Ukrainian refugee overjoyed to study at Glasgow Caledonian University

Ukrainian refugee Dmytro Dorofeiev is delighted to have been offered a place on Glasgow Caledonian University's Biological Sciences degree through our Clearing Hotline Centre.

It means the 21-year-old, from the capital city of Kyiv, will be able to continue his studies in the field of biology and enter the BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences programme in third year.

Dmytro had completed his third-year BSc Biology studies at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) when he and his family fled just before Russia began attacking their country.

He praised the Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Clearing Hotline staff for their help and pulling out all the stops so that he can continue with his passion for biology. His dream is to become a researcher in microbiology.

Dmytro is happy to start his studies at GCU in third-year in September because it will allow him to gain much-needed lab experience which he missed out on due to COVID-19 and then the war starting.

He said: “I completed three years of my four-year degree in Kyiv but it is not possible to transfer into fourth year in a university in Scotland so I was offered a transfer into third-year which I was delighted about because it will give me a chance to get some hands-on lab experience.

“I was offered a place at another two universities in Scotland but I really wanted to study at GCU. I am really excited about it. It has always been my dream to study abroad.

“I thought the staff at GCU were so helpful and they really tried their best to get me a place. I cannot thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me.

“It has always been my childhood dream to have a career in biology. I would like to do a PhD most likely in research fields of microbiology or cell and molecular biology.”

Dr Sharron Dolan, Head of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Department, welcomed Dmytro to GCU.

She said: “Like the rest of Scotland, GCU welcomes and supports our Ukrainian friends. I am delighted that Dmytro will be joining us in September to complete his studies in Biological Sciences. Due to COVID, then the war, much of his education was entirely online, so I am sure he will benefit enormously from the hands-on practical skills we provide and from peer support and learning.”

Dmytro arrived in Scotland several weeks ago with his mum Tetiana, grandmother, sister and her friend. Tetiana has been desperately to help her children settle and continue their studies in Glasgow.

Tetiana, who was a director of international education programmes at a university in Ukraine, wept as she spoke about how kind everyone has been since they moved to Scotland.

She said: “I am very proud of my son but also proud of myself because I have helped all three of them – my son, daughter and the friend as her legal guardian - to continue their education in Scotland.

“Everyone has been super kind to us. We are very happy to be here and enjoyed outstanding support. We love Scotland and even the climate doesn’t put us off.

“I cannot thank GCU enough for giving my son a place on the Biological Sciences course.

“Dymtro has dreamed about biology since he was a baby but he’s been really unlucky. He finally gets to university in 2019 and literally three months later COVID hits and they switch to online.

“Basically, all they did was listen to tonnes of lectures and then when they were finally getting back to normal, the war starts. He has only been in a lab a handful of times so he is very excited about getting lab experience and meeting new friends.

“We would love to go home as soon as the war is over. We had a good life living in the centre of the capital city with good schools and good jobs but we don’t think the war will end very soon.”

Call GCU’s Clearing Hotline 0800 027 9171 to find out how our friendly and helpful staff can make your dreams come true and put you on the path to success. Find out more about UCAS Clearing 2022.