Refugees prepared to study at FAU
135 refugees successfully complete programme preparing them for higher education
As the lecture period comes to an end, FAU’s refugee project Integra is able to celebrate the success of 135 refugees who took part in German language courses, tutorials and tandem projects at the University during the summer semester. The participants were able to attend lectures to gain an initial idea of what it is like to study in Germany. At least 25 of them will be enrolling as regular students at FAU in the coming winter semester, while the others will join them next year. The participants and organisers celebrated the project’s success at a ceremony on 19 July.
Integration programme running successfully for a year
FAU’s ‘Study opportunities for refugees’ project was set up last year and was expanded with the programme ‘FAU Integra: Forum for Integration and Intercultural Dialogue’ – which aims to make it easier for refugees and asylum seekers to enter higher education without any major bureaucratic hurdles – earlier this year. German language courses from levels A2 to C1 in which participants acquire advanced German proficiency – an essential requirement for them to study in Germany in the future – are a key part of the programme.
The tandem programme in which FAU students are paired with refugees to support them with their language learning and everyday issues proved to be an excellent complementary measure. FAU organised 75 tandems in the summer semester 2016. There are likely to be even more in the coming winter semester, as 230 students have already expressed an interest in getting involved. Through Integra refugees who are already able to demonstrate sufficient German proficiency are able to participate in selected lectures at the University to make it easier for them to decide on the right subject for their future studies. Since the programme was launched in September 2015, over 300 refugees from 11 countries have taken part. Around 10 have already begun studying full-time at FAU.
The University will continue with the programme in the coming winter semester. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has already provided 285,600 euros in funding, which will enable another 135 refugees to participate in the programme. FAU also intends to apply for more funding from other sources, as there are already 160 people registered for the winter semester and the number is expected to rise. The application deadline is the end of August.
Further information:
Dr. Brigitte Perlick
Phone: +49 9131 8565170
brigitte.perlick@fau.de