Exeter leads in pilot scheme for education access for young refugees

Three international refugees are now studying for their undergraduate degrees at the University of Exeter, after taking part in a pilot scheme.

Exeter was the first university in the UK to partner with Refugee Education UK in the Displaced Student Initiative, to provide higher education opportunities for bright students who would otherwise not be able to continue studying.

Run between the University and Refugee Education UK, the scheme aims to provide a route through education to safe and legal passage to the UK for displaced students, and for them to thrive once here by supporting them with a scholarship that covers tuition fees and living costs.  

Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, said: “Globally, only nine per cent of refugees access higher education. Through the Displaced Student Initiative and our partnership with Refugee Education UK, we are providing opportunities for bright, resilient and capable young displaced people to come and study at Exeter.  We’re proud to be the first university to bring students to the UK under this pilot scheme, and through our participation, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the development of a national safe and legal education pathway for displaced students.” 

Among the Exeter students is Akur, who is from South Sudan, and grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, which houses more than 300,000 refugees from across the region. Akur studied hard and became one of the top students in her class – but she had no option to continue her education. 

Through the pilot scheme, Akur applied to study Psychology at Exeter, said she read her acceptance letter multiple times before the news sank in. “Growing up in displacement, we experienced trauma, yet we rarely had the language to describe what was happening inside us. Now I am learning the science behind these experiences. My dream is to return this knowledge to communities like the ones that raised me.  

“I carry the resilience of Kakuma inside me. I carry the resilience of my family. And I also carry the belief that when one refugee is given access to education, it does not change one life – it changes many.”  

Refugee Education UK has produced an animation to tell Akur’s story.