Update 30 June 2022

thank you for supporting the Ukraine Hardship appeal

Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 24 February, the University of St Andrews pledged to do whatever we could to support students and staff affected by the war.

Over the last four months, the University and our wider community have demonstrated solidarity with the people of Ukraine and given Ukrainians a platform to share their stories. The vigil for Ukraine on 28 February saw more than 600 people fill St Salvator's Quadrangle, standing together in favour of peace, respect and our common humanity. On 30 March, over 1,000 people formed a line in the sand  – a clear illustration of St Andrews' opposition to the war and the aggression of the Russian government.

Events such as UkraineFitFest have raised money for charities based in Ukraine, while the exhibition Places We Love: Art and the Ukrainian East , hosted by the Botanic Garden until Tuesday 12 July, gives insight into the Donbas region, where war has been ongoing for eight years. Our Centre for Energy Ethics organised an online seminar series Ukraine: Energy in the Spotlight, which included presenters from Ukraine and brought together their voices, expertise and insights.

The University has also offered practical and financial support to students affected by the war – a task that has been helped immensely by the generous response to our emergency Ukraine Hardship Appeal. To date, more than £160,000 has been raised from donations from alumni, friends, staff and students, and it has been moving to see how the entire St Andrews community has come together to help those who need it.

The Appeal has allowed us to respond to the most urgent needs of students, providing them with hardship funding to cover rent and living costs when it became difficult to access money. We have also offered Ukrainian students free accommodation in University halls for the summer, ensuring they will have somewhere safe to live while they are unable to return home.

With your help we have been able to provide relief to students who are facing unimaginable worry and support them to complete their studies. The courage and resilience they have shown during this deeply distressing time has been truly humbling, and we were especially proud to see Ukrainian students graduate earlier this month. I am pleased to share videos of two of these students with you, Anhelina  and Darya, so that you can hear in their own words what the support of St Andrews has meant to them.

We are truly grateful to everyone who has supported the Ukraine Hardship appeal, which has allowed us to support students in their hour of need and will enable us to continue providing support for as long as necessary.

Best wishes,

Robert Fleming

Director of Development

Update 31 March 2022

University of St Andrews Stands with Ukraine

(Photo credit Florian Reichelt — PG student in International Relations)

St Andrews responded to the call from the President of Ukraine for worldwide rallies and protests against the war. Staff and students joined the local community on the University’s Lower College Lawn in a show of solidarity.

The gathered crowd listened to Ukrainian students share their stories and experiences of friends and family in Ukraine, and over a thousand people walked to the West Sands to form a powerful line as a visible display of opposition to the war. You can watch more via the You Tube video

The event was supported by the University, Refugee Action St Andrews, Amnesty St Andrews, the St Andrews Students’ Association, and the Rector’s Committee, with community representation from BID St Andrews, the Community Council and local business leaders.

Update 30 March 2022

Thanks to your support we’ve been able to assure all of our Ukrainian students that they do not have to worry about finances, or somewhere safe to stay over the summer. We’ve set aside rooms for all of them in halls of residence in St Andrews, and have been working with our Student Services team to ensure express access to the support funds our donors, friends and supporters have made available.

As a University of Sanctuary, we continue to work with the Council for At-Risk Academics to see what we can do to provide safe harbour for Ukrainian academics.

The University is helping the town of St Andrews stage a major rally for peace this week, in which we hope hundreds of people wearing the colours of the Ukrainian flag will form a single human line on West Sands to protest against the war and call for an end to the conflict.