Around the world, universities are stepping up to welcome displaced students and build futures through refugee-inclusive education policies. At the heart of this movement are institutions in low- and middle-income countries ¨C those who host the majority of refugees and bear the weight of global displacement, yet remain underfunded and underrecognised.?

The , from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), aims to shift this dynamic, by building a global solidarity network that calls on every university, everywhere, to commit to welcoming at least one refugee student, while spotlighting and supporting those already leading the way.

There is currently a deep and urgent crisis in the global humanitarian system, perhaps most visible in the dramatic cuts to USAID since the Trump administration. But over a longer period, escalating conflict, violence, persecution and human rights violations ¨C compounded by state fragility, poverty and climate-related disasters ¨C have driven the number of forcibly displaced people to 123 million, more than doubling over the past decade.

Providing opportunity and a future for people forced to flee their homes, most of whom are children and youth, is one of the key education challenges of our time. We cannot achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education) while more than 60 million forcibly displaced children and youth remain locked out of education.

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The vast majority of these young people, even those who cross borders to seek international protection, are hosted either within fragile states or in neighbouring low- and middle-income countries.

Higher education offers a lifeline. For those affected by conflict, it provides normalcy, hope and the opportunity to rebuild. For refugees, it creates an incentive to complete education while in exile, a chance to reclaim purpose and the possibility to move forward ¨C whether in the host country, by returning home or by resettling elsewhere.

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While universities around the world have been stepping up to support refugee students, it is the institutions in low- and middle-income countries ¨C those hosting the majority of the world¡¯s refugees ¨C that have often shown the greatest leadership, despite having the fewest resources. These efforts, however, have received limited global recognition.

To respond sustainably and with impact, especially amid rising displacement, universities must collaborate ¨C across institutions and sectors. In Brazil, UNHCR¡¯s long-standing partnership with a network of 50 universities (the S¨¦rgio Vieira de Mello Chairs initiative) supports teaching and research on forced displacement, driving national policy shifts. Recently, the de Mello Chairs initiative announced 20,000 scholarship places for refugee students.

In the past two years, new collaborative efforts have emerged: the Higher Education Alliance in Jordan; the Global University Academy, bringing together institutions from multiple countries; and the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network, a regional platform for coordinated action.

Universities are also showing remarkable solidarity. In Somalia ¨C where higher education has been deeply affected by decades of conflict ¨C Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology has partnered with UNHCR through a cost-sharing model: UNHCR supports students, and the university waives tuition fees. A similar arrangement exists at Kigali Independent University in Rwanda, led by a president who personally experienced displacement. KIU has worked to remove barriers for refugee students, including waiving admission and application fees, charging the same tuition rates as nationals and offering evening classes for flexibility.

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Cavendish University in Zambia (CUZ) has adopted a comparable model. Its vice-chancellor Welani Chilengwe sees refugee inclusion as central to the university¡¯s mission and identity: ¡°Forced displacement is one of the defining challenges of our time ¨C a global crisis requiring a strategic response across all sectors, including universities,¡± he recently said. ?

CUZ is now working with partners to extend its reach, establishing remote learning centres in or near refugee settlements in other African countries.

In Malawi, the Malawi University of Science and Technology provides scholarships to refugees while also promoting social cohesion between refugee and host communities. It has developed programmes in Dzaleka refugee camp that are suited to that context ¨C including innovation and STEM initiatives for girls ¨C and advocates for inclusive practices in national systems.

The case for expanding refugee access to higher education is clear. As more universities around the world consider their role in welcoming displaced students, there is much to learn from the innovative, inclusive and courageous leadership shown by institutions in the very regions most affected by displacement.

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Frankie Randle and Arash Bordbar are higher education specialists at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).?

The?Times Higher Education?Impact Rankings 2025 will be published?in late June.??

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