Welcoming Universities

The University of Melbourne is leading in Australia to support refugee inclusion and access to tertiary education by:

• Building expertise in refugee inclusion
• Engaging and leading global coalitions
• Providing support to university communities in distress

The UNHCR is seeking support from university communities to achieve 15% enrolment of refugee learners in higher education by 2030 through the 15by30 target.

As a founding member of Welcoming Universities, the University of Melbourne takes a leadership role in refugee inclusion in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. We work across the sector to provide safety to academics experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, violence due to their academic work.

Welcoming Universities will provide a foundation to enable us to bring together expertise from across the University to support refugee communities and highlight opportunities for scholarships, extended programs, micro-credentials or special certificates or diplomas.

Professor Adrian Little delivered a pre-recorded address to the UNESCO World Higher Education conference in Barcelona on refugee access to higher education. The conference presented several sessions exploring the crucial roles higher education actors and stakeholders play in emergencies and situations of mass displacement.