Seeking Sanctuary in Higher Education: Welcome

The Welcome pillar of the project highlights that welcome must go beyond symbolic gestures; it requires creating an environment where forced migrant students are treated as valued members of the university community. Many sanctuary seekers experience isolation, cultural misunderstandings, and exclusion even after gaining access to higher education. Without a real sense of belonging, enrollment alone can feel hollow.

Practical ways universities can improve welcome include embedding sanctuary values across all departments, setting up peer mentoring schemes, offering tailored induction programs, and training staff and students on issues faced by displaced people. Celebrating sanctuary students’ contributions and ensuring culturally inclusive student activities are also crucial.

True welcome is a collective responsibility, not the task of a single team or department. Building a culture of belonging requires intentional, university-wide action to ensure that sanctuary students are supported, visible, and empowered within academic life.