Universities and student groups in Lower Saxony offer active support to help refugees settle in. Through initiatives such as guest student programmes, sponsorship and mentoring programmes, study taster courses, specialised study programmes and lectures, writing workshops, conferences, action weeks and intensive weeks, as well as campus and summer festivals, the universities are paving the way for refugees interested in studying to join the campus community. Student initiatives are also involved in sports activities and support programmes for refugees. Teacher training students help with language support.
However, universities are not just now beginning to make their contribution: one of their core tasks is to use research and teaching to explore how people live and learn together, how participation in education can be achieved, and how society responds to migration. Below you will find an overview of information provided by the universities themselves on various projects.
An overview of university initiatives across Germany on the topic of "Higher education for refugees" is available from the German Rectors' Conference (HRK).
To enable institutions of adult education in Lower Saxony to provide a comprehensive range of language learning programmes (German) for refugees, the State of Lower Saxony has been providing the necessary funding since 2015. These funds are administered by the Agency of Adult and Continuing Education (AEWB).
There are eight universities in Lower Saxony that train teachers (Braunschweig, Göttingen, Hanover, Hildesheim, Lüneburg, Oldenburg, Osnabrück and Vechta). Funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture, projects for teacher training are developed and implemented at these institutions.
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