ROME – As part of a project organized by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), 24 Italian universities on Wednesday opened the application call for refugees living in Ethiopia to complete a master’s degree in Italy. A total of 43 places are on offer at all the universities, with over 250 course options in total.

  This is the third year of the University Corridors for Refugees (UNICORE), having first begun, with fewer available places and different eligible countries, in 2019. The project is a manifestation of UNHCR’s commintment to widen the channels of entry for refugees into Europe and increase the proportion of young refugees (living in the place of first asylum or a third country) in further education to 15 per cent.

  Also collaborating on the project are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Caritas Italiana, Diaconia Valdese, Centro Astalli and the Gandhi charity. Applicants must have recognised refugee status, be proficient in English, have completed an undergraduate degree in the last five years and the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA according to the Ethipiano tertiary education system.

  Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR representative for Italy, has said that “there are determined young people that aspire to build a future with dignity and want to make their contribution to society, and thanks to projects such as UNICORE, with this commitment of these Italian universities and their partners, these aspirations can become reality. To allow refugees to arrive safely and to show their true talent is even more important today in light of the worrying situation in Ethiopia, where the safety and well being of refugees and millions of citizens is in danger.”

  Applications will close April 1.