Guest student program
Refugees interested in taking up a course of study are eligible to register at the University of Freiburg as guest students. This gives them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Baden-Württemberg’s university system. Guest students have a wide variety of courses to choose from and also receive free access to the university’s independent language learning area, where they can use learning materials and computer programs to practice German and other foreign languages. The University of Freiburg is waiving the 50-euro guest student registration fee for refugees in winter semester 2016/2017.
Scholars at Risk
The University of Freiburg has joined the “Scholars at Risk” network. The organization aims each year to make possible guest fellowships abroad for researchers who are threatened with war and political persecution in their homelands. More than 400 universities from around 40 countries belong to the network. The first visiting fellow from the program has already arrived. The Arnold Bergstraesser Institute for Socio-Cultural Research (ABI) has successfully applied for a fellowship stipend for a researcher from Burundi.
The Philipp Schwartz Initiative was established by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation together with the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It enables universities, colleges and other research institutions in Germany to provide guest fellowships for scholars from abroad who are at risk. This initiative is financed by the Foreign Ministry, the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the Klaus Tschira Foundation, the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Stiftung Mercator.
Services of the Studierendenwerk Freiburg (SWFR)
The SWFR is responsible for providing social counseling to students in the Freiburg region. The SWFR counseling services are also open to prospective refugee students who have questions on social, health, or financial issues. Furthermore the website offers detailed information about studying for refugees.
International Club
The SWFR International Club Freiburg provides many opportunities to meet other students from different cultures. It is a forum for students and prospective students from Germany and abroad who wish to meet new people and learn about other cultures. The many events and services organized by the club include the following:
- a buddy program for students who are new to Freiburg,
- a search service for language tandems,
- the “Walking Dialogs” offer an interactive way to learn German
- small-scale intercultural encounters and events at the Hofcafé in Herderbau
In the students group “Yalla Orient” students of German and Arabic origin work together on integration concepts and organise events, like the Arabic Cultural Days. Moreover, the picture-dictionary Pic Me for students is available in Arabic.
Using the cafeterias
Refugees with guest student status receive reduced guest prices at all cafeterias run by the SWFR. Those who fulfill certain conditions can even apply with the social counseling service to receive free meals.
SWFR on the internet and on Social Media
Visit the SWFR homepage for information on all social services for students, including financial aid, living, child care, and counseling services.
First contact point at the University of Freiburg is the International Admissions and Services (IAS) department of the Service Center Studium (SCS). It supports and advises all international students on questions before, during and after their studies. It also checks the university entrance qualification of refugees who are interested in studying.
In Baden-Württemberg, taking up or continuing studies is not linked to a specific residence title. This means that those who have been granted permission and those who have been granted toleration can also study, as long as the requirements under higher education law are met. The university is currently developing a toolbox for a simplified admission procedure for those refugees who cannot prove their university entrance qualification with documents.