Overseas Education Has Become Less Accessible for Russian Students; Notes of an International Student from Russia
Going to a foreign university can always be challenging. Preparing documents, finding funding, and relocating all require a lot of resources. After the full-scale invasion began, entering a foreign university for Russian students became more difficult. This note describes the difficulties I faced while applying to university and moving to London in 2023.
Studying abroad became my goal about five years ago. The experience of immersion in a different cultural environment and diving into British academic and professional culture is a valuable experience for any young professional. Such experience broadens your horizons considerably and is a significant advantage in the labour market; especially in Russia, where foreign degree is often highly valued.
To enter a foreign university is always quite tricky. You need to collect many documents, make a CV, write a letter of motivation, and get letters of recommendation. In general, you must do everything not customary in Russia for admission. Unfortunately, over the last two years, the process of entering foreign universities for students from Russia has become even more difficult.
Take, for example, the English language exam. EILTS or TOEFL certificates are required to prove the ability to study on a programme in almost all cases of international students. After the full-scale invasion began, testing centres closed in Russia. To take the tests, candidates have to go to another country. Potential students from Russia often go to Armenia, Kazakhstan, or Turkey to take the test. I managed to do it in Georgia. Taking the exam is always stressful for a candidate, and taking the test abroad increases the candidate's anxiety, not to mention that taking the exam abroad involves additional expenses for flights, hotel accommodations, etc.
A more significant problem is related to international payments. Sanctions have almost isolated the Russian financial system. This means that a Russian bank card cannot be used, for example, to pay the fee for a language exam or a student visa. In addition, foreign banks are much more suspicious of potential clients from Russia, and it is often simply impossible to open an account using only a passport without a residence permit in the bank's country. Even if the account can be opened, it is tough to transfer money from Russia because the largest Russian banks are disconnected from the international system of exchange of banking messages (SWIFT). Therefore, payment requires either the help of a friend with a foreign bank account or the help of intermediaries who will not forget to charge you an additional fee for their services.
A relatively minor but still unpleasant thing is transport accessibility. Before the full-scale invasion and sanctions, a direct flight from London to Moscow took about four and a half hours. Travelling from my hometown to Moscow by car takes the same time. Now a comfortable flight will take 9 hours, and the cheapest option will take 15 hours. There are extra connections, and ticket prices have gone up. This makes travelling to London more expensive and makes it much more difficult to meet friends and relatives for the holidays. All of this takes its toll on your emotional state and doesn't make life abroad any easier.
Of course, all these are relatively small difficulties, which are easy to overcome compared to those directly suffering from war. However, students meet with such small, annoying obstacles every day. These barriers increase the costs of foreign education for students from Russia and make it less accessible. So fewer people can experience another culture and return to their home country with the knowledge acquired abroad.
