Majority of Refugees in Germany Aspiring to Higher Education Have Been Admitted

A new survey of refugees aspiring to higher education in Germany found that 73 percent have already secured a place at a German university, a far higher proportion than many observers might anticipate.

A majority of Syrian, Iraqi, and Palestinian refugees in Germany have graduated from high school in their countries of origin, and many are accessing higher education via programs that waive university fees, the survey found. The poll was commissioned by “Uni-Assist,” an organization supported by more than 180 German universities that helps international students apply for higher education. The survey showed that refugees not only arrived in Europe’s most populous country with significant academic credentials, but are also eager to continue studying in their new country.

“A lot more refugees have already gained access to German higher education than (initially thought),” said Nora Sevbihiv Sinemillioglu, a project director with Uni-Assist, in a statement. A large majority of the poll’s respondents said they were content with their studies, she said, but more than 60 percent also indicated that they were struggling with studying in a foreign language. “Also finances are a challenge for more than 55 percent, as well as housing for almost one quarter.”

Abdalla Fahed, an engineering student from Syria living in Germany, knows that struggle well. He said he has difficulties with the German language and with supporting his studies.

“At first, it was very hard financing my education in Germany,” he explained. “I had three issues: I needed to prove that I had around 8,000 euros in the bank. And if you’re new here and can’t speak German and have a student visa, the visa office decides whether you are allowed to work. I wasn’t allowed to work until my German had improved. So added all up, I spent more than 10,000 euros on living expenses and German courses.”

“It was hard for me and a lot of people have problems making this work for them. But even when I was allowed to begin my studies, and allowed to work, I wasn’t able to find time to work. In the second semester I worked, but was only 10 to 15 hours a week and there was a cap on what I was allowed to earn. In the end, I asked my brother for a loan.”

[Enjoying this article? Subscribe to our free newsletter.]

Financial Assistance Helps Many

For 68 percent of students, the cost of study is “an important to very important” consideration when deciding whether to pursue higher education, according to the survey. Still, 74 percent said they were “satisfied or very satisfied” with the cost assistance they had received. Moreover, 78 percent of those surveyed said “they could only have applied to university or trade school of their choice due to cost exemption or financial assistance.”

Ninety-four percent of survey participants said they had graduated from high school, while 72 percent said they had completed some advanced course work and 46 percent said they had attained an academic degree or qualification. The survey was conducted online and had 6,340 respondents. It was heavily weighted toward Syrian refugees, who made up 81 percent of those who responded.

Uni-Assist has helped refugees apply to German universities free of charge, but the waiver of fees for refugees ends December 31, 2019, according to the organization’s website. The refugee students’ experience hasn’t been perfect, and students have used the Uni-Assist Facebook page to vent about busy phone lines, long waits for replies to emails, and a website that occasionally crashes.

“The server of uni-assist is down since many days,” wrote one user, Osama Mahmood‎ of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Uni-Assist’s Facebook page.

Some students hoped that Uni-Assist could play a larger role than the one that it has carved out for itself so far.

“Uni-Assist wasn’t really helpful for me. It’s just more of a clearing house. You send them your documents, you pay a fee that’s 75 euros at first and 15 euros for each additional university you apply to,” said Fahed, who hadn’t realized he could get a fee waiver and so didn’t ask for it. “I would also add that they didn’t work with the technical university I wanted to apply for, so it ended up not being relevant for me.”

Fahed also complained about not getting enough financial help—a situation borne out by the group’s own survey.

“Even when my authorization came through, I found it hard to manage studies in German with my job,” said Fahed. “More financial assistance would have been helpful.”