Minimum Standards
for Complementary Education
Pathways© UNHCR/Lilly Carlisle

January 2021

Table of Contents
I.

Introduction

3II.

Key Terms

4III.

Minimum Standards

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1.
2.
3.
4.

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6
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IV.

Protection & Safeguarding
Application & Admission to Education Pathway Programmes
Funding
Integration & Psychosocial Support

Further Recommendations

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1.
2.
3.
4.

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7Programme Design
Application & Admission to Education Pathway Programmes
Integration & Psychosocial Support
Path to Employment

2I. Introduction“Complementary pathways for admission are avenues for refugees to relocatefrom a State in which they have sought protection (host country) to a thirdcountry (receiving country). Also called Third Country Solutions, they
encompass a full range of pathways such as resettlement, labor opportunities,
and education. Education complementary pathways include private,community, or institution-based scholarship, apprenticeships and traineeshipprograms.”(UNHCR)At the end of 2019, there were an estimated 79.5 million forcibly displaced persons across the globe,
including 26 million refugees, with 85% of the world’s refugees living in developing countries, often inprotracted situations.1 According to UNHCR, only 4.5% of refugee resettlement needs were met in 2019,
despite the growing need for durable solutions for refugees. Increasing complementary pathways
through third country education programmes is a tangible way for states and the international higher
education community to provide safe pathways and durable solutions to refugee students while
demonstrating solidarity with those countries hosting large numbers of refugees.
Compiled by the Global Task Force on Third Country Education Pathways, this document outlines
minimum standards for third country education opportunities which lead to a durable solution for
individuals who meet the refugee definition2, including those who do not have legal refugee status but
are in need of international protection. 3 The minimum standards outlined in this document are rightsand evidence-based; they are also intended to be comprehensive having been adapted from a numberof sector-level documents, as well as those created and upheld by UNHCR.4
Third country education pathways for admission are primarily via, but not limited to, tertiary education
programmes. Thus, this document is intended for use by states, higher education institutions, NGOs,and other relevant stakeholders that offer, plan to offer, support, or advocate for third country
pathways through higher education and who wish to ensure their programmes meet the minimum
standards for protection, transparency, and support to refugee students. These minimum standards are
essential to third country education pathways, though certain adaptation might be necessary at thelevel of implementation.
1UNHCR. 2020. Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2020
https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/statistics/unhcrstats/5ee200e37/unhcr-global-trends-2019.html
2See: UNHCR USA. What is a Refugee:
https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/what-is-a-refugee.html
3Hereafter, the term “refugee” will be used to cover all displaced individuals to which this document refers.

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The minimum standards are not meant to serve as a comprehensive guide to creating new education
pathways programmes. The Task Force acknowledges the need for a holistic and detailed documentfocused on creating tertiary education pathways for refugee students, and a detailed toolkit on
designing and implementing new programmes will be made available separately.
The minimum standards outlined in this document are not meant to be fulfilled by a single actor andimplementation of comprehensive education pathways often requires collaboration between a varietyof actors, including but not limited to government entities, higher education institutions, NGOs, andother stakeholders from the public and private sector.

II. Key Terms
The following terms are commonly used by practitioners designing, implementing, and supporting
education pathways for refugee students (in alphabetic order).
Country of Asylum (Current Host Country)
The country in which a refugee or asylum seeker arrives after being forced to flee his/her home country,
and he/she is deemed to have found protection from persecution and refoulement.
Durable Solution
Durable solutions offer long term protection, including through legal status, protection fromrefoulement and access to rights, and an appropriate long-term solution for refugees to become selfreliant.
Informed Consent
The student’s confirmation of voluntary participation in an education pathway after having been
informed about all aspects of the programme and possible consequences of them joining theprogramme in question.
Person in Need of International Protection
A person in need of international protection is someone who is outside their own country and unable toreturn home because they would be at risk there, and their country is unable or unwilling to protect
them. Risks that give rise to a need for international protection classically include those of persecution,
threats to life, freedom or physical integrity arising from armed conflict, serious public disorder, ordifferent situations of violence.
Refoulement
The forcible return of refugees or asylum seekers to a country where they face a well-founded fear ofpersecution.
Refugee
The 1951 Refugee Convention Article 1A defines a refugee as “someone who is unable or unwilling toreturn to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”4

Third Country (Receiving Country)
A country that admits refugees and other persons in need of international protection that is not thecountry of origin or current country of asylum.
Third Country Scholarships
A third country scholarship entails travel outside of the country of asylum (current host country) toaccess a higher education programme.

III. Minimum Standards
1. Protection & Safeguarding
Programmes commit to:
••

•
•
••

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Offering opportunities to students in receiving countries that ensure equal access to legal rights(freedom from discrimination, exploitation and exposure of identity without consent);
Confirming students are in possession of or can apply for official travel documents, andproviding assistance to obtain required visas, or; facilitating issuance of relevant documentsfrom receiving country for students without official travel documents to allow for theirmovement;
Obtaining informed consent about consequences that departure from the country of asylum
may have on future re-entry or possible indefinite family separation;
Facilitating student travel from host country to receiving country;
Providing clear and transparent guidance to students on legal status options in the receiving
country during and after the study programme period;
Supporting protection against refoulement at all stages of the programme, by:o directing students to the appropriate institutions or legal counsel to receive guidance on
how to apply for asylum in third country, family reunification, or return to initial countryof asylum;o facilitating access to legal assistance and resources in the third country, as needed;o planning for continuity of legal status in the event of illness, injury, academic failure, orwithdrawal from the programme;
Communicating with relevant government entities and/or UNHCR about safeguarding legal
status post-studies, if applicable.

2. Application & Admission to Education Pathway Programmes
Programmes commit to:•••••

Designing a non-discriminatory, open and transparent application process with clear eligibility
and admissions requirements;
Ensuring accessibility of application for all students;
Promoting opportunities through channels that are known by and accessible to refugees;
Providing reasonable support to applicants throughout the application stage;
Securing admission of selected students to a higher education institution in receiving country.

53. Funding
Programmes commit to:••••Providing or securing funding to cover all application-related costs e.g., the development of anaccessible online and/or paper application;
Providing or securing funding to cover programme-related visa and travel costs;
Providing or securing funding to cover the full cost of the study programme (certificate, degree,or other qualification) through full or partial scholarships, tuition waivers or other funding
models;Providing or securing subsistence costs, including health insurance, living expenses, local
transportation, and accommodation.

In the occasion that students have access to resources, these could be used to cover some or all of theabove-mentioned costs.

4. Integration & Psychosocial Support
Programmes commit to:••••

Facilitating necessary language training at no cost, including where language of instruction is not
the primary language of the third country;
Ensuring that refugee students have access to university or provider services, support, andactivities such as career placement, social organisations, internships, extracurricular activities,etc.;
Providing and/or facilitating access to academic and psychosocial support, where necessary, toencourage student retention and success;Establishing a monitoring and evaluation strategy to collect data for programme analysis atrelevant stages, e.g. pre- and post-arrival, post-completion, etc.

IV. Further Recommendations
The minimum standards outlined under items 1-4 are considered inherent to durable third country
education pathways for refugee students. The Task Force recognizes that in many cases, additional
measures and considerations are necessary to build comprehensive education pathways that respond to
the needs of refugee students from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.
While not considered minimum standards, the Task Force encourages programmes to take some or allof the Task Force’s further recommendations into consideration when designing and implementing third
country education pathways whenever possible. The below list is by no means exhaustive and additional
considerations may apply depending on the individual circumstances and nature of each programme.

1. Programme Design
Programmes are encouraged to:6••Include refugees or individuals with refugee/asylee background in the design andimplementation (e.g., application design, outreach, screening, pre-departure preparation,
academic and career support, administration, etc.);
Offer academic preparatory programmes, including language training as needed.

2. Application & Admission to Education Pathway Programmes
Programmes are encouraged to:••

Maintain flexible admissions criteria and procedures in relation to acceptable proof of language
proficiency, recognition of previously taken credits, incomplete transcripts, etc.;
Coordinate with relevant stakeholders such as credential evaluators, providers of language andstandardised tests, etc. to facilitate admissions.

3. Integration & Psychosocial Support
Programmes are encouraged to:••••

Host pre-departure and post-arrival orientation sessions to facilitate integration;
Facilitate the creation of local support networks e.g. through student groups on campus and/orby building a network of students with refugee backgrounds on campus;
Identify a designated point of contact on campus and/or administering organization for theduration of study who can follow academic progress, identify risks, and direct students to those
who can provide specific support, including counseling for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), etc;
Facilitate visits with nuclear family members when possible.

4. Path to Employment
Programmes are encouraged to:•••

Support students in career advising, possibly with the involvement of the local community andalumni;
Facilitate internship and/or on campus employment opportunities during the study programme
to better prepare students for employment opportunities post-graduation;
Offer support and counselling in pathways toward legal stay for employment.

These Minimum Standards may be amended, modified, or repealed by the affirmative vote of two-thirdsof the entire Task Force at any meeting of the Task Force at which a quorum is present.

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