A total of 2,179 Egyptian students enrolled in Ukrainian universities have filled out a government form to transfer to private and national Egyptian universities, Minister of Emigration Nabila Makram.
This comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued for its 17th day on Saturday. The conflict has forced 2.5 million people to flee the country, according to the United Nations on Friday.
Egypt has repatriated hundreds of Egyptians, mostly students, from war-torn Ukraine via Air Cairo planes and is planning to help them continue their education at private and national universities.
Before the Russian invasion, around 6,000 Egyptians lived in Ukraine, including about 3,000 students, according to officials.
So far, 80 percent of Egyptian students in Ukraine have left for other European countries, especially Poland, which had received 826 students as of Thursday, Makram told media.
However, a “small percentage” of nationals are refusing to leave Ukraine, including students who want to continue their education in Ukraine or those who fear that their academic career may be affected if they leave the country.
For example, some nationals in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson preferred to remain in the city, Makram added.
Transferring to Egyptian universities
Of the 2,179 Egyptian students who filled out the unified form to transfer to Egyptian universities, only 941 have proof of enrollment in their universities in Ukraine, Makram said. Submitting the proof of enrollment, however, is essential to join Egyptian universities, she added.
Students wanting to transfer to Egyptian universities have three months to obtain the required documents from their universities in Ukraine.
Starting 14 March, students will have two weeks to submit these documents to the Ministry of Emigration, the minister said.
To submit the documents, students will have to visit the ministry’s headquarters at 96 Ahmed Oraby street in Giza’s Agouza district from 10am to 3pm Sunday through Thursday, Makram said.
Students must bring their passports with residence permits stamped before 24 February, the first day of the conflict in Ukraine, and certificates of the courses they took in Ukraine, according to Makram.
Students studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and engineering will have to undergo college entrance tests, she said.
However, students of other disciplines can visit the national or private universities directly after learning about disciplines with vacant seats through their respective websites, she added.
This special measure was approved in a cabinet meeting last week attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar.
Students wanting to transfer to Egyptian universities have to submit proof of taking the Thanaweya Amma or other equivalent higher school certificates, the cabinet said in a statement.
Students who fail to submit academic placement tests from Cairo University or Ain Shams University within three months will have their transference requests cancelled, the statement said.
Students who successfully transfer to an Egyptian university will not be allowed to transfer to another in the country, according to the statement.