Scholarship Overview
- UNHCR provides, on a limited basis, scholarships for refugees at the tertiary level in universities and polytechnic institutions through the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund (DAFI). Funding for this programme is provided by the Federal Government of Germany.
- The purpose of the DAFI Programme is to contribute to the self-reliance of refugees by providing them with a professional qualification for future employment. Scholarships are granted only for studies in the country of asylum. Preferably, UNHCR would like to see the graduates return home and contribute to the reconstruction of their home country, or to the development of the country of asylum or the refugee community at large.
Host School
Fields of Study
What does the scholarship cover?
How many scholarships are given?
Which countries are targeted?
In 2006/2007, the following countries are participating in the DAFI programme:
In Africa:
- Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In Asia:
- India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Thailand and Yemen.
In Central- and South America:
- Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, and Uruguay.
In Eastern Europe:
- Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Russian Federation, and Serbia & Montenegro.
Am I Eligible to Apply?
In order to be eligible, a candidate should:
- be a refugee with recognised refugee status;
- have successfully completed secondary schooling to a high standard in campbased
- refugee schools, or in national schools of the country of origin or asylum;
- have no other means of support for university studies;
- select a course of study that is likely to lead to employment in the country of origin;
- not be older than 28 years at the beginning of studies (An exemption could be applied to health and education courses of shorter duration provided to health staff and teachers with previous working experience or employment);
- select a choice of study course with maximum three to four years duration.
How to Apply – Next Steps
- If there is a current DAFI programme in your country of asylum and you meet the above-mentioned criteria, you should complete an application form (Application for Educational Assistance) to be submitted to UNHCR directly. Forms are available at UNHCR offices. All UNHCR offices will receive your application.
Closing Date
How do I get more information?
Masood Khan says
i am afghan refugee living in pakistan.i have complete higher secondary school education here from pakistan.for higher education pakistani institute have a high demand of fees, which i can’t afford. i want to get admission in engineering institutes through DAFI scholarships programme.
waiting for your kind response
A.D says
well i want to know about saleema azimi who got your scholarship in sep 18 2005 scholarship porgrame and at that time she was doing bio technology well if you can help me . THANKSS
abubakar abdalla mohamud says
Dear sir/madam
APPLICATION FOR DAFI SCHOLARSHIP
Iam somali refugee boy aged 23 years live KAKUMA refugee camp in kenya
i complited the fourth grade of secondary in somalia .Now here in KAKUMA I have complited sveral course and did my best to be one of the standard students in the camp .then , i started working with JRS as a comuunity counsellor and i have been working with them for 9 months
finally am requesting to give me an offer to be the tomorrow leaders those whom are waited
Mutandani Veryson says
I am a Zimbabwean national. I am currently looking for a 2-year scholarship to study MSc Agriculture Degree at Botswana College of Agriculture, with effect from January 2012. Right now a proof of sponsorship is required by institution authorities.
Both of my parents are poor peasants farmers, unemployed and the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe, especially Muramba Tsvina and torture bases has been limiting to me in my attempt to procure fees, and upgrade my qualifications.If there is any possibility of funding likely to come by I can easily be contacted on the Email: mutandaniveryson@gmail.com
I hope to be guided accordingly so as to be assisted.
Yours faithfully
Mutandani Veryson.
ghorbani says
Dear respectable the presidency of Albert Einstein Institute,
Following the announcement of Albert Einstein Institute about admission of Afghan refugee students, we, Afghan refugee students residing in Mehmanshahr city in Torbat-e-Jam of Khorasan Razavi province, inform you of our hard educational and economical circumstances, and ask you for your kind consideration for our admission.
Since 1994, under poor circumstances, we have been residing in Iranian camps dedicated for asylum seekers. We have grown up and studied under tents, later on, within containers, with no educational facilities including a suitable library, laboratory and etc. The whole family members are sharing a one-room home for living which is not suitable for a student to study there. On the other hand, despite making our best attempt for scientific or cultural matches held in country or provincial scale, we would lose to participate in only due to not having a health insurance card, something decreasing the motivation of students to thoroughly pursue their education. To enter university we had to study per-university education at night courses with a double payment and two months of delay.
Up to now, our expenditure for living in refugee camps in Mehmanshahr of Torbat-e-Jam city has been estimated as averagely 200$ each month; This is in addition to expenses our fathers must have when working outside the refugee camps due to lack of job opportunity which includes as expenses of coming and going to nearby cities, payment for getting permission to go outside the camp, renting inn when they are out and etc. They have hardly been able to afford such expenses, let alone our new spending for university such as fees to be paid for each semester, providing books and booklets and expensive cost of getting student passports from Tehran and Afghanistan.
And now, considering the above mentioned circumstances, we see our educational future unstable, with no guarantee of a successful future.
We would be really grateful if proper steps be taken.
P.S
Required documents for admission at Albert Einstein Institute are sent by the United Nations High Commission for Refugee in Mashhad.
Students of Mehmanshahr identification are declared as follows:
Name Father’s Name major University Final Written Average Final Average Pre-University Final Average Average
Taken in last term at University Date of Birth
Hassan salehi Soltan.Ali Agriculture engineering
(food Industry) Ferdosi University 17.91 19.17 18.23 15.55 1991
Mohamad
Reza Ahmadi Ali Jom’eh Agriculture engineering
Shahid Bahonar Kerman 15.10 17.49 17.82 14.21 1988
Sakineh
Ghorbani Mohamad Ali Chemistry Payam Noor Fariman 15.60 18.10 17.58 16.55 1991
Maryam
Hosseini Ali Mousa Farsi Language & Literature Payam Noor Fariman 15.19 17.02 17.52 15.49 1992
Kobra Vafie Ghanbar Farsi Language & Literature Ferdosi University 14.81 17.73 19.09 15.85 1986
Halimeh Barbari Mohamad Ebrahim Agriculture engineering
Payam Noor Chenaran 14.55 17.48 16.69 Leave of absence taken in last term 1990
Lida Bagheri Hossein Economics Payam Noor Fariman 13.82 16.17 17.15 11.91 1992
Maryam Hosseini Seyed Abdollah Industrial Management Payam Noor Chenaran 13.67 16.32 13.18 1991