Selection and Admission of Refugee Students
The definitions and key concepts provided here are experience based and the ones we are going to be using for the purpose of this module.
Steps in a selection and admissions pipeline
Selection and admissions is a linear sequence of steps.
Most steps are well-established for local and fee-paying international students.
Selection is also a funnel where numbers reduce as criteria are applied.
Establishing a selection and admissions process requires adapting the standard steps to maximise alignment with existing policies, procedures and standards.
Who are the decision makers in selection and admissions?
Applicant selection can be a responsibility of either academic units (eg Schools or programmes), or of administrative units (eg CAO or International Office), based on criteria that use or distil academic judgement.
Formal admissions decisions (matriculation) are made by an Admissions Office that applies rules for identity and qualification recognition.
Deciding programme opportunities to offer
The goal of an education pathway is to enable students to graduate with a realistic future career paths and integration opportunities.
Offerings must be realistic about the number of potential applicants, and the employability of graduates.
The academic programme must be able to offer a supportive and integrating environment where the refugee student is a peer.
What can be expected from applicants?
Our experience is that large numbers of applicants have educational certificates, and access to sufficient bandwidth to complete online forms.
Strong applicants have often completed their education substantially in English.
Applicants may have limited understanding of career opportunities in Ireland, and very different experiences of interacting with academic staff.
Recognition mechanisms struggle to recognise and assess qualifications from education systems that are not normally sources of fee-paying students.
