The University is ready to support all students
St Petersburg University supports its students when they find themselves in a difficult situation and is also prepared to support all Russian students who come up against hard times while they are studying abroad.
During the past week, the directors of the institutes and the deans of the faculties at the University, in conjunction with the Academic Affairs Department and the Department for Youth Affairs, have been holding online meetings with students who are citizens of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Ukraine. At these meetings, each student in need of help has given an account of their personal situation and received information about the assistance that the University is prepared to provide them. Such meetings have already taken place at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes, the School of International Relations, the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Philology, the Faculty of Physics, the Faculty of Economics, the Institute of History and the Institute of Philosophy.
By order of the Rector of St Petersburg University, a special fund was set up on 26 February 2022 to provide financial support to students from the Donetsk’s People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic and Ukraine.
To receive financial support, students may apply at urm@spbu.ru (no particular form is required) or at the email address of any one of the deputy heads of the Department for Youth Affairs (a contact list is available on the St Petersburg University portal).
To receive free legal assistance or psychological counselling, students may apply to the St Petersburg University Legal Clinic or Psychological Clinic. A student can submit a request to consult a psychologist via a St Petersburg University registration form or write to psy.clinic@spbu.ru. Should they wish to consult an expert at the St Petersburg University Psychological Clinic, citizens of the Donetsk’s People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic and Ukraine will be given top priority, to receive which it is necessary to include "Resident of Ukraine", "Resident of the DPR" or "Resident of the LPR" in the description of their problem on the application form. For detailed information on how to obtain psychological assistance, please click here.
The St Petersburg branch of the Russian Red Cross Society is collecting humanitarian aid, and anyone who wants to can participate in this effort. At the moment, the most important items being collected in St Petersburg are food, water, personal hygiene products, pillows and blankets. More detailed information is available on the page of the St Petersburg branch of the Russian Red Cross. In addition, an endowment account has been opened to support internally displaced persons. Donations can be made on the home page of мывместе.рф or on the official website of the Russian Red Cross.
An information meeting has also been held with students who are planning to travel to other countries this spring under academic mobility programmes or are already studying at foreign partner universities. A total of around 150 students, who are planning on going to or are in Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Korea and other countries, participated in the conversation. Irina Novikova, Dean of the School of International Relations, and Aleksandr Kurochkin, Dean of the Faculty of Political Science, gave the students advice on how to conduct themselves abroad in the face of increasing international tension. They reminded them that their main objective is to study and that they should resist the urge to become involved in any conflicts or give in to any provocations. Veronika Koytova, Head of the International Academic Cooperation Department, responded to students’ questions about current issues related to their studying and staying at St Petersburg University’s foreign partner universities. She also noted that the staff of the International Academic Cooperation Department is always ready to be contacted by students and, if necessary, to help them out.
St Petersburg University is also prepared to provide Russian students with an opportunity of transferring to the University in St Petersburg if they are having any difficulties in continuing their studies abroad. Applications will be accepted at spbu@spbu.ru, and the subject of the email should be "a transfer to St Petersburg University from a foreign university".