OPEN CALL – Refugee and Displaced Person scholarship opportunity for ONLINE programmes with the University of London

The University of London provides a number of scholarships for the following ONLINE programs:

How to apply

Scholarship applications for the 2025/26 academic year are now open. These scholarships are for programmes commencing from September 2025.

Before you can apply for a scholarship you must first have applied for a programme of study and received an offer of a place.

  1. Submit a programme application form online. Online applications are located on each programmes webpage. (see previous list and links)
  2. After you have received an offer, you can submit a Refugee and Displaced Person scholarship application form online via this link.

To support your scholarship application you will need to provide documentary evidence of your refugee or displaced persons status. This must be current and include a valid start/end date. The accompanying evidence should be submitted via the Enquiry Hub here, select Admissions and then Scholarship/Bursary Opportunities as the categories.

If you need English Testing for applying to this opportunity, please reach out to [email protected]

NOTE that you must be able to demonstrate that you have access to non-financial support (study space, computer and internet, academic and pastoral guidance) in order to successfully undertake a University of London distance-learning programme. UNHCR is not able to provide this support.

 DAAD scholarship opportunities

Explore the DAAD scholarship opportunities available for potential applicants below:

Notes:

  • UNHCR is not in the position to assist with the cost of language testing.
  • UNHCR is not responsible for granting the opportunity and cannot respond to questions. For further information, please contact the master’s courses’ contact persons.
  • Note that these opportunities are not specifically tailored to the refugee situation. If you feel comfortable disclosing your situation, do not hesitate to discuss your specific situation with the master’s courses contact persons.
  1. Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS) for specific courses

The scholarships offer foreign graduates from development and newly industrialized countries from all disciplines and with at least two years’ professional experience the chance to take a postgraduate or Master’s degree at a state or state-recognized German university, and in exceptional cases to take a doctoral degree, and to obtain a university qualification (Master’s/PhD) in Germany.

Scholarships are open for specific courses only. Please find the brochure on the courses through this link

Application requirements:

  • Candidate works either for a public authority or a state or private company in a developing country and, is engaged in the planning and execution of directives and projects with emphasis on development policies having a bearing on technological, economic or social areas.
  • Candidate holds a Bachelor’s degree (normally four years) in a related subject.
  • Candidate has completed an academic degree with far above average results (upper third) and at least two years of related professional experience after the first degree (bachelor) at the time of application.
  • His/her academic degrees should normally not be more than six years old.
  • Language requirements:
    • For courses in German: level of B1 at the time of application is a requirement
    • For courses in English: adequate language skills according to the respective courses

Application deadlines ranging from August 2025 to March 2026 depending on the courses

Application procedure: Applications have to be sent to the respective course directly

Provide the required documents directly to the university (please consult the specific website of the courses)

  • Completed and signed checklist
  • EPOS application form (please type your answers or make sure they are easy to read)
  • A curriculum vitae in reverse chronological order without any unexplained gaps (please use the europass template)
  • One Letter of Motivation with detailed reference to academic, professional and personal reasons for applying for the programme.
    IMPORTANT: When applying for more than one postgraduate course (maximum 3 courses), please also give detailed reasons for your choice of courses and prioritisation in the letter of motivation. Please submit a uniform letter of motivation to all postgraduate degree programmes of your choice.
  • Letter of recommendation from your current employer; the letter must include official letterhead, signature and official stamp and must be of current date (not in a sealed envelope)
  • Certificate(s) of Employment from the employer(s) showing at least two years of relevant work experience after the Bachelor’s degree up to the time of application and if possible, a guarantee of re-employment from your current employer upon returning home. The certificate of employment from the current employer should, if possible, include a guarantee of re-employment after returning to the home country.
  • Recent proof of Language Skills:
    o English – IELTS or TOEFL (Note: The institutional TOEFL is not accepted)
    o German – required for courses taught in German
  • Copies of your higher education degree certificates. Please provide a certified translation if the original is not in German or English, and make sure these are clearly legible.
  • Copy of your full set of transcript of records. Please provide an explanation of the grading system if this is not part of the transcript.

IMPORTANT: keep a soft copy of your application readily available in case selected. You will need to upload your application to the DAAD Portal if contacted by DAAD.

  1. Helmut-Schmidt-Programme (Master’s Scholarships for Public Policy and Good Governance – PPGG)

The Helmut-Schmidt-Programme, the DAAD strives to contribute to promoting good governance and civil society structures in developing and emerging countries. You can find the available Master’s courses in this brochure and the scholarship announcement here.

Application requirements:

  • a conclusive account and motivation of your academic, professional and personal motivation for the study endeavour in Germany and for choosing and prioritising the master’s courses (this motivation should clearly relate to the goals of the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme)
  • practical experience relevant to the programme (professional experience or internships, political activities or service to your community, such as volunteering or work for charities or NGOs)
  • a first higher education degree completed with above-average grades (upper third)
  • The candidates’ last university degree should not date back more than six years (date of issue not before 1 January 2019).
  • All master’s courses have their own selection criteria (degree, grades, language skills, practical experience, etc.) that must be met in addition to the DAAD’s selection criteria
  • Language proficiency is dependent on the chosen master’s course

Application deadlines: from 1 June until 31 July 2025

Application procedure: Applications have to be sent to the respective course directly

Provide the required documents directly to the university ( please consult the website of the course of your choice)

The required application documents are:

  • a ticked off checklist and list of criteria, signed by hand (print it out, sign it by hand, scan it and include it in your documents), indicating place and date of issue
  • the DAAD application form
  • a single letter of motivation (even when applying for two master’s courses) including the date of issue and a precise account of your academic, professional and personal reasons for wishing to participate in the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme, as well as a detailed explanation of your choice of master’s course(s), indicating why your first choice of master’s course is your first choice, why your second choice is your second choice and how they will advance you academically and professionally, max. two pages long. You must provide the same letter of motivation to both courses you are applying for.
  • a curriculum vitae in reverse chronological order including the date of issue (format: europass, please note: the europass template does not include a date, please add it yourself) with exact information about your studies and practical experience; gaps of three months or more must be explained
  • copies of your higher education degree certificates. Please provide a certified translation if the original is not in German or English and make sure these are clearly legible.
  • a copy of your full set of transcript of records including an explanation of the grading system. Please provide a certified translation if the original is not in German or English and make sure these are clearly legible.
  • confirmations of relevant professional experience or internships and/or proof of relevant political activities or service to your community, such as volunteering or work for charities or NGOs, on headed paper, including an original (not scanned) or code certified digital signature, the date of issue and a stamp. If necessary, please provide a certified translation
  • proof of English language skills
  • a current written reference from your current employer or from a university lecturer only if you are a student at present, on headed paper, including an original (not scanned) or code certified digital signature, the date of issue and a stamp. If necessary, please provide a certified translation

[Female Session] Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Virtual Outreach

The WUSC-DREEM team is organising WOMEN-ONLY virtual outreach on 13th June 2025 from 3:00 PM to 5:35 PM (EAT)  about undergraduate and Graduate opportunities offered under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. The Session will be hosted in English and live translated into French. This session will provide valuable insights into the application process, eligibility criteria, and opportunities available for potential scholars.

In case accessing the QR code is challenging, here is the direct registration link for the session. 

13th June Women-Only Virtual Outreach Zoom Registration Link https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/e3eyi-TQT3qdle-28bBcSw

DAFI student + alumni survey

The UNHCR-DAFI programme team is conducting a global survey to better understand your journey, both during and after the DAFI programme, including continuing studies, employment, internships, volunteering, entrepreneurship, leadership, and community engagement. By responding to this survey, you will help us strengthen support for DAFI students and align the programme more closely with real-world challenges, opportunities and needs.

Watch this video message from DAFI students and alumni to learn more about the survey and how your voice can help shape the future of DAFI: https://youtube.com/shorts/-EyUWVmqXVA

To participate in the survey, please check your email for a custom link. If you did not receive one and would like to participate, email us at [email protected] to request your link to the survey.

If you received a link but are encountering an error screen when you click on it, please follow these easy steps:

 1.       Log in on the online DAFI platform homepage (https://unhcr-dafi-tertiary.scholarshipsplatform.com/) using the email where you received the invitation to complete the survey (this is very important). If you have not previously registered, it takes less than one minute.

2.       Once you are logged in to your account, there is a menu of options on the lefthand side of the screen. Select ‘Grant reports’ and you will see a list titled “My grant reports”.

3.       Select “DAFI student + alumni survey” from that list and start the survey!

The deadline to respond to the survey has been extended to Friday 16 May. The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete and participation is completely voluntary.

 Your voice matters. Help shape the future of refugee higher education.

Thank you!

Refugee Fellows Program 2025

Refugees International has an open call for their Refugee Fellows Program for the 2025 cohort, set to start in August 2025. This unique fellowship focuses on enriching and supporting the existing advocacy efforts of forcibly displaced leaders around the world. The 2025 cohort is tailored to maximize the growth of the fellows and the impact of their work. The year-long program will ensure that fellows receive robust support for the advocacy goals they are pursuing.

Fellows will receive a $15,000 grant in four quarterly installments throughout the year, for working up to seven hours a week. With the key components being technical Training, professional networking and collaborative advocacy events and trips.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Recognized as refugee in any country
  • Language Proficiencies: English language competency is required, competency in other key advocacy and local languages also preferred.
  • Digital Access: This is a remote program, so candidates must have their own computer and internet access to participate.
  • Eligibility for Grant: Fellows must have a bank account to which the grant can be transferred in adherence with U.S. law.

How to Apply:

To apply, applicants must complete an application form and submit the following through this link:

  • Answers to two short-form questions (400 words each)
  • A Resume
  • Three professional references
  • A brief work plan for the fellowship

Deadline: 16 May 2025 – 05h59 Kigali time

UNHCR Rwanda Localization Grant

UNHCR’s approach to community-based protection, as well as its age, gender, and diversity policy, place forcibly displaced and stateless individuals at the core of decision-making processes that directly impact their lives. This approach ensures accountability to the affected populations. In line with the UNHCR Rwanda’s Concept Note of Implementation of the Localization Strategy in Rwanda, there is a strong emphasis on supporting Refugee-led organizations particularly in strengthening their institutional capacities through NGO registration and establishing entrepreneurship wings to ensure sustainability. UNHCR is therefore announce a call for proposal for RLOs to access Localization Grant 2025.

Grant Criteria

  1. Refugee-led organization (focusing on Refugee, and asylum seekers) who have demonstrated their social impacts to address their communities’ problem. The group comprising of refugees and asylum seekers experiences have to sit in decision making power, either sit at executive directors or with proportion 50%+1
  2. To fund fully/partially a project or an organizational institution
  3. Project Objectives priority:
  4. RLOs institutional capacity while applying for NGO status
  5. Seed Funds to create a sustainable entrepreneurship wing that would finance their social impacts
  6. Improving RLO’s visibility on the impacts they have made
  7.  Maximum proposal is USD 4000 per project or USD 12,000 per year/organization (multi-projects)
  8. RLOs with NGO status is preferred but not compulsory
  9. The project will be sustainable beyond UNHCR’s funding

What needs to be in the proposal:

  1. The problem you want to address
  2. How this project will address this problem
  3. The objectives of the projects
  4. The activities of the projects and how these activities will lead the organization to achieve the project
  5. The duration of the project
  6. The targeted beneficiaries
  7. Analysis of sustainability: how the organization is ensuring this project will continue beyond UNHCR’s funding

For the entrepreneurship wing proposal, a proper business plan with profit analysis, sales and marketing strategy are required.

What to submit:

  • Project proposal – Download the template below:
  • Membership Structure indicating organigram, names, and legal status of each and legal status certificate if any
  • Information/report on social impacts that the RLOs have done
  • RLOs organizational background

Due: 10 May 2025

Please email your proposal to [email protected] with subject “Localization Grant Proposal”

Second Round of the Refugee Self-Reliance Survey in Rwanda

The World Bank, in partnership with UNHCR and MINEMA, is conducting the second round of the survey on sustainable livelihoods of refugees in Rwanda. The data collection is planned from 13 to 24 April 2025 in all camps and the Kigali urban area. This Survey involves 2000 respondents who were selected randomly based on their age, gender, and diversity criteria.

We wish to extend our gratitude to those who participated in the first round of this survey last year and invite them to actively engage in the second round. Surveyors will be reaching out to individual respondents by phone to provide further details on the survey schedule and to arrange appointments for home visits as data will be collected at the household level.

Understanding the living conditions, economic status, and overall well-being of refugees is crucial to assist the government of Rwanda and other organizations to improve programming to support the refugees and host communities.

CHANGES IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR REFUGEES

Ishami ry’Umuryango w’Abibumbye ryita ku biribwa (PAM/WFP) baramenyesha impunzi zose ko ubufasha The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) informs all refugees that the cash assistance provided for purchasing food will be reduced due to a significant decrease in funding allocated to refugee support.

The food assistance provided in cash will be adjusted as follows:

In the month of April 2025, there will be a reduction in food assistance as follows:

  • Refugees who were receiving 8,500 Rwandan Francs will now receive 5,600 Rwandan Francs, and those who were receiving 4,250 Rwandan Francs will now receive 2,800 Rwandan Francs.
  • This reduction does not apply to refugees who are part of special nutrition programmes, students, and repatriating Rwandan refugees.

WFP, UNHCR, and MINEMA are continuing advocacy efforts to secure more funding to support refugees. Refugees are encouraged to actively participate in and take advantage of self-reliance and development initiatives provided by the government.

Should additional funding become available in the future, changes will be made, and refugees will be informed about the updated assistance.

Thank you.