Quality education kinder to your wallet: tips for youth

Богдан Петришин

A century ago, access to quality education was the privilege of a small part of society, even among the wealthiest. Today, learning and career-building opportunities have become more accessible. You don't have to enter Ivy League universities or hire the best tutors.

We explain what educational opportunities the European Union offers to Ukrainian students, and how to use these opportunities most effectively.

The first thing to pay attention to is European educational programs and scholarship programs of EU member states. The most powerful EU educational project is Erasmus +, which combines several programs in different fields. Applicants and students should definitely pay attention to two possibilities:

1. An academic exchange program is an opportunity to replace one or more semesters of studying at your university with a partner university in the EU. This option will be interesting for those who want to try student life and studying in Europe to understand whether to enter this university later on.
2. Joint master's programs are two-year programs that provide the opportunity to study for one year at two partner universities. Such a program is especially interesting for students conducting regional studies or comparisons of countries' systems. For example, studying Polish-Ukrainian relations at universities in Poland and Ukraine will provide more access to archives or experts.

Besides the EU's opportunities, there are also many programs from various European countries, such as DAAD in Germany or Visby in Sweden. Although most scholarships are mutually exclusive, it's up to you how you take advantage of the opportunities. For example, a six-month Erasmus exchange is often the first step in choosing a further university for a master's program.