Student Refugee Program

You can’t overstate the importance of girls’ education. It provides the first building blocks for girls to start creating a good life, and to become women who contribute to the prosperity of their families and communities. But not all girls around the world have access to the conditions that enable them to enroll in school…

Globally, 7% of refugees have access to higher education. This is far below the average of 40% among those who are not refugees. For four decades, WUSC has been promoting access to higher education for refugees, and mobilizing the Canadian postsecondary education community to offer complementary education pathways for refugees. Through the Student Refugee Program,…

This summer, postsecondary campuses were abuzz with graduating students preparing to turn the page on the next chapter in their lives.  For many members of the Class of 2024, their postsecondary studies began in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. These graduating students overcame many unique obstacles and demonstrated perseverance and resilience to reach…

The world is watching: the 2024 Paris Olympics are starting this week. On this exciting occasion, we caught up with Paulo Amotun Lokoro, athlete, recent graduate in social work from Sheridan College, and alum of the Student Refugee Program. Paulo is a track and field athlete who has competed in many elite sporting events as…

In celebration of World Refugee Awareness Month, we align with UNHCR’s theme of solidarity with refugees, highlighting that “solidarity means keeping our doors open, celebrating their strengths and achievements, and reflecting on the challenges they face.” The theme of solidarity resonates with one of WUSC’s campaigns, Building Welcoming Communities, as our Local Committee members, volunteers and colleagues play…

This year, World Refugee Day focuses on solidarity with refugees – for a world where all refugees are welcomed.  Durable solutions to forced displacement and welcoming communities for refugees are needed more than ever. And everyone has a role to play. Governments, NGOs, community organizations, post-secondary institutions, businesses, and refugees themselves are all essential to…

In 2019 , UNHCR and partners set a goal to reach 15% enrollment of refugees in higher education by 2030.  This report lays out the specific actions stakeholders can take to support efforts to achieve and exceed the 15by30 target, across five distinct higher education pathways, which are national enrollment, higher education scholarships, connected higher…

Fuelled by new and protracted crises, forced displacement continues to be a challenge and requires urgent and collective action.  At the Global Refugee Forum, the world will unite to tackle challenges facing refugees and host communities.  The Global Refugee Forum is the world’s largest gathering on refugees and will provide an opportunity to build on…

In 2019, WUSC made a series of pledges at the first-ever Global Refugee Forum (GRF). In collaboration with our partners and networks, we committed to expanding and championing education pathways and refugee inclusion in our work.   Four years later, we want to express our gratitude to our networks and partners for the progress we have…

*This is a guest post by Floribert Kakule Kamabu, RN. He first encountered WUSC three decades ago, and continues to contribute his experience as a member of the Student Refugee Program Alumni Advisory Team. The numbers can seem daunting: close to half of all school-aged refugee youth (48%) remain out of school, as reported by…