A new application phase starts in the NRWege ins Studium programme

Refugee students have until 08.12.2024 to apply for a free place on the preparatory German course for the first quarter of 2025. If not all places have been allocated to refugee students, international students can also apply for places on the course. The decision on the allocation of places will be made by 20 December 2024 at the latest. 

In addition, refugee degree students can now apply for full or merit scholarships for 2025. 

There will be an additional counselling session via Zoom on 16.12.2024 at 3 p.m. to apply for a full or merit scholarship. The application deadline is 31.12.2024. Applicants will be notified of a decision by email no later than four weeks after the application deadline.

Further information on the application process can be found here.

Workshops for students in the "NRWege ins Studium" programme

During winter semester 2024/25, the "NRWege ins Studium" programme at Paderborn University offers several workshops focused on different subjects relevant to university studies. These workshops will be held in the I-building, in room I4.413.
The workshops are intended for participants of the NRWege programme. It is mandatory to register in advance via email at io-refugees@zv.upb.de, including your first name, last name, and student identification number. Only one workshop participation is permitted per semester. All workshops will be held in German.

The respective days will feature the discussion of the following topics:

A new application phase for the NRWege into Studium program has begun

Full or partial scholarships for the winter semester 2024/25 can now be applied for. The allocation of NRWege scholarships is based on the guidelines and funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW). Applicants will be notified of a decision via email no later than four weeks after the application deadline.

Additional details regarding the application process can be found here. The deadline for submitting applications is August 31, 2024.

Interview week to assess foreign qualifications of refugees or asylum seekers with missing or incomplete documents

An interview week to assess the foreign qualifications of refugees or asylum seekers with missing or incomplete documents will take place from 23.09.2024 - 27.09.2024. The interviews will be conducted online or on site at the premises of the Central Office for Foreign Education (Graurheindorfer Straße 157, 53117 Bonn). The event is organised as part of the EQPR project.

What is an EQPR?
The European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) enables the assessment of qualifications of refugees and asylum seekers, even if they do not have complete documentation. Although the EQPR does not replace the recognition procedures in Germany, it can make a positive contribution to taking up a course of study or finding a job. It also prevents assessments of the same qualifications having to be repeated in other European countries if an EQPR holder moves.

Requirements for participation in the EQPR interview?
You may only register/apply for an assessment if you fulfil these three requirements:
1. your foreign educational certificates are missing or incomplete. Applications with complete documents (certificate of completion and overview of subjects and grades) will not be accepted.
2. you have a residence status in accordance with the law on the residence, employment and integration of foreigners in Germany (German Residence Act). The different residence titles are listed in Annex 1.
3. you have not previously received a notice of recognition for your foreign educational certificates from a German authority/university.

Next steps
If you fulfil these requirements, then:
1. please register and create an EQPR account using the ‘Create new account’ option at this link: https://coe.diplo-me.eu/.
2. once the account is activated, please submit the application via the EQPR platform. You can find the instructions in several languages (including English, French, Arabic, Dari, Ukrainian) on our website: https://www.coe.int/en/web/education/recognition-of-refugees-qualifications.
3. once the application is submitted, please send an email to the following email address (refugees.qualifications@coe.int) stating that you would like to participate in the evaluation session from 23 to 27 September 2024

The questionnaire is available on the EQPR platform in several languages and must be completed in detail. Please upload all required documents, if available, as electronic copies. This includes your residence permit, identity card/passport, declaration of consent and a photo. If you have evidence to support your educational and qualification biography (e.g. transcripts, diplomas, certificates, CV, etc.), please upload these in the ‘Optional Documents’ section of the EQPR platform.
Once your application has been successfully completed and you meet the requirements, you will be invited to an interview by the EQPR team (online or on site on 23-27 September at the ZAB in Bonn).

Questions
If you have any further questions, please contact the EQPR project team at: refugees.qualifications@coe.int

Easy start to your studies

Informational event for refugees

On August 15, 2024 at 6 pm in room I4.413 we offer an event for refugees interested in studying. We will provide information about the application and admission process at Paderborn University. We will discuss which documents are required and what options are available if documents are not available. We will also provide information about funding opportunities and will be available to answer questions.

The event will be held in German. Translations into English or Ukrainian are possible.

Here you can download the flyer in German, Ukrainian, English.

DAAD scholarship program “Bridge Scholarships for Palestinians in Germany”

We are delighted to introduce a new scholarship initiative designed to assist eligible Palestinians, with a special focus on individuals from the Gaza Strip, in launching or advancing their professional endeavors in Germany. This initiative targets Palestinian graduates with bachelor's and master's degrees, doctoral candidates, post-doctoral researchers, and university lecturers from various fields who have recently completed their studies, an internship, a doctoral program, or a research project in Germany within the past six months, and require assistance in securing employment.

• Duration of the programme: min. 3 months and max. 6 months
• Start: in October 2024 at the earliest
• Completion: by March 2025 at the latest

Applications can be submitted until July 31, 2024, and the online application is now available here.

New application phase for a scholarship as part of the NRWege ins Studium programme

The current application phase for a full or partial scholarship as part of the NRWege ins Studium programme for the summer semester 2024 is open and runs until 05.05.2024

NRWege scholarships are awarded in accordance with the guidelines and with funds from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW). Applicants will be notified of a decision by email no later than four weeks after the application deadline.

Further information can be found here.

Dear students,

As part of the NRWege-ins-Studium programme, we are pleased to invite you to three interesting events:

• SC Paderborn 07 against SV Elversberg on 27 April at 1 pm.
• Visit to the Heinz Nixdorf Museum on 5 May at 3 pm.
• Cineplex cinema: "Night on Earth" on 28 May at 8:30 pm.

Important! We ask you to register at least 5 days in advance at the following e-mail address: io-refugees@zv.uni-paderborn.de

Please remember to bring your student ID and an identification document to the events.

All students are welcome to join us as we celebrate cultural diversity and promote intercultural relationships.

We hope to see many of you at these events.

The current application phase for a scholarship for 2024 runs until 5 January 2024 - type of scholarship possible from January 2024 (depending on individual requirements).

NRWege scholarships are awarded in accordance with the guidelines and with funds from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW). Applicants will be notified of a decision by email no later than four weeks after the application deadline.

Further information can be found here.

Dear students,

As part of the DAAD Welcome Programme, we are pleased to invite you to three interesting events:

-Visit to the Heinz Nixdorf Museum on November 16 at 3 pm.

-Exploration of the Paderborn City Museum on November 29 at 4 pm.

-Visit to the Paderborn Christmas Market on December 11 at 5 pm.

Important! We ask you to register at least 5 days in advance at the following e-mail address: Daniela.Gumaniuc@zv.uni-paderborn.de.
We kindly ask you to bring your student ID and an identification document to the events.

All students are welcome as we would like to celebrate cultural diversity and foster intercultural relations together.

We hope to see many of you at these events. It will certainly be a fantastic opportunity to discover the culture and history of Paderborn and enjoy the festive Christmas spirit.

An interview week to assess the foreign qualifications of refugees or asylum seekers with missing or incomplete documents will take place from 18.09.2023 - 22.09.2023. The interviews will be conducted online or on site at the premises of the Central Office for Foreign Education (Graurheindorfer Straße 157, 53117 Bonn). The event is organised as part of the EQPR project.

What is an EQPR?
The European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) enables the assessment of qualifications of refugees and asylum seekers, even if they do not have complete documentation. Although the EQPR does not replace the recognition procedures in Germany, it can make a positive contribution to taking up a course of study or finding a job. It also prevents assessments of the same qualifications having to be repeated in other European countries if an EQPR holder moves.

Requirements for participation in the EQPR interview?
You may only register/apply for an assessment if you fulfil these three requirements:
1. your foreign educational certificates are missing or incomplete. Applications with complete documents (certificate of completion and overview of subjects and grades) will not be accepted.
2. you have a residence status in accordance with the law on the residence, employment and integration of foreigners in Germany (German Residence Act). The different residence titles are listed in Annex 1.
3. you have not previously received a notice of recognition for your foreign educational certificates from a German authority/university.

Next steps
If you fulfil these requirements, then:
1. please register and create an EQPR account using the ‘Create new account’ option at this link: https://coe.diplo-me.eu/.
2. once the account is activated, please submit the application via the EQPR platform. You can find the instructions in several languages (including English, French, Arabic, Dari, Ukrainian) on our website: https://www.coe.int/en/web/education/recognition-of-refugees-qualifications.
3. once the application is submitted, please send an email to the following email address (refugees.qualifications@coe.int) stating that you would like to participate in the evaluation session from 18 to 23 September 2023

The questionnaire is available on the EQPR platform in several languages and must be completed in detail. Please upload all required documents, if available, as electronic copies. This includes your residence permit, identity card/passport, declaration of consent and a photo. If you have evidence to support your educational and qualification biography (e.g. transcripts, diplomas, certificates, CV, etc.), please upload these in the ‘Optional Documents’ section of the EQPR platform.
Once your application has been successfully completed and you meet the requirements, you will be invited to an interview by the EQPR team (online or on site on 18-22 September at the ZAB in Bonn).

Questions
If you have any further questions, please contact the EQPR project team at: refugees.qualifications@coe.int

Excursion to the Paderkletterpark on 22 August 2021
The second team event on 22 August was a trip up to the fish ponds in Paderborn. At the Paderkletterpark, our participants were able to climb through various courses in guided teams of two and get their adrenaline pumping.

The Welcome Buddy Programme was relaunched on 1 July 2021 and, far removed from the online formats of recent months, was able to inspire students with the first joint outdoor excursion to the Externsteine.

The Buddy Programme is made up of domestic students and international students with and without a refugee background. Together, the new group went on an excursion to the historic Externsteine in the Teutoburg Forest with a climb to the summit and a walk through the forest afterwards. Following in the footsteps of the Germanic tribes, the participants had the opportunity to discuss various cultural aspects of their own backgrounds and improve their German language skills.

We are delighted that the Welcome Programme is continuing despite the pandemic and look forward to more joint activities!

On January 23, 2020, another group of students of our preparatory German language course, refugees and non-refugees, visited the Heinz-Nixdorf-Museum. The trip was organized by the student assistens of the DAAD projekt Welcome - Studierende engagieren sich für Flüchtlinge. As always, there was a lot to discover about the history, presence and future of information technology.

We are happy to announce that the funding of refugees by NRWege continues in 2020! Our application for the programm "NRWege 2020" was approved by DAAD. From 1.4.2020 until 31.12.2022, refugees can attend our well-proven German language courses be free of charge. And it gets even better: We will be able to offer as well additional courses for degree students and scholarships for refugee degree students. More information will follow shortly.

From Januar to March 2020, refugees in our DSH courses will be funded by the DAAD-programm Integra.

We also applied to continue the projects "Welcome -Studierende engagieren sich für Flüchtlinge", "Integra Studium und Beruf" (workshops for job market integration) and "Integra Studienkolleg" (foundation college). As soon as we know the results, we will inform you here.

Since 2017, the attendance of refugees in our preparatory DSH courses has been funded by the DAAD programm NRWege. In this period, as much as 237 refugees have been funded for at least three months, mainly longer, to attend our preparatory DSH courses. With 125 successful graduates, more than half of them have aquired the German language proficiency certificate (DSH) and reached the course goal. They have fulfilled the language requirements to pursue universtity studies in German language. Congratulations! We are pleased that the project NRWege, which ends on 31.12.2019, has been that successful!

Ausgabe 2/19

The edition looks back on the project and sums up its decisive added value both for refugees and universities (in German language only).

On November 4, new participants of the Refugee Buddy Program met for a guided tour through the Benteler Arena of SC Paderborn, to get a glimpse behind the scenes of the Bundesliga club. You want to be a buddy, too? Just send us an e-mail!

This edition presents the results of an online survey with 6.340 refugees, regarding application and admission to university studies (in German language only).

Edition 1/19

On June 18, the first new buddies for the coming winter semester hat an initial meeting to get to know each other and to plan future activities. You want to be a buddy, too? Just send us an e-mail!

In this very personal article, DAAD reports about the lives of three young refugee students in Germany (in German language only).

An overview over the current funding programs for refugees, who wish to pursue university studies.

Within the DAAD funding programs for refugees, International Office invited to the iDA-Inhouse-Seminar „Interkulturelle Kompetenz arabische Länder“ (intercultural competence Arabic countries) on June 26, 2019.

The seminar aimed at a good interaction of university staff with students and partners of the "Arabic World“. It focussed on the field of higher education. At Paderborn university, the seminar met with considerable interest by administrative and faculty staff and was completely booked out.

On May 8, 2019, another group of students of our preparatory German language course, refugees and non-refugees, visited the Heinz-Nixdorf-Museum. The trip was organized by the student assistens of the DAAD projekt Welcome - Studierende engagieren sich für Flüchtlinge. As always, there was a lot to discover about the history, presence and future of information technology.

For the time being, the study consists of two parts and publishes the current findings on refugees who wish to study in Germany. The results are available in German language only.

• Teil 1: Studienvorbereitung und Studienzugang (study preparation and university access)
• Teil 2: Studienvorbereitung und Übergang ins Studium (study preparation and transit into university studies)

In order to continue the assistance of refugees after the preparatory German language course as well, Paderborn University launches a further DAAD project as of April 2019:

The project "Integra Studium und Beruf" (Integra Study and Work) not only provides German languages courses aiming at the DSH, but also soft skills for the succeeding degree  studies and eventually the integration into the job market. For this scope, "Integra Studium und Beruf" offers a series of workshops which are open for refugees and other international students. The project is funded by BMBF and is being carried out in cooperation with other institutions within the university, but also with external partners.

More information is available on the project website.