In the Yerevan Communiqué (2015), ministers agreed that “Making our systems more inclusive is an essential aim for the EHEA as our populations become more and more diversified, also due to immigration and demographic changes.”.
At the European level, Article 27 (2) of the 2011 EU directive on standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection (…) states that “Member States shall allow adults granted international protection access to the general education system, further training or retraining, under the same conditions as third country nationals [who are] legally resident.”
Granting equitable and wide access to higher education involves more than providing tuition-free degrees, and a multitude of diverse policy tools and institutional measures exist for non-traditional or disadvantaged learners. In addition to scholarships and financial support, measures may target refugees via outreach activities, and also beyond recruitment to provide general information to the potential refugee students about the higher education system and its opportunities, consulting them through mentoring programmes and helping them navigate through the application procedures. The latter measures are the focus of this section, whereby initiatives take a holistic approach to foster access via outreach, providing needs-based information and support.
Recognition
Financial support for refugee students
Language and bridging courses
Integration measures
Employment opportunities for refugee researchers and academic staff
Online learning for refugees
Strategic approaches
Employability
Humanitarian work
Collaboration