A country of just 8.4 million people, Austria recently found its refugee camps, hostels and emergency shelters full to overflowing. To many the situation appeared impossible, but Austria’s academics demurred. Indeed, a most creative nationwide university-led initiative saw the light of day: the MORE project.
Interestingly, the participating universities area looking at the person’s needs holistically. MORE aims at providing a space for reflection to refugees where one can find out whether university studies are an option for the future. All universities offer non-bureaucratic ways to qualify students for individual courses. The lucky ones who partake in the programme, will be admitted as extra-curricular students, get a tuition fee waiver, are covered by the students’ insurance and get access to the university library. More...

An online university is offering 500 refugees from Syria's civil war free places on its degree courses, writes Sean Coughlan for BBC News. More...

By Michael Gardner. German universities should do more advertising on social media to get refugee students to enrol, says the Wissenschaftsrat – German Council of Science and Humanities, the country’s chief science policy advisory body. More...