In addition to scholarships offered in the country of asylum, a number of scholarships are also available for refugee students seeking to undertake university studies in a country other than their country of asylum, a so called ‘third country‘.

Travelling to a third country for the purpose of pursuing higher education requires careful planning. Before applying, students should consider the full range of issues that could impact their ability to succeed in a third country scholarship programme as this can affect their legal status.

Scholarships included on this site have been assessed by UNHCR and found to meet basic protection considerations ensuring that refugee interests are safeguarded.

For refugees in the Middle East and Turkey, all scholarships listed here anticipate that refugees will NOT be allowed to return to the first country of asylum after the study programme is completed.

Scholarship opportunities listed on this site are offered by external scholarship providers and are not affiliated to UNHCR. The UNHCR assessment is based on information provided by scholarship providers and relevant to the individual country of study.

Please note that we’re currently updating the list of scholarships, more will be added here soon. 

Student Refugee Program (World University Service of Canada)

Available in: Jordan, Lebanon, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda
Destination country: Canada
Target group: recognized refugees (or provide evidence of residency in Lebanon)
Criteria: aged between 17-25, single without dependents
Type of study: undergraduate
Organisation: World University Service of Canada (WUSC)
Website: https://srp.wusc.ca/

 

Japanese Initiative for the Future of Syrian Refugees (JISR)

Available to: Syrians
Destination country: Japan
Target group: Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR
Criteria: aged between 22-39, hold a Bachelor’s degree
Type of study: graduate
Organisation: Japan International Cooperation Agency
Website: https://www.jica.go.jp/syria/english/office/others/jisr.html