University of Hamburg joins other universities in increasing education access for refugees

A total of sixteen universities have united to improve the refugees' access to university education. The University of Hamburg is also part of this effort.

Study in Germany: Globally, around sixteen universities have joined forces with the aim to improve and expand university education access for refugees. The University of Hamburg is also among these universities.

These universities are jointly known as the Global University Academy (GUA). This group was founded to increase university-level education access for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR by up to 15% by 2030. Right now, only 7% have access to university education.

Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, president of the University of Hamburg said, “Creating just access to education is a core task towards sustainable development. But creating this access for people who have been expelled from their countries or forced to flee is especially important. The task requires the support of many people and it is an honour for us at the University of Hamburg to be working towards this together."

Global University Academy's Future Plans

The universities from Europe, Africa and North America are set to develop a framework for locally established and jointly created study opportunities and degree programs in the next 18 months.

"The work will focus on mutual recognition of degree programs; ensuring the relevance and high standards of degree programs; cooperation with local partners; securing long-term funding; and the evaluation and consequences of the project itself," reads the official statement.

Other universities for this group include - University of Geneva, University of Oslo, University of Oxford, University of Bergen, University of Cape Town, UCLouvain, SOAS, University of London, Southern New Hampshire University, Stellenbosch University, Makerere University, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL) University, Arizona State University, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and KU Leuven.

From a long-term perspective, the university association is looking for more university partners with more refugees.

"The first researchers from the University of Hamburg have signalled their willingness and interest when it comes to helping realize the GUA’s goals. In the upcoming months, the possibilities for getting involved will be consolidated and communicated," added the official statement.

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