Student Refugee Program

Increasing access to quality opportunities for young refugees to learn, work, and lead is core to our vision of a better world for all youth and is a cornerstone of our programming around the world. In Kenya, we improve learning outcomes for girls in refugee and host communities with the support of UK Aid and Global…

Since 2016, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of refugee representation in policies and decisions that impact the lives of refugees around the world. The increasing participation and engagement of young refugees in decision-making processes is a positive step towards a better refugee response. Refugee leaders and refugee-led organizations (RLOs) around the…

Every year in August and September, members from the WUSC community across the country prepare to welcome a new cohort of refugee youth to Canada. Through our various sponsorship programs, these youth are given the opportunity to continue their studies at Canadian universities, colleges, and CEGEPs, and now expanded to Canadian workplaces.  In total, WUSC…

Jacob has always been passionate about his studies. While growing up in a refugee camp in Uganda, he devoted a lot of time to studying to achieve his dream: to win a scholarship to study aerospace engineering at a university. He did well on the final exams to get his high school diploma, with an…

Three athletes from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Olympic Team, Rose Nathike Likonyen, Paulo Amotun Lokoro and James Nyang Chiengjiek have been offered admission to Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario for the 2021-2022 academic year through a new complementary pathway of WUSC’s long-standing Student Refugee Program.

Unusual, challenging, and isolating are all words that can be used to describe the 2020-2021 academic school year. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the lives of people around the world, particularly students. Universities, colleges, and CEGEPs across Canada and around the world have shifted to online learning. Resilience is another word that comes to…

How successful referendums across Canadian campuses are creating opportunities for young refugees to access post-secondary education

All of Gabriel Ndayishimiye’s hard work over the past few years has recently paid off. This summer, he graduates with a B.A. Honours degree in globalization studies from Huron University in London, Ontario. Originally from Rwanda, Gabriel came to Canada in 2016 through the Student Refugee Program. He will be attending Columbia University in September…

In November 2019, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and WUSC (World University Service of Canada) brought together stakeholders with an identified interest or active engagement in developing education opportunities for refugees as complementary pathways for admission in third countries. The two-day international conference…

WUSC’s Student Refugee Program (SRP) transforms the lives of many — especially formerly sponsored students. After their studies, formerly sponsored students (or SRP alumni as they are known) have gone on to do many diverse things in Canada and globally. These range from ordinary — working and supporting a family — to extraordinary — playing…