Does the Academy Care about Refugees? Higher Education Media Coverage of Displaced Students

• In Event: From Protection to Peacebuilding: Education as a Stabilizing Force

Proposal

Relevance
This study engages with the CIES 2026 conference theme, “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World,” by initiating discussions on how displaced students are portrayed in higher education (HE) trade media. Recently, HE has been viewed both as a humanitarian actor and as a contested political space within the global displacement crisis. Institutions have offered scholarships, sponsorship programs, and symbolic gestures for refugee inclusion while also facing challenges from restrictive immigration policies, surveillance, and anti-immigrant backlash. Trade media reports on these HE policies, programs, and the acceptance of refugee students, especially into Western institutions. This research relates to the conference theme by expanding the dialogue on how HE trade media forms part of an ecosystem that influences displaced students’ experiences, why they should understand the stories' impact, what narratives are being shared, and whose voices are mainly amplified. By examining how displaced students are portrayed in these outlets, we move beyond simply whether institutions "support" refugees to explore how support is depicted, who is visible, and who remains unseen. This framework underscores the politics of representation in shaping institutional priorities, policy debates, and scholarly perceptions.




What framework guided the research?
We draw on Stein's (2021) concept of field-imaginary, which encompasses the tacit assumptions and "disciplinary unconscious" that shape what HE considers legitimate practice and moral responsibility. At its core, the field of imagination in HE assumes that universities are benevolent, meritocratic, and socially transformative. When applied to displacement, this perspective leads the academy to see itself as a humanitarian savior, with refugee access seen as evidence of institutional virtue. Specifically, the research explores: (1) How are refugees and displaced students portrayed in HE trade media? (2) What themes and tones characterize the media coverage of refugee and displaced students? and (3) To what extent do these narratives reflect or reinforce the dominant “field-imaginary” of HE?




How do information sources shape decisions about data collection and analysis?
Our data collection was based on research in media and refugee studies (e.g., Rhee & Sagaria, 2004; Anderson, 2020; Warren et al., 2021). This research shows media not only inform but also shape our understanding of belonging. We focused on trade media—The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and University World News—because they connect policy, practice, and scholarship. These outlets influence institutional agendas and share global stories, setting the agenda through editorial choices rather than peer-reviewed research, impacting practices.

To examine how displaced students are portrayed in HE discourse, we analyzed 1,254 articles from 2014–2024 using keywords like “refugee,” “migrant,” and “displaced student.” After screening, 393 articles remained, covering major displacement events such as the Syrian war, Kabul fall, and Ukraine invasion.

We used quantitative methods (frequency, co-occurrence, sentiment analysis) combined with reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019). Articles were coded as positive (highlighting scholarships), neutral (presenting facts), or negative (framing refugees as risks). Ten main themes emerged, including Admissions/Access, HE Response, Politics, Crisis/Emergency, and Scholars at Risk. Multiple teams coded the articles, reflecting on our perspectives as migration scholars, students, and practitioners to ensure rigor and consistency.




How do the research methods and results support the conclusions drawn from the data?
Quantitatively, sentiment analysis showed that 74.3% of articles were positive, 22.4% were neutral, and 3.3% were negative. Thematically, institutional responses dominated, with the HE Response (164 articles) and Admissions/Access (160) categories together making up over 80% of the corpus. In contrast, personal stories (72), Global South support (74), and Scholars at Risk (26) were comparatively minor. This distribution supports our conclusion that trade media mainly reinforce “access-as-success” narratives. Articles celebrated symbolic openings — like a new scholarship, a waived admission fee, or an emergency visa — but rarely addressed retention, psychosocial support, or post-graduation paths. Our co-occurrence mapping also showed that institutional themes often overlapped with politics or crises, portraying universities as reactive actors responding to external disruptions. However, overlaps with personal stories or systemic critique were rare, indicating that refugee voices and lived experiences stay sidelined. These findings align with Chouliaraki & Stolic’s (2017) critique that media portrayals of refugees often swing between victimization and saviorism. While positive tones seem inclusive, they can homogenize refugees as symbolic figures, hiding diversity, intersectionality, and agency.




How original is the contribution? What new insights do we gain, and why does it matter?
This study systematically examines trade media coverage of displaced students in HE. While previous research has looked into how news media portray refugees or international students, displaced students have rarely been studied as a separate category within HE professional discourse.

By analyzing 393 articles over a ten-year period, we present strong evidence of how displaced students are framed. The finding that 74% of coverage is positive yet celebratory, rather than critical, adds nuance to the idea that positive media coverage automatically means inclusion. Theoretically, we expand Stein’s (2021) concept of the field-imaginary by demonstrating how trade media reproduce the HE sector’s humanitarian self-image. Editorial choices—what voices to amplify and what silences to uphold—maintain the belief that universities are naturally benevolent, while hiding their involvement in exclusionary structures.

The emphasis on what is missing—such as post-access outcomes, Global South agency, and intersectional perspectives—shows how trade media support a limited view of success. This is important because trade narratives influence sector priorities: positive access stories shape decisions, funding, and strategic planning, while silences reduce institutional accountability. Acknowledging these challenges urges us to rethink refugee inclusion as more than symbolic openings—rather, as ongoing commitments to belonging, thriving, and equity.

What we learn is that the academy “cares” about refugees in ways that bolster its moral standing but don’t always address its structural responsibilities. Trade media treat admissions as the final goal, overlook Southern leadership despite hosting most displaced students, and silence diverse refugee voices. For comparative and international education, this insight is vital: it pushes us to examine not only institutional practices but also the discursive environments that define what fairness and equity mean in HE.

Authors

• Kathryn Anne Coleman

• Nina Balandina, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, GW

• Bernhard T Streitwieser, George Washington University

• Lisa Brunner, The University of British Columbia