Best Practice Models

For example:  

• WUSC Student Refugee Program (Canada) 

Blended sponsorship and support structure integrating students into Canadian universities. The sponsorship model is student led. The campus-based Local Committees raise funds and awareness for the program on their campus and in their community. 

• UNICORE programme (Italy) 

  The UNICORE model is based on the creation of local partnerships involving universities, national partners (such as Diaconia Valdese and Caritas), and other local institutions and organisations. Each of these parties works together to support students, promote their social inclusion and ensure a positive academic career. 

  Alongside the signatories of the various protocols and the university staff, there are members of the wider community who participate in the activities in different ways. These are not “institutional” roles such as operators or focal points of organisations. They include, for example, Church volunteers, Caritas tutor families, and buddies from UNHCR Community Matching programmes. All of them provide a point of reference, a space where their voices are heard outside the programme, and they also encourage the participation in cultural events and in the social life of the city.  

  Peer-to-peer relationships with other students, on the other hand, are managed independently by UNICORE students through study groups, lessons, and other social gatherings that they themselves find and participate in.  

• Education Pathways Ireland Programme 

  Community Sponsorship Groups are formed of volunteer students, staff and community members. These groups are affiliated with Higher Education Institutions who provide scholarship for students as part of the Education Pathways Ireland Programme.   

  Group members complete recognised training with Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre. The structure of the groups can vary and in general members take on roles such as chairperson, secretary, treasurer, fundraising, communications, welcoming, housing.  

  The group registers as a group with the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) and creates a Settlement Plan in advance of the refugee student's arrival. 

  The group is asked to fundraise €10,000 in advance of the student’s arrival to support the student(s) for a period of 15 months.  

• Education Pathway Belgium  

  Community Sponsorship Groups are formed of volunteer students, staff and community members. These groups are affiliated with Higher Education Institutions welcoming refugee students.  

  Groups are trained and supported by Caritas International Belgium. Regular meetings are organised to monitor the students' progress and integration in the university and local community.  

  Community Sponsorship Groups creates a settlement plan in advance and support 2 to 4 students for the duration of their studies and the housing and job search.  

  Caritas International establish local partnerships with health care centres, civil society organisations and local administrations. 

  Every group has a different composition and roles depending on their internal organisation and students’ needs.  

• French Programme (AUF with UNHCR France) 

  The university corridor, launched in 2022, has hosted 62 master's level students coming from 20 countries of first asylum. Governmental support by 2 ministries and some private foundations.  

  There are not yet official Community Sponsorship Groups but use of existing services in the universities, with additional information (direct or webinars) for the staff and the student beneficiaries.  

  There is some support from specialised NGO (bank accounts, health coverage, application for asylum). The MEnS network (see below) of universities supports information exchange. 

• The MEnS Network and the DU Passerelle Programmes in France:   

  A network of more than 50 French universities has designed a special diploma (accredited by the HE Ministry) for students in exile. These programs provide intensive French language training, university preparation and full student status with access to campus services.   

  They are primarily devoted to refugees or asylum seekers already in France with a university project but can also accept some students from an Education Pathway / University corridor having unexpected language problems. 

• DAAD programmes in Germany: Welcome – Students welcome refugees: A BMBF-funded network of 162 student-led projects that deploy trained student assistants to offer tutorials, mentoring, translation, counselling and language support. It aims to fast-track refugees’ preparation for regular degree admission and foster integration into the university and the city community. 

• Portugal:  has designed and implemented higher education in emergencies programs for students in forced mobility since 2014. These programs are based on strong multistakeholder partnerships between higher education institutions, public authorities, NGOs, and the private sector.  

  They are supported by a legal framework that explicitly recognises students' needs in emergency academic situations on humanitarian grounds, underscoring the legal support available to stakeholders.  

  In general, these programs, such as the ones implemented by the Global Platform for Syrian Students or by the Nexus 3.0, combine four main features: they offer a complete package of services to students, a holistic approach underpins them, they provide soft skills and mentoring opportunities, and a caring approach informs them. 

• STAR Mentoring Programme UK: University students guide prospective students from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds through application processes. The program operates nationally with both university application support and scholarship guidance components. 

• SKILLPATH Refugee Student Settlement Pathway (RSSP) in Australia: launched in 2025 in partnership with Skill Path Australia and Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA). Student Welcome Groups are groups of 5+ volunteers who come together to provide incoming refugee students with 12 months of practical support so they can integrate on campus and into the Australian community. 

• Peer mentoring and buddy systems in The Netherlands (University of Leiden, Utrecht University)   

Challenges  

1. Repeat Sponsorship – Possible burn-out of volunteer members due to length of time being involved.  

2. Group Make-up – Getting the right mix of members in the group; students, staff, community members. 

3. Group coordination – ensure a strong local coordination. 

4. Finances – ensure enough funds to cover student expenses for sponsored period.