Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
26th Feb 2022

A special statement about the war in Ukraine

At ICEF Monitor, we – along with our readers around the world – have been watching in horror as Russian President Putin moved from months-long threats of a military incursion into Ukraine to a full-scale invasion this week. It is, as WYSE declares, “a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty” and an abhorrent attack on a free country and people who did nothing to deserve such a war.

We send our thoughts and support to international students, educators, and agents in Ukraine. We wish strength to students’ parents, siblings, and friends all over the world who are so worried for them. More broadly, we pray for all Ukrainians, and we feel deep respect for the bravery of Russians protesting against the war despite the real possibility of arrest.

International education has played an important role in Ukraine, and in building links between Ukrainians and people around the world. As we speak, there are nearly 80,000 international students in Ukraine pursuing higher education degrees. They come from all over the world, especially from India, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Nigeria. They chose Ukraine for various reasons – affordability, quality of education, and yes, safety – safety that seemed a virtual guarantee until very recently. Their numbers have grown substantially over the past five years, as illustrated in the chart below.

Source: Ukrainian Ministry of Science and Education

As a result of the invasion, most of those international students are sheltering in basements, tunnels, parking lots, and underground subway systems – instead of classrooms among peers and educators equally committed to education and progress.

We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and we admire their incredible bravery.

Most Recent

  • US institutions bracing for a challenging enrolment outlook for 2025/26 Read More
  • How the UK’s Agent Quality Framework will shape the future of agent training Read More
  • Dutch government walks back controversial measures to constrain English-taught degrees Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US institutions bracing for a challenging enrolment outlook for 2025/26 The Institute of International Education’s (IIE) twice-yearly snapshot surveys are always required reading for international educators. That is...
Read more
How the UK’s Agent Quality Framework will shape the future of agent training This article was originally published in the ICEF Academy Knowledge Hub and is reproduced here with permission. International...
Read more
Dutch government walks back controversial measures to constrain English-taught degrees In a 3 July 2025 letter to the Dutch parliament, Education Minister Eppo Bruins explained that the government...
Read more
New Zealand announces strong foreign enrolment growth along with a new international education strategy Following a post-pandemic surge in 2023, Education New Zealand (ENZ) announced this week that the country’s international student...
Read more
US issues corrected student visa data showing growth for 2024 while current trends point to an enrolment decline for 2025/26 In April 2025, we reported that foreign enrolments in the US had declined by -11% between March 2024...
Read more
Survey finds US institutions expanding agency engagement and focusing on new student markets AIRC (The Association of International Enrollment Management) and BONARD have just released a second edition of the State...
Read more
Canada’s language sector buffeted by policy changes in 2024 Amid reports of mounting job losses and programme cuts across Canadian education, the country’s language education providers are...
Read more
Canada: List of non-degree college programmes linked to post-study work rights has changed The Canadian government is continuing its policy of linking eligibility for a post-study work permit (PGWP) – at...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links