Resources and Effective Practices for Refugee College Guidance Counseling
Navigating the college application and admissions process can be overwhelming for many students, but for international students who have experienced displacement or are refugees the process can seem almost impossible. However, there are organizations working to support students in the process and address these challenges through specialized refugee college guidance counseling.
Kepler, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), and the College Board joined forces to create resources to support those advising and guiding refugee students through the college admissions process. Here are some examples of the resources created to provide initial guidance to those offering college counseling to refugee students overseas:
- Refugee College Guidance Counselors Overview
- Tips for One-on-One Personalized Advising
- Common Questions About Traveling as a Refugee
In addition, in 2018 the and the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium launched the Refugee College Guidance Counseling project which has supported over 1,000 refugee students. The project is continuing to grow, with a target of reaching over 1,000 more youth in 2022 alone. Refugee College Guidance Counselors, Ella Ininahazwe and Sadiki Bamperineza, are leading their own teams at Kepler, a Rwanda based university program that serves marginalized communities. You can watch and learn about their experiences here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow6Zf_HGcHw
DuoLingo English Test and UNHCR have also teamed up to provide college counseling and support for refugee students. Through the creation of a University Access Advisor position, they aim to create a transformative framework for refugee access. The advisor is dedicated to advising 25 refugee students from targeted regions through the university admissions and financial aid process. Learn more about the University Access Advisor here.
Please also check out our partners from KenSAP, Bridge2Rwanda, Munia International and Syrian Youth Empowerment who are supporting refugee students to access higher education in the U.S.