Integration programme for refugees

Category of recipe: Internationalisation through national and international students.

Objective: Enable refugees to return to higher education in their host country. The presence of refugees on campus contributes to the internationalisation of the university and also helps to develop intercultural skills.

Short description:
An integration programme lasts one or two semesters and is designed to help refugees and asylum seekers integrate into their host country’s higher education system.
Participants in the programme follow specific courses of a Bachelor programme and can take assessments. If they pass, the ECTS credits obtained virtually will be credited to them once they enroll in a Bachelor course. This allows them to ‘save’ time on their higher education studies. At the same time, participants in the programme can improve their language skills, are supported by student mentors and are part of a network that provides them with day-to-day support in their social and academic integration.

Academic recognition: ECTS: Refugees who take exams can have their ECTS credits validated once they enrol in a bachelor's degree course after the integration programme. This requires adaptation to your university regulations.

Level of difficulty: Advanced

Calendar and time needed: Ideally, start planning your integration programme at least one to two years before the start of the academic year.

Cost summary: €€€€

Language and level required: Refugees should have a B1 level in the language spoken at the university when they enter the integration programme.

Roles and Responsibilities:
Project manager: In charge of the project/programme.
International relations service or Diversity/Inclusion department: It can be involved as support.
Project management and fundraising unit, if any in your university, may assist you in finding the appropriate funding channels.
Teaching staff: Welcome the refugees in their class and make sure that the refugee is well integrated in the classroom.
Refugees: Participants in the programme.
Students‑mentors: Students who volunteer as mentors for refugees, to offer them support in the university, for academic and social integration.

Ingredients:
Institutional support, if possible, from the rectorate/top management.
Financial resources.
Project manager.
Eligible candidates, becoming participants in the programme.
Involvement of the teaching staff.
Admin support.
Support from the admissions department.
Collaboration with institutions supporting refugees.
Students‑mentors.
Personal investment and high motivation.
Strong belief in the power of human resilience.
Have the firm conviction that this programme can change lives (and it does).
Mastering the art of convincing and negotiating.
A lot of patience.

Recipe steps:
Step 1: Get the support of your hierarchy/institution/top management to implement such a programme in your university.
Step 2: Look for available funds (internal or external).
Step 3: Appoint the project manager and inform the teaching staff about the project.
Step 4: Set up a collaboration with institutions working with refugees to raise awareness of the programme and to find eligible candidates.
Step 5: Prepare the programme concept (courses available, mentoring programme, resources, etc.).
Step 6: If necessary, adapt the institution's rules and regulations. For example: a specific regulation may require an adaptation of the text to allow refugees to attend courses as free auditors.
Step 7: Set up the student mentoring programme.
Step 8: Work closely with the admissions department in order to analyse the eligibility of candidates.
Step 9: Interview refugee candidates for the admission procedure to explain the programme to them and measure their motivation. Experience has shown that taking part in such a programme requires a high level of motivation, as it requires a great deal of commitment.
Step 10: Monitor programme participants throughout the academic year (social, academic and financial monitoring).

• Organise regular feedback sessions with the participating refugees, students’ mentors and professors to identify and address challenges at an early stage.
• Organise regular feedback with the institutions supporting refugees so that open communication is maintained, allowing for the early identification of potential issues and coordination of support measures to enhance integration and success.

Step 11: Adapt the mentoring programme if necessary.
Step 12: Coordinate the programme within the university to ensure smooth implementation.
Step 13: Evaluate the programme at the end of the academic year.

Budget description: Check with your university if there are grants available for this kind of project. Check also if there are funds available outside your university (funds from foundation, specific call for the integration of refugees in the host country, or specific funds who are allocated for the integration of refugees in the host country). For more information, contact your International Relations Office, or if you have a department in charge of Inclusion.

Non-mandatory items

• Name of the author of the recipe: HES-SO (INVOST project).

Resources: Check testimonials of the refugees programme at HES-SO.

Tips and tricks: Associations or NGOs that work with refugees are good contacts: they can help you co-develop this programme and give you good advice on who to approach

• It could be very useful to promote the international skills of refugees, based on an international skills repository, and consider issuing open badges as a form of recognition to help them integrate into the workforce.
• Setting up such a programme requires significant personal investment and financial resources. It is advisable to connect with a university that has already implemented such a process to share best practices.
• The programme concept must be adapted to your country's asylum regulations and your university's regulations. As asylum policies differ across countries, ensure that the relevant stakeholders and institutions are involved from the beginning.

Successful examples of this recipe:
Check information related to UPNA’s Refugee Programme: La UPNA ha acogido a 39 personas refugiadas en los últimos cuatro cursos académicos
Check the HES-SO Refugees programme: INVOST.