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Pearson recorded an 11% rise in profit to reach £456m in 2022, the company’s Preliminary Unaudited 2022 results show.

Sales in assessment & qualifications were up 8%, driven by US student assessment and UK & international qualifications, virtual learning up 4%, as were OPM sales. English Language Learning grew by 24%.

Pearson Test of English volumes drove the English language learning segment, increasing by 90% to 827,000 “as global mobility continued to improve with border re-openings and market share gains in India”, the report noted.

Pearson VUE saw “particularly strong growth in the IT and healthcare segments”, the report noted, with volumes in the professional licensure exam increasing to 19.4m in 2022 from 16.8m in the previous year.

While higher education was down by 4% due to enrolment declines and “a loss of adoptions to non-mainstream publishers”, eTextbooks platform Pearson+ saw paid subscription numbers rise to 406,000 in fall 2022, up from 133,000 in fall 2021.

The results are “testament to the strong momentum that we’ve been building operationally and strategically over the past 24 months”, according to Pearson chief executive, Andy Bird.

“For a second consecutive year, our financial performance was ahead of expectations, and we saw progress in our strategic initiatives, which are taking Pearson on a new, exciting journey,” he said.

“Our portfolio continues to strengthen, with our new Workforce Skills talent investment platform created to leverage the structural growth in our markets and increased need for upskilling and reskilling.”

Pearson anticipates Workforce Skills revenue will see double-digit growth in 2023.

“We saw progress in our strategic initiatives, which are taking Pearson on a new, exciting journey”

The acquisition of Mondly, digital credentials specialist Credly and the subject to close PDRI deal will support growth strategy across the Pearson ecosystem, the company added.

Mondly is key to implementing Pearson’s credentials segment and boost its direct to language learning consumer space. The acquisition of workforce assessment provider PDRI will “expand Pearson’s services to US federal agencies and grow our presence with large employers”, the report added.

Upskilling and reskilling will “be a key growth driver for Pearson over the coming years”, Bird continued, as the company continues to reshape its portfolio.

“Our confidence for the future is underpinned by ongoing innovation, alongside our increasing divisional interconnectivity. This is combined with accelerating demand for our digital solutions, a growing consumer-focused proposition and our ability to serve more people across their lifelong learning journeys.”

In 2023, the education company is “confident” of further group underlying sales growth of low to mid-single digit. This expectation excludes OPM products, a segment which “continues to be under strategic review”.

English language learning revenue is expected to grow by high-single digits with increased margins, and assessment & qualifications revenue will see low to mid-single digit growth.

The report said that virtual schools revenue is likely to decline by mid-single digit as a result of the “Covid-19 cohort unwind in the 2022/23 academic year, as well as the loss of a major school”.

The report shows that virtual schools US enrolments fell to 106,000 in 2022 from 111,000 in 2021, and OPM student enrolments declined slightly to 270,000 from 275,000 in 2021.

“We remain confident in the long-term performance of this [Virtual Learning] division and will launch Career Academies aimed at supporting teenagers who wish to gain career education and experience. Four Career Academies will operate in the 2023-24 school year in four states and enrollment is underway,” Pearson added.

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UK universities have a “unique role” to play in attracting international business investment and more needs to be done to strengthen links to benefit local communities, create jobs and amplify the global reach of UK research, a new report says.

The paper, outlining recommendations on attracting investment, comes as the UK launches a strategy to cement the UK as a “science and technology superpower by 2030”.

The 10-point plan includes ways to pursue transformational technologies, attract top talent and ensure they have the tools they need to succeed, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak suggested.

Writing in The Times this week, Sunak reiterated that the “race to create, develop and exploit… new technologies is global”, while he launched the Science and Technology Framework.

“I want to cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030,” he wrote.

“I want to cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030”

“It means we will be the world’s laboratory, home to the brightest scientists and most visionary entrepreneurs. It means pursuing a vision of science and technology that is about openness, connection and opportunity, in contrast to countries like China using it to exercise authoritarian control.”

Investment in R&D will reach £20 billion a year by the end of the parliament, the UK PM said, with Downing Street “changing the way government works” with the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Advanced Research and Invention Agency.

“We have world-class strengths in research and the third biggest tech ecosystem in the world,” he added, launching a “long-term” plan to make science and technology the UK’s “new national purpose”.

The strategy “takes advantage of being outside the EU to do things differently and better, especially when it comes to regulation”, Sunak continued.

The measures are backed by over £370 million to “boost investment in innovation, bring the world’s best talent to the UK, and seize the potential of ground-breaking new technologies like AI”.

The role of universities in driving overseas investment into UK Research and Development report, by the HEPI and Midlands Innovation, describes a blueprint that could “unleash the levelling-up potential of the UK’s world-renowned higher education sector”.

The paper notes that, despite universities already playing an important role in attracting Foreign Direct Investment, the role can be “expanded and enhanced” through better collaboration with local partners and government.

Among the recommendations, the report states that the government should target the world’s top 200 R&D investors.

New government departments can be leveraged to launch a refreshed and more ambitious approach to securing FDI into science and technology, it suggested.

The report suggested that universities can ensure that FDI capture is integrated in university priorities by “consciously embedding plans for attracting foreign investment into existing research and university-wide strategies”.

Universities should continue to develop their approach to research commercialisation by consider how they might work together to aggregate their spin-out portfolios and “hunt in packs” to attract more significant investment.

“If the UK is to deliver substantial further economic growth while also levelling up, we must now get even better at welcoming new investment from overseas,” director of HEPI, Nick Hillman, said.

However, the new government strategy comes as UK research waits for Westminster to confirm the country’s association to the EU’s research funding program Horizon Europe. Researchers had expected the UK would seek association as soon as possible, after the Windsor Framework was announced.

“We must now get even better at welcoming new investment from overseas”

Sunak has not yet responded to next steps for the UK to rejoin the €95.5 billion science program. Instead, the government has announced an extension to the support provided to UK Horizon Europe applicants until the end of June 2023.

Science, Innovation and Technology secretary Michelle Donelan said on March 6, that the EU has not yet “made any proposals to address the financial terms of UK association”, pointing to transitional measures if association is not possible.

Chief executive and director of the Francis Crick Institute and Nobel Laureate, Paul Nurse, has already called for Plan B options to “fall by the wayside”.

A newly-released Review of the Research, Development and Innovation Organisational Landscape, led by Nurse, identifies “obstacles in the way of international collaboration”.

Brexit had the “unintended consequence” that the UK may no longer have access to Horizon, and “the involvement of UK-based researchers in European research consortia has already been damaged by this”, the report noted.

Additionally, it said some UK-based researchers from overseas indicated that country is no longer perceived as a welcoming place to work, and problems with immigration bureaucracy has led to some leaving the UK for jobs elsewhere.

The UK received 12.1% of all funds awarded under the ‘Horizon 2020’ program between 2014 and 2020, amounting to over €7bn, it noted.

The review reiterated that a substitutional domestically-funded program, even with similar levels of funding, “will not be able to reproduce the collaborative and reputational benefits” of Horizon Europe and associated research programs. The failure to implement association with Horizon has damaged the UK’s standing, and risks increasing the barrier to recruiting international talent, it added.

The RDI review also said the financial sustainability of the public research funding at universities needs to be “urgently addressed”.

While international student fees underpin UK university research, “care is needed as such sources are not always reliable and sustainable”, it said.

“While it is a strength of the UK’s higher education sector that it can attract large numbers of international students, over-reliance on this large but potentially volatile source of funds, especially if concentrated in specific countries, to underpin UK research, is a cause for concern.”

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Top universities and colleges in Ireland are using the two-year post-study working opportunity for international students as a major selling point to attracting African students, in a recruitment campaign targeting Anglophone countries on the continent.

In addition, the country’s 18 higher learning institutions are promising a “welcoming and safe” environment besides the fact that Irish universities are ranked among the top 5% globally, in a drive that will see the Education in Ireland embark on a tour of several African cities.

In addition, the group is also marketing the destination using the popular “Silicon Valley of Europe”, and  “home to over 1,000” multinational companies, presenting students with an ideal place for potential industrial attachments, as well as internships opportunities.

Beginning this month Education in Ireland has been hosting recruitment fairs, starting from the middle of February with two events in West and Southern Africa regions. Later this month, the group heads to East African cities of Kampala in Uganda, and Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya from March 20-25.

The fairs also seem to have the support of the government of Ireland where besides asking study related question, students will “get advice” from Irish government representatives, mainly focused on visa applications and post-study rules and opportunities.

“Whether you’re looking for a general postgraduate degree or a more specialist qualification, we have a solution for you that will not only deliver exceptional educational results but will also set you apart from other candidates on the employment market or in academia,” states some of the promotional messages for the recruitment drives.

The Republic of Ireland has been emerging as favourite destination for African students in recent years, thanks to among other things its competitive course fees, and relatively affordable cost of living compared to countries in the western world.

African student numbers increased by 61% between 2018 and 2021, growing from 800 in 2018 to 1,300 students in 2020. The biggest growth was in 2019 when those enrolling jumped to 1,230, up from 800 the previous year, representing a growth of 53%.

In 2021, there were 32,000 international students in Ireland, about 3% being Africans according to Irish Universities Association.

In its most recent strategy, Ireland’s Department for Foreign Affairs says it has over the past 46 years awarded around 2,000 fellowships to ‘partner countries’, most them to African nationals. It adds that it’s committed to doubling the current number due to Africans to an annual allocation of 150 by 2025.

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A qualifications recognition agreement between Australia and India to streamline education and career pathways was announced as a delegation of Australian education leaders visited the country.

Stakeholders have  said the Mechanism for the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications is “great news” for Australian transnational education providers wishing to deliver programs in India.

The deal – agreed on March 3 – aims to give students “greater certainty” on the recognition of qualifications, with the partners indicating it is “India’s most comprehensive education agreement of its type with another country”.

The announcement comes as Deakin University revealed plans to open a full International Branch Campus at GIFT City in India, joining University of Wollongong Australia which announced a teaching location in 2022.

In July 2022, the UK and India agreed an MoU to recognise each other’s higher education qualifications.

“This agreement locks in the rules for mutual recognition to access education in both our countries, including the qualifications we provide online and offshore,” Australian minister for Education Jason Clare said. Clare led a delegation of university leaders and education stakeholders to India. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese will also visit the country from March 8-11.

“Australia’s universities are well placed to contribute to India achieving its domestic education goals”

The agreement will deliver “immediate benefits” to both students and higher education institutions in Australia and India and “reflects the strong and mutually beneficial relationship between India
and Australia”, Clare added.

“Australia’s universities are well placed to contribute to India achieving its domestic education goals and to supporting the skills and employment needs of key Indian industries,” he said.

Australian providers have long looked to India for TNE opportunities and have suggested students from the country should be permitted to stay to work in Australia for longer periods of time in order to fill labour shortages.

India’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, visited Australia in August 2022.

Clare emphasised that with India’s plan to have half of its young people in vocational and higher education by 2035, “one in four graduates in the world [could] come from the Indian higher education system” in 12 years’ time.

Speaking at Delhi University, the visiting minister said the agreement is a two-step process, first the signing of the mechanism, and later the need to work with professions on mutual recognition agreements.

Doing so will allow Australian and Indian graduates to be able to practice professionally in either country, he said, adding the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement with India – signed in late 2022 – will be important going forward.

Eleven new memoranda of understanding were signed between Indian and Australian institutions, as the delegation visited.

India’s International Financial Services Centres Authority, which announced the Deakin campus, said the centre will offer courses in Financial Management, FinTech, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Additionally, Deakin signed an agreement with Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals which will create a sports-related scholarship for Indian students.

RMIT University and Birla Institute of Technology and Science have also revealed a new Higher Education Academy offering a four undergraduate engineering dual degree programs, and a PhD program.

Pradhan and his Australian counterpart also reaffirmed their commitment to establish an Australia India Working Group on Transnational Partnerships to “further opportunities for greater institutional collaboration”.

The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia said the recognition agreement is “significant” for Australian independent skills training and higher education providers looking to support students wishing to study in Australia.

“It’s also great news for those providers wishing to deliver programs in India,” said ITECA chief executive, Troy Williams, who also accompanied the Australian delegation.

With a total 70,000 Indian students currently studying in Australia, the country is the largest overseas market for Australia’s independent tertiary education providers, ITECA noted.

“Recognition of Australian qualifications by the Indian government will support transnational education, allowing students with Indian qualifications to pursue further education in Australia and vice versa. Significantly, these students will not have to undergo a complex and time-consuming process of getting their qualifications recognised by training providers or employers,” Williams said.

“[It] will enhance the employment standing of Indian students who have completed their education in Australia, thereby increasing their employability and future career prospects,” he added.

Universities Australia, which also joined a delegation to India last September, saw its chair John Dewar meet secretary general of the Association of Indian Universities, Pankaj Mittal, last week.

The partners renewed a formal partnership, which Dewar said will “open the door to enhanced understanding between Australian and Indian universities, while deepening bilateral cooperation in education and research”.

“Australian and Indian universities have more than 450 formal partnerships”

“Australian and Indian universities have more than 450 formal partnerships between them, demonstrating the strong connections between our universities,” he said.

Among the 11 agreements signed last week feature a “wide range of fields including bio-innovation and law”, Canberra highlighted.

“It’s clear these relationships are only going to grow. India is aiming to educate 500 million students by 2035, and Australia’s universities are here to help,” Dewar added.

The UA/ AIU MoU will lead to increased student and faculty exchange, dual and joint degrees, twinning programs and research collaborations, Mittal continued.

“In keeping with the vision of the National Education Policy, we’ve also established the Indian Network of International Higher Education and collaboration portal to facilitate student mobility through mutual recognition of qualifications,” he said.

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“In order to implement the national strategy of building a talent superpower (人才强国) and rejuvenating the nation through science and education, and to meet the needs of the national talent training plans and career development (事业发展), Party A has accepted the application and agrees to sponsor Party B…”

This is how one China Scholarship Council’s agreement, according to a 2020 translation from Georgetown University’s Centre for Security and Emerging Technology, begins. Students are required to sign this before they travel to take up their scholarship roles.

In 2023, however, universities in Sweden found the agreement wasn’t just about how they must study the major they originally selected and only stay for a certain amount of time.

One of Sweden’s foremost newspapers, revealed in an investigation that some Chinese students were signing so-called “loyalty pledges” to the Chinese Communist Party, and that guarantors – often the students’ parents – would face serious financial consequences if any parts of the deal were reneged upon.

Two universities – Lund and Uppsala – have already ceased their deals with the CSC, and the KTH is also negotiating with the nonprofit to get to the bottom of the allegations.

It’s not the first time that universities have cut ties with the CSC. In 2020, a scandal arose as the University of North Texas abruptly ended its relationship with the organisation, sending researchers home in the middle of a pandemic.

“UNT took this action based upon specific and credible information following detailed briefings from federal and local law enforcement,” the university’s VP for brand strategy Jim Berscheidt, said at the time.

“These are people doing research here internationally, and if we can just end their visas, what does that say about my status?”

The move spooked the university’s graduate student council, with one saying that no information was given about it until the last minute.

“There’s that thought of ‘these are people doing research here internationally, and if we can just end their visas, what does that say about my status as an international student?’” the council’s president Tiffany Miller said.

This occurred at a similar time as the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, under Donald Trump, released a staff report that alleged that the CSC “requires recipients to pledge allegiance to a Marxist-Leninist authoritarian regime”.

“The 2020 application guidelines for the three CSC programs surveyed in this staff report all insist that applicants ‘support the leadership of the Communist Party and the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics; love the motherland; have a sense of responsibility to serve the country, society, and the people; and to have a correct world view, outlook on life, and values system’,” the report read.

Stefan Östlund, VP for global relations at KTH – the institution reviewing its CSC involvement – explained to The PIE News that while “loyalty pledges” is strong wording, it’s not uncommon.

“It is not unusual that international scholarships come with specific requirements. In the case of China that typically means loyalty to the country.

“As we know, this is the agreement between the scholarship provider and the student. The student would never get this scholarship otherwise. There is a large number of CSC students all over the world at different universities in North America, Europe, and Asia,” Östlund said.

CSC students are all over the world, and while few and far between, incidents have occurred that have raised suspicion among universities and governments.

As recently as January 2023, a Chinese engineer who went to the US to study electrical engineering at Illinois University of Technology, was sentenced to eight years in prison for spying.

In addition, US-based dissident Jie Lijian cited some noticeably odd behaviour of Chinese students at USC after the Beijing Sitong Bridge protest in October, 2022, opposing the CCP rule in China.

Some posters put up by Chinese students supporting the protests were subsequently ripped down by other students, supposedly loyal to the Communist regime.

Lijian said the students even took “pride in being able to report the rebels” to Chinese police – so they could even risk arrest when returning to China.

The EUR in Rotterdam also released a statement ending its relationship with the CSC in August 2022, claiming it had identified language akin to swearing loyalty to the CCP and veiled threats of financial ruin for guarantors if students didn’t conduct themselves as seen fit by the regime.

Through translation, a 2022 dated page on the CSC’s website seems to confirm that this language is used in basic articles of agreement.

So, then, what about the countless universities across the world that have agreements with the organisation?

The PIE contacted a range of universities, whose websites demonstrate previous or active agreements with the CSC. Although an official list of the partner universities around the world is unavailable, only one Google search shows how many still have agreements.

“It is not unusual that international scholarships come with specific requirements”

From institutions in the UK, Canada, Australia and the US, only three wrote back – one from Canada, and two from Australia.

The Australian National University, who had a working agreement with the CSC up until May 2021, has said discussions are “currently underway about possible future arrangements” with the CSC, almost two years after the MoU expired.

“ANU has a robust process to prevent foreign interference, which includes a group of senior staff reviewing all potential partnerships. International partnerships cannot be entered into without this group’s approval,” a spokesperson told The PIE.

It was not confirmed whether these discussions have been happening for that period of time, or whether they have been restarted after a period.

The University of Melbourne towed a similar line. While it has an active agreement with the CSC, it said students must follow the institution’s student charter wherever they hail from. It also insisted that due diligence is undergone on “all of its scholarship programs”.

In the UK, the University of Reading also confirmed to The PIE that its agreement with the CSC was still active.

“We offer two joint PhD scholarships to CSC students each year and this is the same for 2023 entry,” the spokesperson elaborated.

Like ANU, the university assured that it offers “help and support to all international students on applying, funding and studying on their course”, as is appropriate to their “individual circumstances”, they said.

While universities were noticeably reluctant to offer more on their agreements with the CSC, with so many different universities across the globe there is clearly a benefit to both universities and students, with hundreds still travelling round the globe to study at institutions.

Whether some universities know what is being signed behind closed doors, however, is a question that remains unanswered.

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Though staffing numbers are down, language student figures in Canada are increasing after falling by nearly 100,000 last year, from a 2018 high of nearly 160,000 students. The numbers for 2022 indicate almost double the number of students from 2021’s approximate 60,000 students.

These numbers give many in the sector a sense of hope for continued strength.

The 16^th annual Languages Canada conference was held last week in Halifax, Nova Scotia and attended by nearly 200 delegates from the languages sector. In addition to the many institutional representatives and service providers who shared best practices and current research on hot topics that impact the field, numerous high-profile governmental representatives addressed the delegates.

“Our annual conference continues to deepen in impact as the threads of current issues are held in conversation,” executive director at Languages Canada Gonzalo Peralta told The PIE News.

“Nothing replaces in-person events to hold these conversations, and the presence of leaders in the sector exchanging with Canadian representatives from federal and provincial government, industry, and higher education, demonstrates the influence of the sector as the association continues to grow and is based on collaboration, partnership, and the desire to contribute to Canada’s and our students’ wellbeing,” he continued.

“What struck me most was federal and provincial engagement with Languages Canada and with the sector,” vice president at ILSC Education Group, Nadine Baladi told The PIE. “It was encouraging to hear that language schools are considered a crucial strategic partner to the government in its immigration efforts.”

Minister of Immigration Refugees and Citizenship of CanadaSean Fraser offered the opening keynote address and responded to numerous questions from LC members regarding “access to work for language students, Canada’s visa backlog, and efforts to modernise Canada’s immigration system”.

Jean-Philippe Tachdjian, executive director of International Education at Global Affairs Canada spoke about the next iteration of Canada’s international education strategy, which he said will be a deeply collaborative process.

As part of the planning process, Tachdjian will facilitate a series of town hall sessions, during which he will gather feedback and input from stakeholders from every province.

Jill Balser, minister of Labour, Skills, and Immigration of Nova Scotia highlighted the role of language education in “shaping the future and prosperity of Nova Scotia” during a panel on regional perspectives on building community, diversity, and prosperity in Atlantic Canada.

And in addition governmental perspectives and insights, Peralta noted he was “so pleased with the calibre of thoughtful and engaging presentations brought forward from within our membership, sharing best practices in language education pedagogy, raising the bar on quality and the student experience, and supporting innovation in international recruitment.”

The student experience was showcased in Heartland International English School’s student concierge program. Its coordinator, Jasmin Geling, told The PIE the program was created as “a response to industry changes caused by the pandemic; an innovative attempt to dedicate staff and space to support and empower students throughout their entire journey”.

Geling said Heartland’s efforts centre around “curation, personalisation and one-to-one student support as a way to build and anchor students to a community”.

“A big thing we’re seeing is the issue of compensation. And now, with inflation, it’s becoming even more difficult”

Languages Canada’s Diego Sanchez, iCent’s Ganesh Neelanjanmath and Hugo Silva Franco of Air Canada discussed Canada’s Letter of Acceptance verification system as another method to support international students and to relieve some of the visa backlog in a way that is easily verifiable by the government and through which data can be encrypted and safely stored.

Thought leaders also highlighted roles and responsibilities of the language sector in combatting the labour and skills shortage in Canada. Hannah Pyo from the Toronto School of Management and Paul Denman from The Language Gallery addressed The Great Resignation and its impact on staffing woes.

Referencing the phenomenon of “quiet quitting”, Pyo implored, “With shifts in workplace attitudes, we have to adjust and adapt and make new decisions about how people work”. To which Denman added, “We’re seeing friction points. A big thing we’re seeing is the issue of compensation. And now, with inflation, it’s becoming even more difficult”.

Baladi concluded, “The conference was a reminder of the collegiality, the strength and the optimism of the various players of the sector: language programs and service providers alike”.

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The number of US students interested in studying abroad is not only rising dramatically but also is on pace to surpass 2019 figures, according to new research.

A survey of over 200 students from public and private HEIs in the US found 72% are interest in studying abroad, with over 60% planning on pursuing a traditional semester abroad in the spring of 2024.

The research, by global engagement education technology provider Terra Dotta, also found that with 70%, western Europe remains the most popular destination for US students studying abroad.

“This year’s survey confirmed that we are back to a familiar pre-Covid-19 study abroad landscape,” Terra Dotta’s CEO, Anthony Rotoli, told The PIE News.

“Students are eager to travel – even more so given the pandemic’s impact on travel and other milestones they may have missed out on – but cost and accessibility are limiting factors.”

The overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) indicated personal growth and a desire to travel as primary reasons for their interest in study abroad programs. According to the survey, “Students feel studying abroad will give them unique, world perspectives and exposures they would not have if they didn’t participate”.

However, Rotoli stated that cost remains the biggest hinderance to participation and needs to be addressed by institutions.

“The survey reveals a real need for more financial support and program education to impart the long-term career readiness value for potential student travelers,” Rotoli said.

“The survey reveals a real need for more financial support”

Both interested students (84%) and those who did not plan to study abroad (34%) cited cost as the top prohibitive factor and wished institutions would provide more information about financial aid via email, websites, or through in-person meetings with professors.

In addition to financial barriers, physical and mental health were noted as hinderances to study abroad participation.

Survey participants sought more information about study abroad programs in general (30%) as well as virtual internship options (44%). Terra Dotta noted both virtual programming and study abroad can address the issue of access in study abroad.

The need for earlier engagement was also a key finding in the survey, with 45% of students expressing that they became interested in the idea of studying abroad in high school. In fact, 57% said it played a role in their college selection.

Rotoli agreed, telling The PIE, “Institutions that engage students and parents earlier in the student lifecycle have an opportunity to help grow the number of students who study abroad and ensure they have the resources to take advantage of this invaluable student success factor.”

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A year after Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, the Institute of International Education has announced a commitment to fund 210 members of Ukraine’s academic community to continue their university career.

The allocation of funding will benefit 160 students and 50 scholars of the Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, one of the colleges most impacted by military operations.

Alongside projects such as the Emergency Student Fund for Ukraine raising close to $650,000 to support 225 Ukrainian students enrolled in more than 140 US and the Ukraine Crisis Response Fund providing grants and funding for research and reconstruction purposes in Ukraine, IIE’s commitment also envisages other projects.

“Promoting access to education is at the core of IIE’s mission, and we work with partners around the world to help students who have been displaced continue their education,” Mary Karam McKey, IIE’s head of corporate and foundation programs, told The PIE.

“We are supporting a group of students at Horlivka Institute for Foreign Languages and are in the process of working with other universities to serve students and scholars in need,” she said.

Additionally, the Global Democracy Ambassador Scholarship – spearheaded by renowned figures such as former Russian chess player and human rights activist Garry Kasparov – has granted 20 Ukrainian students up to $30,000 to enable them to either continue studying in the US or to matriculate in a US university in the spring and/or summer 2023.

“Promoting access to education is at the core of IIE’s mission”

IIE is considering providing further support to international students enrolled in Ukrainian universities who fled the country when the war broke out, McKey continued.

“IIE is aware of this population, has been in conversation with other organisations focusing on supporting these students, and we are seeking ways to help,” she told The PIE.

Furthermore, supporting programs for Ukrainian and Russian scholars as well as for artists are planned.

The Scholar Rescue Fund has rescued 13 Ukrainian scholars since the outbreak of the war and is also helping nine Russian scholars who are no longer able to continue their activities in Russia, while the Artist Protection Fund has allocated six fellowships to literary, performing and visual artists in desperate need of emergency support.

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