Facilitating access to education for refugees

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The DAAD is announcing new programmes for the integration of refugees at German universities

Bonn, 21/12/2015. To facilitate access to higher education for refugees who are qualified to study, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has established a long-term package of measures with funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In the next four years, approximately €100 million are available for support and counselling required for access to higher education, improvement of the ability to start academic studies and enhancement of integration at universities. €27 million of the total sum are allocated for 2016.

With the “Welcome – Students Helping Refugees” programme, the DAAD supports the activities of student assistants in Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. These either work in self-organised student group initiatives or in supervisory and integration-promoting services for refugees qualified to study that are organised by the universities. This includes tutorials, the preparation of information material and translations, study guidance and language courses.

“Our universities are already making huge efforts to give refugees an opportunity to receive education. We want to honour the creativity and dedication, and to identify good projects so that similar schemes can be set up at other universities,” says DAAD President Prof. Margret Wintermantel.

The second programme, INTEGRA, serves to prepare refugees qualified to study to enable them to commence academic studies in Germany. This is carried out at preparatory colleges or comparable institutions that offer prospective international students targeted language instruction and relevant subject-specific courses. Approximately 2,400 places at preparatory colleges will be financed by the BMBF in the coming four years. The universities can also offer propaedeutic measures and language courses for academic purposes within the scope of the programme.

The DAAD has moreover set up a new website “Information for Refugees” at www.study-in.de/information-for-refugees. It provides information in English and German about living and studying in Germany and contains answers to diverse questions such as eligibility for admission to higher education, funding opportunities or language courses.