Ukrainian Students Interested in Studying at UPJS in Kosice

Kosice, April 26 (TASR) – Pavol Jozef Safarik University (UPJS) in Kosice hosted an open house day for students from Ukraine on Tuesday.

Representatives of UPJS introduced them to the study options of individual faculties. “We’ve recorded great interest from Ukrainian students and the university itself is very much interested in cooperation with these students. However, there are certain obstacles in terms of visa requirement,” UPJS vice principal for foreign relations and mobility Silvia Rucinska told TASR.

Rucinska said that they cannot determine which faculty is among the most vaunted. “Applicants are interested in the philosophical faculty, as well as the medical faculty,” she said, adding that there are currently 50 students from Ukraine at UPJS.

“I’d like to study in Slovakia because I like it here very much. I’d like to study chemistry or medicine, because I like chemistry. Maybe I’ll become a doctor,” said Artur Bubriak, 17, from western Ukrainian city of Mukacheve, who has come to Kosice with his parents.

Since Ukraine isn’t an EU-member state, students have to obtain a temporary residency permit for the purpose of studying. “It’s being granted for the whole period of studies, that is, three years for a Bachelor’s and two years for Master’s degree,” noted Slovak Corpus of Ukrainian Students supervisory board chairman Roman Dohovic, adding that this visa will allow them to travel around the EU and Schengen area.

According to Oxana Humenna of the UPJS Philosophical Faculty’s Language Training Centre, Ukrainian students have to be proficient in Slovak before they’re admitted to UPJS, but Slovak language courses can also be attended in Ukraine.

They have to meet all the same criteria that Slovak students have to, but they can study some programmes in English as well, stated Rucinska.