Dublin City University (DCU) has announced 30 partial and full scholarships for asylum seekers and refugees next year, with five that cover an on-campus, full-time undergraduate degree.
DCU has announced the scholarships – which will add to the 64 it has offered in recent years to people from a “refugee or asylum-seeking background” – ahead of World Refugee Day tomorrow.
The college, which became Ireland’s first University of Sanctuary in 2016, has added five new online scholarships to the 10 it already offered. It also added another 10 online scholarships – which will allow students to achieve certificates of achievement – have using social learning platform FutureLearn.
The announcement coincides with a recent study at the university that shows the significantly positive impact that access to higher education can have on the quality of life for refugees, their sense of themselves and their ability to realise future goals.
The study, carried out by a team in the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL) at DCU, looks at the transition experiences of refugees to study online. It highlights the need to remove existing barriers – financial, structural, cultural and digital equity – in order to support refugees in gaining access to education.
A number of the 64 scholarships DCU has awarded so far have been paid for by philanthropic contributions from supporters of DCU Educational Trust, the University’s Foundation.
In a press statement, DCU President Prof Brian MacCraith said: “After the events of recent months, it is now clearer than ever that higher education institutions should redouble their efforts to create a safe and tolerant learning environment for all, through initiatives such as the University of Sanctuary.”
“The awarding of these scholarships is a signal of DCU’s longstanding commitment to the concept that access to education should be based on ability alone. Thanks to our strategic partnership with FutureLearn, we are continually broadening the accessibility of DCU’s unique learning experience”, MacCraith added.
Meanwhile,Trinity has lodged an official application for University of Sanctuary status, in the hope of gaining recognition from a programme that pushes colleges to be more inclusive for asylum seekers and refugees.
College expects to hear in the coming weeks if its application for the programme – which has already accredited six Irish universities – is successful, amid an ongoing effort to improve its response to refuge and asylum issues in Ireland.
But Trinity is unlikely to expand the number of scholarships – which currently stands at four – that it offers to asylum seekers, according to Gillian Wylie, an assistant professor in the School of Religion, who helped oversee the application.
