UNICORE 8.0 University Corridors for Refugees New Call

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The University of Palermo is participating in the eighth edition of the UNICORE 8.0 – University Corridors for Refugees, together with 40 other Italian universities. The objective is to give 80 refugees residing in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe the opportunity to continue their academic path in Italy.

For the 2026–2028 period, UniPa is offering three scholarships, each worth €7,200 per year.

Students, who will be selected based on academic merit and motivation, will be able to choose from thirteen different Master's degree programs taught in English.

In particular:

This is the sixth consecutive year that the University of Palermo has supported the program coordinated by UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, for the activation of university corridors dedicated to students with refugee status. During the 2021/2022 academic year, two students from Ethiopia, of Eritrean nationality, won the call for applications and enrolled respectively in the Master's degree programs in “Management Engineering” and “Mediterranean Food Science and Technology.”

The first student graduated in July 2023, the second student graduated shortly afterwards, the third student completed his studies in March 2025, and finally the fourth student graduated in July 2025. Two students were also selected in the call published the following year, 2022/2023.

One beneficiary was a student from Nigeria, of Cameroonian nationality, enrolled in the Master's degree in “Complex Administrations and Organization Science,” curriculum “Public Management,” who is now about to graduate.

The other was a student from Malawi, of Congolese nationality, enrolled in the Master's degree in “Business and Economic Sciences,” curriculum “Entrepreneurship and Management.” In the 2023/24 academic year, a refugee student in Uganda, of Somali nationality, had the opportunity to enroll in the first year of “Economic and Financial Sciences,” curriculum “Economic and Financial Analysis,” while a Sudanese student, also a refugee in Uganda, began attending classes in “Business and Economic Sciences,” curriculum “Entrepreneurship and Management.”

Both students are currently enrolled. In the 2024/25 academic year, a female student and a male student from South Sudan, both coming from refugee camps in Uganda, enrolled in the Master's degree in “Cooperation, Development and Migration.”

In addition to scholarships, the project provides – through a wide network of local partners – the necessary support to successfully complete the two-year Master’s degree program and to facilitate integration into university life. Alongside the University of Palermo, five local partners are involved:

Caritas Diocesana di Palermo, Centro Diaconale – Istituto Valdese, Centro Astalli Palermo, Confindustria Palermo, and ERSU.

According to UNHCR estimates, people forced to flee wars and persecution remain in exile for an average of about 20 years. 76% of refugees worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where opportunities to rebuild their future with dignity are often lacking. Regarding access to education, global figures remain dramatic: only 6% of refugees have access to tertiary education compared to 40% of the non-refugee population.

The UNICORE project was created to respond to these challenges, offering refugees the opportunity to safely and dignifiedly arrive in Italy to continue their studies and rebuild their future, aiming for careers aligned with their abilities and aspirations. It also aims to reach a 15% enrollment rate in tertiary education among refugees by 2030.

The call for applications will close on May 20, 2026, and applications can be submitted by accessing the UNICORE 8.0 webpage.