Access and Aspirations: Syrian Refugees’ Experiences of Entering Higher Education in Germany

Abstract

Despite high educational aspirations amongst asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs), scholarship on international student migration and mobility commonly lacks insight deriving from forced migration research. Drawing on qualitative research concerned with Syrian ASRs’ educational aspirations and lived experiences regarding higher education access in Germany, this article speaks to the intersection of refugee and education politics. German Higher Education Institutions commonly subsume ASRs under the more general admission classification of “international students”. While an intentional blindness of the background of non-European Union students in the admission procedure is justified on the grounds of equal treatment, findings indicate that ASRs experience the disregard for their distinct struggles as particularly stifling and disillusioning. At the same time, an analysis of the symbolic significance young ASRs attribute to the student status suggests that educational aspirations are shaped by the prospect to “raise” one’s migration status and identity to that of international students.

Higher education policy dynamics in turbulent times – access to higher education for refugees in Europe

“…At the same time, the literature on how HE systems respond to the issue of enabling access to HE for refugees is relatively recent and still somewhat limited (see e.g. Berg et al, 2018;de Wit, 2017;Reinhardt et al, 2018;Schammann & Younso, 2016;Schneider, 2018;Streitwieser et al, 2017). As especially comparative studies looking at multiple countries are rare, our study has primarily an explorative character (see e.g.…”

‘My family’s goals are also my goals’: the relationship between collectivism, distal utility value, and learning and career goals of international university students in Germany

“…These practice opportunities with regard to social cognitive career theory outcomes might be especially important for the integration of international students with refugee status at higher education institutions in Germany. For instance, it was shown that Syrian students with refugee status in Germany often faced challenges due to lack of recognition of their previous qualifications or language barriers (Schneider, 2018). As a consequence, they have to restart a study program from which they have already graduated in their home country.…”

“…In the winter semester 2017, one-third of the international students in Germany were originally from China, India, Russia, Syria, or Turkey (Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik & Grote, 2019), which are collectivistic-oriented countries. Studies have shown that international students are confronted with different challenges such as language barriers and discrimination which might impair their graduation or attainment of their career goals (Franco, Hsiao, Gnilka, & Ashby, 2019;Schneider, 2018). Hence, it is crucial for university career counselors and university teachers to know what motivates international students during their studies, especially in learning situations, and how international students can be supported to successfully graduate.…”

European Policies for the Inclusion of Refugees in Higher Education: The Case of Greece

“…Conversely, in Spain refugees are treated in the same way as migrants or other third country nationals who are permanent residents, which means that they are required to provide copies of their degrees and other relevant qualifications in order to gain entry to various university faculties 2 (Yildiz, 2019). Schneider (2018) provides evidence that German HEIs commonly subsume refugee populations and asylum seekers under the more general admission classification of international students. She argues that an intentional blindness of the background of non-European Union students in the admission procedure is justified on the grounds of equal treatment but findings indicate that refugees experience the disregard for their distinct struggles as particularly stifling and disillusioning (Schneider, 2018).…”

“…Schneider (2018) provides evidence that German HEIs commonly subsume refugee populations and asylum seekers under the more general admission classification of international students. She argues that an intentional blindness of the background of non-European Union students in the admission procedure is justified on the grounds of equal treatment but findings indicate that refugees experience the disregard for their distinct struggles as particularly stifling and disillusioning (Schneider, 2018).…”