How the DAAD is helping

Many refugees have gained university entrance qualification in their home country, or had commenced or completed a degree programme there. In order to make it easier for them to take up study in Germany, the DAAD has developed an extensive range of new measures. The following is an overview of the most important measures.

When it comes to integrating refugees, education plays a central role. More than half of the refugees arriving in Germany are younger than 25 – in other words, an age when education is most needed. With funding from the (BMBF), the DAAD has developed a set of targeted measures to enable universities to offer those who wish to study and possess sufficient academic qualification access to higher education. In this way, the DAAD is helping to promote refugee integration.

Approximately 100 million euros in funding will be available in the coming years, 27 million euros of which is earmarked for projects in 2016. With funding from the BMBF, the DAAD has developed an extensive package of long-term measures. This package is comprised of four components which form the basis for ensuring access to university study.

TestAS, uni-assist and onSET for refugees

Refugees who are potentially qualified for university study arrive with a wide range of language skills and abilities. Precisely determining what these abilities are, whether they qualify them for study and where support is needed, facilitates integration into regular degree programmes and contributes to academic success. Therefore aside from initial advising sessions, the diagnostic testing procedures TestAS and onSET and the assessment of certificates of academic qualification via uni-assist were funded from 2016 to 2019.
The Funding Programme: “Integrating Refugees in Degree Programmes” (Integra)

Preparatory colleges (Studienkollegs), foundation courses and comparable programmes at German universities prepare young foreigners without university entrance qualification for the rigours of university study. Participants learn fundamental subject-specific knowledge and terminology, and develop individual learning strategies and social skills. The German federal government has agreed to finance some 2,400 additional places at preparatory colleges and comparable university programmes in the next four years. In addition, the universities themselves are preparing refugees for admission to their degree programmes with supplementary language and preparatory courses.

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The Funding Programme: "Welcome - Students Helping Refugees"

Many students are volunteering their time to help refugees become integrated at German universities. Their efforts are contributing to the refugees’ academic success and social integration. These measures include, for example, buddy and mentoring programmes at several universities, as well as language-learning projects headed by teacher trainees and students of German Language Studies. Such projects are funded by the federal government, which in itself is recognition of the important contribution the students are making. The programme’s funding supports students and their projects at the universities by offering them employment contracts and covering the cost of materials.

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"PROFI" Programme – Promoting Professional Integration of Academics with a Refugee Background in the German Labour Market

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The Funding Programme: "NRWege ins Studium. Integrating Refugees into Universities in North Rhine-Westphalia"

At 30 North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) universities, refugees who wish to study and are qualified to do so are enrolled in intensive courses preparing them for academic studies. They not only improve their language skills to reach the level necessary for academic studies; they also attend specialised subject tutorials or gather initial experience, or even European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), in courses and lectures. Study-integrated courses in academic writing, subject-matter terminology or rhetoric are offered for students with a refugee background. Intensive guidance and support at the university help students successfully begin and complete their academic studies. The programme is funded with up to 30 million euros a year by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research in North Rhine-Westphalia (MIWF).

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German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
University Programmes for Refugees - P43
Ms. Katharina Fourier
Head of the Section
Tel.: +49 (0)228 882-259
E-mail:

Programme „HOPES“

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Stefanie Kottowski
E-Mail:

Component 1: Recognising Skills and Qualifications

TestAS, uni-assist and onSET for refugees

Component 2: Ensuring Academic Qualification - Language and Subject-related Preparation

The Funding Programme: “Integrating Refugees in Degree Programmes” (Integra)

Component 3: Supporting Integration at Universities

The Funding Programme: "Welcome - Students Helping Refugees"

Component 4: Enabling Transition into the Job Market

"PROFI" Programme – Promoting Professional Integration of Academics with a Refugee Background in the German Labour Market

Additional Programmes on State Level

The Funding Programme: "NRWege ins Studium. Integrating Refugees into Universities in North Rhine-Westphalia"

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