Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Rejection of Russian student ‘dangerous’
A LONDON university has been slammed for rejecting the application of a Russian student following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Elena Ledneva, who moved to London with her husband and newborn son last year, had hoped to start a oneyear Masters course in luxury hospitality management at the University of West London (UWL).
However, on Tuesday May 24 the university rejected her application in response to the “recent events and situation in Ukraine”.
UWL suggested the action was a university-wide “policy”, introduced since the launching of Russia’s invasion.
Its email, which has since been shared online, read: “As per university policy in response to the recent events and situation in Ukraine, we will not be in the position to process your application further. We are very sorry about these unfortunate circumstances.”
Elena told the Express she was “shocked” when she read the email, adding: “It sounds totally unreasonable. I have no influence on the people who decided to start this awful war and I’m not responsible for their actions.
“Unfortunately it is still a case in the UK that people are being discriminated against because of their nationality.
“Now it’s about the Russians who live in the UK, who do not support the Russian Government and are probably even more horrified with what’s going on than the rest of the civilised world.
“Believe me, it is heartbreaking to see what your native country is doing in Ukraine and not be able to change anything.”
The university came under fire for its actions after a lecturer at the City University of London drew attention to the university’s original response on Twitter .
He wrote: “A London-based Russian friend applied for her dream MA at the University of West London. Since when do UK universities issue blanket rejections to Russian candidates because of their nationality? This is a dangerous precedent!”
UWL has since issued a statement saying the email was sent in error to the prospective student.
They said: “An email declining an application was sent in error to a prospective student due to an internal miscommunication. Senior admissions staff have since reached out to this prospective student to convey our sincere apologies for any distress caused.
“UWL’s admissions policies and procedures remain unchanged and do not include any restrictions on university admissions based on nationality. UWL is proud of its diverse staff and student community, and we are committed to equality of opportunity and social inclusion at all levels of the University.”