EU-Passworld

Only 5 percent of refugees have access to higher education worldwide, according to UNHCR, which has an enrolment target of 15 percent of refugees in higher and further education by 2030.

The University of Galway was invited by UNHCR, Ireland and Nasc to design and pilot a new education pathway for the EU-PASSWORLD project, with a specific focus on developing a roadmap to create new, safe and legal routes for displaced people to secure education scholarships in Ireland.

The EU-PASSWORLD project ran from 2022-2024 and was funded by the EU’s Asylum, Migration & Integration Fund (AMIF). National coordination of the project was led by UNHCR Ireland and Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre. It built on other successful programmes from Italy, Germany and Canada, which have seen thousands of refugees arrive to work and study. The University of Galway offered the first higher education scholarships to two refugees in 2023, and a further two in 2024. University of Galway’s involvement in the EU-PASSWORLD project is coordinated by the College of Science and Engineering and the University of Sanctuary Programme.

Fig. 1. The launch of the EU-Passworld Programme at the University of Galway.

UNHCR supported the University of Galway to establish a dedicated application procedure in targeted refugee hosting countries. When the first two refugees arrived in Ireland from Nigeria through the project, they received wrap-around integration support from members of their host community, through a national programme called community sponsorship. This form of integration has been noted for improving outcomes for refugees, enriching and strengthening host communities, in addition to improving narratives towards refugees and migration. Refugees are typically displaced due to conflict, wars or persecution, and often face perilous conditions at the mercy of unscrupulous people smugglers who seek to exploit what few resources people can gather when they are forced to flee their families, homes and communities. The Programme avoids all of this unnecessary exploitation and suffering by providing direct pathways to European countries utilising innovative student visa systems.

In Ireland, the Programme commenced in 2022, and is coordinated by UNHCR Ireland and Nasc, with the aim of supporting Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to establish the programme nationwide. The University of Galway was the first university in Ireland to undertake such an endeavour, and in September 2023 welcomed its first two EU Passworld scholars from Nigeria on the programme. To support the Programme, the College of Science & Engineering offered a full fee waiver for the scholars, and negotiated a successful work placement for the scholars with Aerogen, a local biotechnology company. The University of Sanctuary Programme supported accommodation and subsistence, as well as providing academic support and peer mentoring. The community sponsorship element of the programme involved establishing a committee to fundraise, raise public awareness and to support the scholars throughout their course of study, and to support their integration into Galway’s wider community. The community sponsorship element of the programme involved collaboration between the University, local immigrant support groups, as well as staff and students from the University (and even included a skateboarding priest!).

Fig. 2. Members of the Community Support Group, Pobail Na Gaillimhe (Galway Community).

President of the University of Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said: “We have a responsibility to provide access and formal education pathways to support a refugee’s educational ambitions and skills development. The EU-PASSWORLD project provides a platform for educators, employers and the community to work together towards a sustainable solution.”

Professor Ó hÓgartaigh added: “Our partnership with the EU-PASSWORLD project seeks to provide such educational opportunities through our University of Sanctuary commitments, which in turn will enrich our student experience through diversity and internationalisation. The EU-PASSWORLD project reflects our values of respect, openness, inclusivity and sustainability through increased social responsibility and a commitment to humanitarianism while creating a more welcoming society.

It follows the signing of the Manifesto on Expanding Refugee Tertiary Education Pathways in Europe by Professor Ó hÓgartaigh in May 2022. This manifesto underpins the University of Galway’s commitment to work towards common advocacy, strategies, and the design of operational frameworks to further expand and create tertiary education pathways for refugees in Europe. The University of Galway also made a pledge, at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December 2023, to assist other HEIs to develop education pathways for refugees residing outside Ireland.

Funding from the OVPEDI enabled the team to produce a short video highlighting one of the students and why the University of Galway participated in this project.

Future plans

As the EU Passworld Programme finished in December 2024, the University of Galway will continue to support a reimagined programme over the coming years. Interviews for the 2025-2026 intake will take place in spring of 2025 under the new programme title of Education Pathways Ireland. Our plans are to offer additional scholarships in University’s other disciplines over the coming years, but this will be contingent upon securing additional funding for this very worthwhile endeavour.