British national medical and dental students studying in Ukraine

Last updated: 20 July 2022

If you have not already done so, the Government strongly advises British nationals to leave Ukraine immediately if you judge it is safe to do so. You should follow the advice set out at the GOV.UK website. The UK Government retains a diplomatic presence in Ukraine, but can no longer provide consular assistance in person due to the deteriorating security situation. Any British nationals who require consular assistance in Ukraine should call the 24-hour helpline: +44 (0) 1908 516666 or +380 44 490 3660. You can also send an enquiry via the Embassy Service’s web contact form. Full, in person consular assistance is available in neighbouring countries.

Unfortunately, the Department for Education has advised it will not be possible for you to join existing Government-funded medical and dental courses in England. The number of places available to study medicine and dentistry is regulated by the Government and controlled through intake targets operated by the Office for Students. These places are quality assured by the General Medical Council (GMC) to ensure the availability of sufficient provision of high-quality education, training and clinical placements and therefore have all been allocated for this coming academic year. In addition, there are also complex issues surrounding transferring students whose prior learning has taken place overseas directly onto medical places here in the UK; this includes issues around certifying prior learning, matching curriculums and the diversity of study needs of students. The Department for Education is continuing to work closely with the education sector to ensure that students are supported and have a range of options available to them, during this difficult time.

If you have further questions about this related to the University of Leicester email ukrainetriage@le.ac.uk.

Available options

Speak to your study abroad agency – If you have placed at your Ukrainian university through a commercial agreement with a study abroad agency, you should discuss your options with them as they may have options available to you, including to continue your studies in another country where they have placed UK students to study medicine and dentistry.

Continue your course through online learning - If you have not already done so, you should contact your education provider in Ukraine to understand what support they will be providing to ensure you are able to study remotely if you have or plan to return to the UK. Universities in Ukraine are striving to maintain the education of their students under extremely challenging conditions and therefore this may be particularly beneficial if you are nearing the end of your course. The Medical Schools Council and the Council of Deans of Health are liaising with universities in Ukraine to help ensure online learning materials are available to students, to help them maintain their skills and continue their education remotely. The Department for Education and the HE sector are continuing to work together to explore options on how they can support you in this learning.

Apply to study a related subject in England, for academic year 22/23 – The Department for Education has been working closely with UCAS and can confirm that although the standard process to apply to study at university in the next academic year are almost complete, students can continue to apply via UCAS for courses commencing in Autumn 2022. You could consider applying to a related subject for the next academic year. There are many opportunities to study related subjects within the UK and UCAS is ready to support anyone who would like to know more about their options. All courses can be found on the UCAS website, and there’s guidance for every step of applying. If you need to get in touch with UCAS about anything, you can reach them on Facebook and Twitter, or call on +44 330 3330 230. If submitting an application, prospective students can enter all qualifications they have or are currently taking. You will also be able to list the course and modules you are currently studying in Ukraine. You should speak with the prospective provider about how your previous and current study can contribute to starting this course. It is likely that a prospective university will want further proof and information about the course, which they will likely request as a follow up to the application being submitted. The Universities Ministers has asked providers to show as much flexibility as possible when looking at how they can support students returning from Ukraine.

Apply to medical school in England, for academic year 23/24 – Like all prospective year 1 undergraduate students, you have the option to apply to courses at medical and dental schools, starting in academic year 23/24, and beyond. It is not possible to transfer credits so you would need to apply as a new year 1 undergraduate student, and you will therefore need to consider if this option is right for you and your circumstances. During the application process, students could declare their study in Ukraine as part of their UCAS personal statements so that providers would be aware of this at application, however, overall, you would be applying on the basis of the A levels you hold and would need to take a clinical aptitude test for entry and be assessed alongside other applicants. The Universities Ministers have asked providers to show as much flexibility as possible when looking at how they can support students returning from Ukraine. You can find out more about Leicester’s medicine MBChB course on our website.

Applying for student finance in England – The Department for Education has confirmed that if you were living in England before leaving to study in Ukraine, and you start or join a course on your return to the UK, the Student Loans Company will treat your period of study in Ukraine as being a temporary absence when assessing whether you meet the requirement for three years’ ordinary residence in the UK or Crown Dependencies prior to study. You should contact Student Finance England (or other relevant funding body if you lived in one of the Devolved Administrations prior to study in Ukraine) for details of how they will assess you.