Exploring the experiences of forcibly displaced people in higher education: a case study on Brazil

Only 3% of refugees worldwide have access to higher education, whilst the global access rate for the wider population is 37%. In 2019, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released its latest education strategy, with a target known as "15by30", which aims
to achieve at least 15% enrolment of refugees in tertiary education by 2030. In parallel, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set the goal to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all" (United Nations, 2015). Within this context, Brazil, the largest and most populated country in Latin America, has seen a drastic rise in the number of asylum requests in the last decade. From 2018 to 2019, the number of people recognised as refugees by the National Committee for Refugees grew by more than 2,000% (MJSP & OBMigra, 2021). This increase was triggered by one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history, which prompted over three million citizens of Venezuela to flee their country. Of these, almost 158,000 sought refuge in Brazil (UNHCR, 2021). In terms of higher education, Brazil has one of the lowest tertiary attainment rates among OECD countries and, therefore, accessing universities represents a challenge to its own nationals (OECD, 2021). Despite the economic, political and educational obstacles, some Brazilian universities have engaged in initiatives to facilitate the access of displaced persons to higher education. A key example of this is the UNHCR Sergio Vieira de Mello Chair, which brought together 29 Brazilian universities so far, and contributed to enhancing the access of displaced persons to higher education through tailored admissions processes and entry quotas (Jubilut, 2020). Given the impact of the latest migratory events in Brazil and that many displaced persons come from educated or professional backgrounds, this research will explore the experiences of displaced students when accessing and navigating higher education in this
country. Empirical research on this topic is scarce, but much needed in comprehending the role of universities in the context of displacement, and how they can better support refugee students. This study will contribute to a greater understanding of the individual and contextual circumstances that determine the ability of refugees to access higher education in Brazil, and what sorts of additional support are needed to enhance their academic experience. Such comprehension is crucial to develop new enhanced strategies to achieve both SDG4 and UNHCR 15 by 30 target. Additionally, analysing the Brazilian case is key to understanding displacement dynamics in Latin America and tackling the challenge that it represents in this region. This research will generate important and necessary empirical data that will potentially help universities, governments and international organisations to develop streamlined evidence-based policies which will allow a greater number of refugees to access universities in Brazil, and in the whole of Latin America, and to improve their academic experiences through the provision of enhanced support.