Bard College to introduce scholarship program for Ukrainian students next year

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON − Bard College announced a new scholarship program Thursday that will help Ukrainian students who are displaced, under threat or unable to continue their education due to Russia's ongoing invasion of their homeland.

Known as the Emergency Ukrainian Student Refuge Program, Bard says it's aimed at individuals impacted by the war and is designed to allow students to begin or continue their undergraduate education.

The terms of the scholarship will vary, but each will cover a minimum of full tuition. Housing and living stipends will be available on a case-by-case basis, according to need. Scholarships will be for a minimum of one year, with the possibility of renewal.

Students chosen for the scholarship program will be admitted to Bard College's main campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, and its affiliates in New York City, Bard College Berlin or Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Mass.

The scholarships are open to university students who have lost access to higher education due to displacement or whose institutions have been forced to close or are operating under challenging circumstances, as well as to those who were unable to begin their higher education due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Jonathan Becker, Bard's vice president for academic affairs, said this is just the latest instance in Bard's history of reaching out to help students from other countries who find themselves in exile or difficult situations.

Becker said in 1956, Bard came to the aid of Hungarian students who were fleeing an uprising in their native land, which happened at a time when the country was living under domestic policies imposed by the Soviet Union.

More recently, Bard has served students from Afghanistan fleeing that war-torn nation.

"It seemed like the appropriate thing to do," Becker said. "The situation in Ukraine is horrible."

"We believe higher education should be accessible to everyone," Becker added.

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Students from Ukrainian higher education institutions that are still operational will be hosted in cooperation with their home institutions, both to ensure that students can continue working toward their degrees and to maintain the stability of those Ukrainian institutions that currently are under duress.

Applications will be welcome from students participating in the Central European University/Open Society University Network Invisible University for Ukraine.

Select applicants will be considered for the spring 2023 semester. However, the principal start of the Bard Emergency Ukrainian Student Refuge Program will be in the fall 2023 semester. Becker said some of the students might only attend Bard temporarily, while others might stay for their full undergraduate education.

The primary language of instruction is English, so all students who apply must be sufficiently proficient to study in English. A commonly accepted language assessment score, such as TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, is required.

Students will take courses from the regular curriculums of each Bard institution, although select courses are offered in other languages through the Open Society University Network.

Becker hopes one of the outcomes of this scholarship program is that other institutions of higher learning follow in Bard's footsteps.

"We want to preserve educational opportunities for students," Becker said. "But beyond that, we also want to set an example for other American universities, especially those who have more resources than we have."

"We want them to understand they have an obligation to be responsible citizens, and this is a way to do that," Becker said.

More information is available at iile.bard.edu/ukraine.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, the Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Ukraine help: Bard College to offer scholarships to students