Higher Education for Refugees in Low Resource Environments

The provision of higher education to refugees is a vital and rapidly developing area of work within the humanitarian sector. The Jigsaw team completed a year-long study that contributed to forming a better understanding of how higher education can be provided effectively to refugees in low-resource environments.

The landscape review provides a desk-based overview of the sector, mapping 43 programs across five main categories of provision. This review provides a foundation for the primary research study. 

The research study provides an in-depth perspective on camp-based and urban programs, based on extensive fieldwork. This included eight field visits to 15 refugee higher education programs, in-person interviews with 303 refugee students, outcome stars with 119 students, and interviews (both in-person and distance-based) with 138 program staff and sector experts.

The analysis of the research study is structured around five thematic areas: accessibility and participation, academia and organizational structure, technology, pedagogy, and impact and future. Key learning points are provided for each of these themes, alongside overall lessons for the sector and 'good practice principles' to guide effective program implementation.