By Hosanna Folmsbee, Online Writing Specialist
September 27, 2022

Johnathan McBride - International Rescue Committee

An Overview of Refugees Enrolled in Higher-Ed

As of April 2022, only five percent of refugees, globally, have access to post-secondary education opportunities. With the lack of resources, funding, and accessibility, resettled individuals struggle to find sustainable employment. Moreover, the scarcity of university enrollment within the displaced person community incentivizes homelessness and even further migration outside of host communities. Although the amount has risen from 3% in 2019, there is still a stark contrast in enrollment rates for non-refugee students of 39%.

In 2019, the UN Refugee Agency proposed an education strategy for refugee inclusion in secondary schooling. Stating that “education is a human right.” Within the strategy lies the “15by30” higher education target. Which states the goal for enrollment rates to rise 15% by 2030 for “college-eligible refugees in tertiary or connected higher education programmes.” While in 2019, the goal for raising the then 3% global rate of refugees in higher-ed seemed feasible, however, the direction and rate at which the number is currently rising, this number seems less tangible.

Aligning with the original intentions of the strategy, there would have to be approximately “half a million young refugee women and men” attending post-secondary schools, which is a drastic reach from the current data of 90,000 students in higher-ed worldwide, today. Considering the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, statement to “make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity by every appropriate means,” it is difficult to believe that “every appropriate means” is being considered to help increase this statistic.

REVEST Program | Miami Dade College

Thankfully, there are some programs available that are acting as stepping stones for assisting the displaced-persons population. For example, with a more local connection, Miami Dade College offers a program entirely focused on providing their international students (including refugees and political asylees) with higher employability. REVEST is dedicated to prviding a wide range of assistance to refugees, including more one-on-one help with mastering written and spoken English, preparing them for tests, interviews, and other “real-world” norms that vary from culture to culture.

Charlotte Pexels - Higher Ed Immigration Portal | Revest Program

Not only does REVEST provide transportation, job references, and child-care, they also provide a supportive community, which makes an incredible difference in the success of integrating displaced individuals.

 

Bwema Matata - Higher Ed Immigration Portal

Higher Education Immigration Portal

The Higher Ed Immigration Portal is a digital platform that provides insights to the education of international, refugee, immigrant, and other minority groups students. It is an excellent resource that, in addition to providing helpful policies and updates, also highlights success stories of refugee students who were able to make it through the grueling process of attending a post-secondary school.

Bwema Matata, a Columbia University student from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, shared “seven lessons” that he learned and wished to share with other “displaced students as they adjust to their studies in the U.S.”

Some of those lessons include “self-reliance,” “budgeting,” “time management,” and “written English.” All of which are incredibly vital skills to have as a higher-education student. However, many U.S. citizen students have the opportunity to learn these lessons through the k-12 system; they are also integrated into a culture where they know most of the expectations the system has for them and roughly how to access resources to assist in the areas they struggle.

For displaced students, like Bwema and many others, these lessons are thrown at them amidst culture shock and major relocation. Therefore, programs like REVEST are one step that we as the higher education community can take to help alleviate some of those difficulties and burdens of our international friends.

Other Resources and Programs like REVEST to look into: