cologne
- at the Leipzig University
- Munich; at the “Gorod” cultural centre (arranged by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science).
The exams will be conducted simultaneously in Ukraine and in the European countries where Ukrainians have found refuge.
More information:
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/uk/2022/06/10/ukrayinskij-vstupnij-test-mozhna-sklasti-v-nimechchini/
You have a professional qualification or a (first) university degree from abroad, and want to get some information about the process of recognition here in Germany?
In that case, in Munich, the MigraNet IQ Netzwerk Bayern will help and give you important advice for free. MigraNet will assist you through the process, show you which steps to follow, and assist you when dealing with the authorities.
MigraNet is a part of the Federal Qualification Programme „Integration through Qualification (IQ)“, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the Federal Employment Agency.
MigraNet is also offering (until the end of July 2022) a few online information events - in German, English, and Ukrainian.
You have questions concerning medical care, health insurance or health issues?
The following links provide information:
ENGLISH:
point 5: https://www.bmas.de/DE/Europa-und-die-Welt/Europa/Ukraine/FAQ-EN/faq-art-en.html
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/en/accommodation-and-residency-in-germany/health-insurance/
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/en/accommodation-and-residency-in-germany/health-insurance/
https://www.germany4ukraine.de/hilfeportal-en/medical-care
https://www.studying-in-germany.org/health-insurance-germany-guide/
UKRAINIAN:
https://www.bmas.de/DE/Europa-und-die-Welt/Europa/Ukraine/FAQ-UA/faq-art-ua.html
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/uk/perebuvannya-u-nimechchini/medichne-strahuvannya/
https://www.germany4ukraine.de/hilfeportal-ua/%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B5-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8F
In cooperation with teachers as well as Ukrainian native speakers, the website https://www.buchstaben.com/ has developed a free-of-charge pdf language booklet to support Ukrainian-speaking people in understanding the basics of the German language; it is very well structured and easy to understand.
Apart from the exact translations, the content is also displayed using the phonetic alphabet so that it’s easier to understand German pronunciation.
You can find the language booklet here: https://www.buchstaben.com/wissen/deutsch-lernen-als-ukrainischer-fluechtling-kostenloses-pdf-lernheft
The Society for Academic Study Preparation and Test Development (Gesellschaft für Akademische Studienvorbereitung und Testentwicklung e.V. / g.a.s.t.) supports Ukrainian refugees on their way to Germany and to a German university with various offers for acquiring and assessing German language skills:
- free-of-charge placement test of your German language skills with the onSET
- free-of-charge aptitude test for undergraduate studies at university with the TestAS [Test for Academic Studies]
- language certificate TestDaF as proof of your German skills required for studying at a German university
- German courses at the Deutsch-Uni Online for preparing future students for studying in Germany (level A1-C1, everyday language, language for special purposes, professional language, preparing for the TestDaF)
Interested Ukrainian refugees can register using the following link:
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/en/studying-in-germany/welcome-to-digital-campus/
In the course of digitalization, the Society for Academic Study Preparation and Test Development (g.a.s.t.), along with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), RWTH Aachen University, TH Lübeck, the Goethe-Institut and Kiron Open Higher Education, is developing the "Digital Campus", a platform for digital study preparation, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
On the website of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), you will find interesting free-of-charge offers for Ukrainian students who have fled their country:
- participation in an online self assessment for German language skills onSET
- booking an online self learning course via the platform Deutsch-Uni Online (German University Online: DUO)
- participation in the test TestDaF (German as a Foreign Language), accepted by every university in Germany
- participation on the test for certain skills for certain studies ("Studieneignungstest" TestAS), accepted by many univerisities
You can find further information regarding free-of-charge registration and booking on this site:
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/de/studieren-in-deutschland/digitaler-campus/
If you assess your German language skills with the test "onSET" (see above), you will receive a free-of-charge German language online course provided by "Deutsch-Uni Online" (DUO) upon registering.
The "Digital Campus", a platform for online studies preparation which is subsidized by the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research, will continue to be developed by the organisations DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), the RWTH (University) Aachen, the Technical University TH Lübeck, the Goethe Institute, the Societyy for Academic Studies' Preparation and Test Development g.a.s.t. e.V., and the Kiron Open Higher Education,
I am a student or a future student who has fled Ukraine – can I study in Germany?
You can stay in Germany to study. It is however required that you were accepted by a university for a full-time course of study and that you can come up for your expenses yourself. To be able to finance yourself is one of the most important requirements for a residence permit for the purpose of studying as per §16b Residence Act.
http://www.internationale-studierende.de/en/prepare_your_studies/financing/
Many Ukrainian students who have come to Germany want to continue their studies here. Since 2005, Ukraine has been a member of the Bologna Process. Thus, academic achievements you received in Ukraine will also be recognized in Germany. However, it is necessary that you get in touch with the university in question.
If you have a long-term residence permit as per §24 Residence Act due to the current situation, you can study or do a training.
If you were in Ukraine when the war broke out and fled the country, you can claim social benefits in Germany as a refugee. Furthermore, you can register as looking for a job and can apply for scholarships.
You can also have a look here for useful information: https://www.study-in-germany.de/de/studium-planen/besondere-lebensumstaende/studienangebote-fuer-gefluechtete/ .
Here you can find a list of universities the Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern is in charge of who are offering help and support in the current situation.
As this support is partly still in the process of being organised, it is almost certainly going to change within the near future; the list serves as a first overview.
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
https://www.tum.de/en/studies/international-students/ukraine
Information, counseling, and financial support for doctoral students/PhD students of TUM Graduate School, the central office for doctoral research at TUM
https://www.gs.tum.de/en/gs/doctorate-at-tum/supportukraine-platform-tum-gs/
HM University of Applied Sciences
https://hm.edu/allgemein/aktuelles/news/news_detailseite_241920.de.html
Academy of Fine Arts Munich
https://www.adbk.de/de/aktuell/aktuell-kategorieblog/3414-solidaritaet-mit-der-ukraine.html
University of Music and Performing Arts Munich
University of Television and Film Munich
https://www.hff-muenchen.de/de_DE/ukraine
Munich School of Politics and Public Policy
https://www.hfp.tum.de/en/hfp/news/article/in-solidaritaet-mit-der-ukrainischen-bevoelkerung/
Munich School of Philosophy
https://www.hfph.de/hochschule/nachrichten
KSH München University of Applied Sciences (Munich and Benediktbeuern)
https://www.xing.com/pages/katholischestiftungshochschulemunchen/news
Technical University of Applied Sciences, Rosenheim
https://www.th-rosenheim.de/en/international/information-for-refugees/
Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences
International University SDI Munich
https://www.sdi-muenchen.de/hochschule/artikel/news/zur-ukraine-krise
You have a leaving certificate or diploma issued by a Ukrainian university and want to have a Statement of Comparability for international higher education qualifications in order to apply for work or begin research studies or a Masters' programme?
In this case, the "Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen" (Central Office for Foreign Education – ZAB) is responsible. It's funded by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany.
A Statement of Comparability is an official document issued by the ZAB that describes an international higher education qualification, its professional and academic usage. The ZAB Statement of Comparability can facilitate access to the German labour market or university research studies for holders of international higher education qualifications. It is a comparative assessment but not a recognition certificate.
You can apply for a Statement of Comparability here.
The website is also available in Urkainian.
You have fled the Ukraine and cannot prove your university degree by diploma or leaving certificate? Then you can also turn to the ZAB. It offers a procedure of plausabilty in the case of missing documents.
Thus, anyone who cannot provide proof of their university degree or leaving certificate can apply for a Statement of Comparability for international higher education qualifications after plausability has been established .
The Statement specifies the German qualification to which your international qualification is comparable and provides information on the options for continuing your studies, the legal basis of the use of academic degrees and the procedure of professional recognition. The Statement does not give rise to a legal claim.
Please refer to the answer in the category "I would like to study in Germany – what do I have to organise and plan?"
I would like to study in Germany – what do I have to organise and plan?
More information on starting and organising a course of studies can be found on the pages of the German National Association for Student Affairs
http://www.internationale-studierende.de/en/home/
and with the German Academic Exchange Service
https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/plan-your-studies/
Here you will find answers to many questions related to studying.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has launched a portal for students and researchers in German, English and Ukrainian. On the website, you can find information about studying, research, conditions for studying and helpful services offered by the academic world in Germany:
German: https://www.daad-ukraine.org/de/
English: https://www.daad-ukraine.org/en/
Ukrainian: https://www.daad-ukraine.org/uk/
You can get financial support from the University Educational Guidance Guarantee Fund (Garantiefonds Hochschule: GF-H). Since April 2022, persons with a long-term residence permit as per §24 Residence Act [Aufenthaltsgesetz] can apply to the GF-H Bildungsberatung service (educational advice service) for acceptance into a sponsorship programme, in accordance with the “Richtlinien Garantiefonds Hochschulbereich – RL-GF-H” (regulations of the University Guarantee Fund). As a consequence, refugees from Ukraine who want to study in Germany, can get a sponsorship for language courses.
First, you have to apply for an educational advice service (Bildungsberatung); this may result in a scholarship.
What can be financed by the scholarship?
Course fees, living expenses/accommodation expenses, private tuition, travel expenses, exam fees and costs regarding integration.
The scholarship can last up to 30 months.
The financial support is financed by the Otto Benecke Foundation, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). The aim is to help young migrants up to 30 years of age who want to begin or continue their studies in Germany, to integrate as quickly as possible into the local labour market. German language courses with attending certificates preparing for a course of studies are a main focus.
Information of the Federal Ministry (in German)
Information of the University Educational Guidance Guarantee Fund (Garantiefonds Hochschule: GF-H)
(with short information in English and Ukrainian at a popup window)
register for a guidance counselling appointment
contact data of the information center in Munich of the GF-H
Since the 1st of June 2022, it is in general possible to get BAföG as a student and refugee from Ukraine (link to Ukrainian version). But there are certain requirements:
- You have a residence permit in accordance with § 24 (1) of the Residence Act or have applied for one (in German: Aufenthaltstitel nach § 24 AufenthG oder entsprechende Fiktionsbescheinigung nach § 81 Abs. 5 in Verbindung mit Abs. 3 oder 4 AufenthG). A "Fiktionsbescheinigung" is a provisional residence permit for Germany.
- You are enrolled in your degree programme (a so-called "ordentliche Immatrikulation"). This means that you are studying to get a degree.
- You have the required language skills and level which is necessary to follow the lectures at the university.
If these conditions are met, you can apply for BAföG.
BAföG is a federal scholarship: the German Federal Training Assistance Act (in short: BAföG). BAföG is normally half a grant, half a loan free of interest. The maximum amount to be paid back is 10,010 EUR.
You can apply for BAföG at your local Studierendenwerk responsible for the university you are enrolled at. If your university is on this list, the Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern is responsible. You can then turn to our BAfög Advisory Services to get free-of-charge information and advice.
IMPORTANT:
If you're still attending the online lectures and programme of your Ukrainian university, you CANNOT get BAföG! The same applies for refugees enrolled at a university in an auditor programme, an exchange programme or study stays, without the specific aim of a degree (cf. here).
In these cases, there is the possibility to get funded by the German Social Security Code under SGB [German Social Code] II. The Application is then dealt with by the Jobcenter of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit [Federal Employment Agency], link to Ukrainian version.)
Links in Ukrainian language:
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/uk/2022/06/02/14107/
Official information (ministries, government etc.)
Anyone who has had to flee Ukraine will presumably have many questions and will need support. The following link therefore provides information on all matters concerning school, education, studying, working and the recognition of international qualifications in Germany.
https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/shareddocs/faq/informationen-fuer-gefluechtete-ukraine.html
Germany is supporting the provision of medical aid in Ukraine and ensures comprehensive health care provision for refugees in Germany. Here you can find out the most important facts:
https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/faq-medizinische-hilfe-ukraine.html
Here you can find information and frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning refuge and migration in German, Ukrainian and Russian.
Information in German, English and Ukrainian: https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/ukraine_ankommen.html
The free "Munich Integreat APP" by the City of Munich, which can also be used offline, with up-to-date information and tips for refugees from Ukraine.
Download via Google Play Store, App Store or their own website:
https://integreat.app/muenchen/de
https://integreat.app/muenchen/en
https://integreat.app/muenchen/uk
The Department of Public Order ("Kreisverwaltungsreferat", short: "KVR") is the citizens' office of Munich. It is responsible for residence permits. There are several "Bürgerbüros" (residence registration offices) as branches of the KVR.
In this overview of the "KVR", you can find important information about staying in Munich/Germany, and the requirements for beginning a course of studies in Germany.
Please pay special attention to the following pages of the overview: pages 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 14!
Since the 1st of June 2022, it is in general possible to get BAföG as a student and refugee from Ukraine (link to Ukrainian version). But there are certain requirements:
- You have a residence permit in accordance with § 24 (1) of the Residence Act or have applied for one (in German: Aufenthaltstitel nach § 24 AufenthG oder entsprechende Fiktionsbescheinigung nach § 81 Abs. 5 in Verbindung mit Abs. 3 oder 4 AufenthG). A "Fiktionsbescheinigung" is a provisional residence permit for Germany.
- You are enrolled in your degree programme (a so-called "ordentliche Immatrikulation"). This means that you are studying to get a degree.
- You have the required language skills and level which is necessary to follow the lectures at the university.
If these conditions are met, you can apply for BAföG.
BAföG is a federal scholarship: the German Federal Training Assistance Act (in short: BAföG). BAföG is normally half a grant, half a loan free of interest. The maximum amount to be paid back is 10,010 EUR.
You can apply for BAföG at your local Studierendenwerk responsible for the university you are enrolled at. If your university is on this list, the Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern is responsible. You can then turn to our BAfög Advisory Services to get free-of-charge information and advice.
IMPORTANT:
If you're still attending the online lectures and programme of your Ukrainian university, you CANNOT get BAföG! The same applies for refugees enrolled at a university in an auditor programme, an exchange programme or study stays, without the specific aim of a degree (cf. here).
In these cases, there is the possibility to get funded by the German Social Security Code under SGB [German Social Code] II. The Application is then dealt with by the Jobcenter of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit [Federal Employment Agency], link to Ukrainian version.)
Links in Ukrainian language:
https://www.daad-ukraine.org/uk/2022/06/02/14107/
You have questions concerning medical care, health insurance or health issues?
You can find the relevant information under the point "General information".
Thank you very much.
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