From Kiev to Frankfurt: Yana Prymak is now studying at Goethe University.
Image: Frank Röth
More than 1,600 Ukrainians are currently studying in Hesse, many of whom fled the war. There is a gap in funding between citizen’s income and student loans, which scholarships and emergency funds close – or not.
Yana Prymak was about to graduate when the first bombs fell on Kiev in February last year. Many of her fellow students take refuge in the basement and bunker, trying to continue learning online, but contact keeps breaking off. It is a state of emergency that will last for a long time. Prymak is quickly sure: she wants to flee her hometown and return to a safe everyday life somewhere else. Today, more than a year later, she is studying at Frankfurt University, making her one of the 800 Ukrainian students who have dared to start anew at Hesse’s universities since the outbreak of war.
According to the Hesse State Statistical Office, a total of 1,628 students with Ukrainian citizenship were enrolled in the past winter semester. This means that the number of 745 students in the previous year, when there was still no war, has more than doubled. The refugees have escaped the everyday dangers in their home country, but are now facing other challenges – including financial ones.
