University for Refugees Program: studies to rebuild your future

Since 2022, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) has been supporting, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a "university corridor" program enabling refugee students in a first host country to pursue their higher education at Master's level in France. Under the name UNIV'R (University for Refugees), this initiative has already supported 54 students. Nine of them shared their experiences with us.

" I'm Afghan. I came to France to continue my studies," says Samira, 23. Before that, I lived with my parents and sisters in Tajikistan, where we have been refugees since May 2021. In 2015, my brother set up a study center in our village in Ghazni province (Afghanistan) for women who had no access to education. He and my older sisters taught English and literacy classes there. The Taliban forced us to close the center. Despite threats, my brother reopened it. However, they attacked us in the evening and killed my grandfather. [...] We were threatened by the Taliban in various ways. We had no choice but to leave the country."

Finding refuge when your life is in danger

Fleeing conflict, persecution... Through their stories, a common thread emerges between these young students. They all had to find refuge in a first host country, to protect themselves. Thanks to the UNIV'R program, they were then able to pursue their academic studies at Master's level, sometimes after years of waiting, in one of the 22 universities taking part in the initiative throughout France. In other words, a wide variety of establishments able to respond to the diversity of their curricula. While Samira is completing a Master's degree in "Adult Language Training and Mobility" at the University of Angers, her fellow students are taking a Master's degree in International Commerce and International Business.one is doing a Master's degree in International Commerce and Marketing at Paris 8, while the other is doing a Master's degree in Language Sciences at the University of Caen Normandie. Another is pursuing a Master's degree in International Management at Saint-Etienne. There's also a student on a Master's degree in "Social and Solidarity-based Economy" at Le Mans, and another on a Master's degree in "Human Rights and Humanitarian Action" at Sciences Po Paris, to name but a few...

Developing employability

Why continue your studies in a second host country like France? These young refugees find it difficult to continue their post-graduate studies in their first host country, a low- or middle-income country, where the academic infrastructure is often lacking. Improving the employability of these young people, in what has become a highly competitive job market, while enabling them to acquire high-level skills, is one of the main objectives of this project.skills that are in high demand on the local job market, is also one of the reasons for the program's existence. Many students aspire to help out in their own right once they've graduated: " After my training, I want to work in humanitarian NGOs to support refugees," sums up Bachir, a Malian refugee in Mauritania. While Jean-Baptiste, a Congolese refugee in Uganda, with a Master's degree in international relations, admits he is " deeply attracted to cultural diplomacy and the humanitarian sector. [...] Eventually, I'll be happy to be able to apply everything I learn here to the benefit of my community in Africa.

Promoting integration through support tailored to needs

Student testimonials also concur on the quality and importance of the support provided by AUF and HCR France: "They played a fundamental role in my integration, both in France and in my academic career. I was guided through the administrative formalities (...) and I was able to cover some of the costs associated with my studies, such as registration fees, school supplies and part of my daily living expenses... This financial support was essential to reduce the economic pressure and enable me to concentrate fully on my studies", stresses a young Mauritanian woman, who until then had been a refugee in Senegal, where she was born. The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, through its operator Campus France, covers the cost of visas, plane tickets and supplementary health insurance. Support continues throughout the academic year: refugees receive a monthly living allowance (from the Ministry of Higher Education and the host university) of around 800 euros; they have access to subsidized rooms and meals.

All of them also emphasize the friendly environment in which they have been welcomed at their new home university and by their fellow students. This is despite the fact that many admit to being somewhat surprised by "the emphasis placed on autonomy in the French university system, as well as the style of communication. ais university system, as well as the very direct style of communication in academic exchanges", as Océane, a refugee from the Central African Republic in Cameroon, admits. The student adapted so well, however, that " my company offered me a fixed-term contract at the end of my internship. I'm delighted to announce that in March I'll be signing my permanent contract!

Source: www.auf.org/