Fostering Peace through Mobility: Institutional Pathways for Forcibly Displaced Students in Higher Education

• In Event: International Student Mobility and Societal Impact: Reframing the Civic, Political, and Institutional Reach of Global Higher Education

Proposal

Recent years have brought about an unprecedented rise in global forced displacement, fueled by conflict, political instability, climate change, and natural disasters. As of the end of 2024, the most recent reporting period, more than 123.2 million individuals had been forced to flee their homes (UNHCR, 2025). Many of them are young adults within the typical age range for higher education, and a significant number with prior university experience. This growing cohort of “in-between” learners does not fit neatly into traditional categories of domestic or international students, leaving higher education institutions (HEIs) scrambling to respond to their unique needs (Arar, 2021).
Despite growing awareness of the unique circumstances faced by forcibly displaced students, many HEIs still struggle to provide the kinds of support these students need. Financial, administrative, academic, and psychosocial barriers persist, and without targeted interventions, students often find themselves placed in less visible or less resourced academic pathways (Sontag, 2019; Webb et al., 2019). Compounding these difficulties are intersecting inequalities along lines of gender, race, and ethnicity, which further limit opportunities for meaningful participation (Lambrechts, 2020). National policies in many countries have yet to catch up with these realities, and the lack of reliable data on forcibly displaced students makes it difficult to design and implement effective support strategies (Eurydice, 2019; Morrice, 2022).
The recent wave of forcibly displaced students arriving in Europe has brought renewed urgency to the need for more inclusive higher education frameworks. This narrative review draws on findings from 20 peer-reviewed papers and three reports. It covers publications from 2000 up to March 2025, and examines how HEIs in Austria, the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the US, Canada, and Australia have responded to these challenges. The analysis organizes forcibly displaced student’s challenges and institutional responses around four interrelated dimensions: access to higher education, financial constraints, academic/learning experiences, and socialization experiences. It was found that while some institutions have made progress in expanding access through flexible enrollment and recognition of prior learning, financial barriers and limited scholarship opportunities remain major obstacles. Academic experiences for forcibly displaced students are often complicated by language and cultural differences, and many faculty members remain unaware of the specific needs of these students. Social integration initiatives, such as peer support networks and advocacy groups, have shown promise, but housing insecurity and social exclusion continue to hinder full participation.
This review aims to inform policymakers, practitioners, and scholars about the critical role higher education can play in supporting forcibly displaced students. It calls for coordinated action, faculty training, and stronger cross-institutional partnerships to create more inclusive and resilient higher education environments.

Authors

• Cristina Mazzero, University of Trento

• Thais Franca

• Joyce Aguiar, Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies