The Rocky Road of Refugees to German Universities

Access of migrants and refugees to German universities depends on the classification of their prior degrees and qualifications. The access routes into higher education for refugees are challenged by achieving language competencies and proving their ‘ability to study’.

Many refugees who reached Germany in the last few years are already highly qualified and wish to continue their educational career. They are confronted with the question how to obtain the recognition of their qualifications. Foreigners from non-European Union (EU) countries are channeled into a specific university application process shaped by state-regulated evaluation processes.

First of all, access to university depends on the evaluation if their school degree is considered as equivalent to a German higher education entrance qualification. Holders of certificates that fulfill the criteria can directly apply for their desired study program. Holders of certificates that do not fulfill the criteria will have to complete a course at a preparatory college (German Studienkolleg) before they can re-apply for their desired study program. Regardless if they follow a direct or indirect route, they will have to proof German language competencies on the level C1.

Applicants are channeled into these routes by a particular regulation pattern: They have to undergo a multilevel selection process to prove equivalence in terms of entrance qualifications as well as language and subject-specific ability to study. Every step requires a more or less extensive transfer of cultural capital and poses a new risk to fail or to lose confidence in study plans.

Experiences of Field Work

The project ‘Refugees’ pathways into German higher education institutions‘ is the first to analyze the situation of refugees in preparatory courses, be it language courses of universities or special subject courses of ‘Studienkollegs’. In autumn 2017, we carried out a pilot study and interviewed eleven course participants in preparatory courses of universities and ‘Studienkollegs’. By now, we can present some insights into the participants’ perspectives on challenges during study preparation.

Due to asylum regulations, refugees are often not entitled to participate in basic language and integration courses shortly after arrival. Therefore, it might take a long time to get the language certificates requested to enter study preparation courses. Frequently, they learn the language auto-didactically. Moreover, interviewees who participated in basic courses criticize insufficient places, lack of the teachers’ qualifications and inappropriateness of the courses for highly qualified people. We found an increasing competition on places and a rising of performance standards for entrance examinations. Thus, refugees are likely to fail, especially those struggling with learning German.

Required Language Competencies: a Real Challenge

Once they have entered preparation courses, the students are dedicating all their time to learning, in particular to language learning. That language proficiency is requested to apply for universities seems to be self-evident to the students. Achieving the required language competencies is of upmost importance, so even urgent issues are postponed. But due to their precarious position as refugees it often turns out that passing the final exam is a question of prerequisites they are unable to fulfill.

After completing the study preparation course, students might have to handle another competitive situation: Universities’ entry conditions depend on the supply and demand of places in certain fields of study (for example medicine and pharmacy, veterinary medicine and dentistry, but also electrical or mechanical engineering and other technical subjects) and applicants will potentially need very good overall grades to get a place in the desired study program. Some interviewees are deeply worried if they can enroll in university at all.

In the perspective of the refugees one necessity seems to be self-evident: fulfilling the admission criteria and achieving the language and subject-specific ability to study. Achieving language proficiency is at the heart of study preparation and access to higher education. It is a widespread illusion that success depends on individual resources and efforts. It is urgent to further explore key conditions for successful study preparation of refugees. Having studied access routes into higher education and how refugees are challenged by achieving language competencies and proving their ‘ability to study’, I would state that this classification process represents an act of symbolic violence.

Stefanie Schröder works as a researcher in the project “Refugees on their way into German Higher Education” for the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW).