(Re)imagining the Higher Education Border (REHEB)
The (Re)imagining the Higher Education Border’ (REHEB) research project was initiated by Dr Rebecca Murray and delivered in collaboration with 10 REHEB project researchers, as well as two of the UK’s leading NGOs focusing on forced displacement and education: Refugee Education UK (REUK) and Student Action for Refugees (STAR).
This study sought to ‘(re)imagine’ the scale and impact of the higher education border (HEB). The HEB is a concept that is central to understanding the extension of immigration controls designed to impose restrictions on forced migrants, into the university sector. Manifest within higher education are borders that seek and succeed in preventing and deterring access, impact upon participation, success and progression of these students.
Opportunities in higher education (HE) hold transformative life changing potential, rendering bordering practices excluding forced migrants with precarious immigration status, as particularly punitive. Within this oppressive context a counter narrative of oppression has developed that is rooted in and led by grassroots resistance. Transformative change achieved over two decades has centred on: (i) UK-universities creating discretionary ‘sanctuary scholarships’ designed to overcome the primarily financial barriers and; (ii) strategic litigation that has resulted in partial changes to legislation facilitating access to student funding. Yet, these changes are piecemeal, insecure and unsustainable.
This research adopted an innovative methodology integrating secondary data analysis and practices of co-production, to explore what in the absence of existing data, sources of information held by leading NGOs could reveal in terms of the challenges encountered or demand from this group of students in relation to HE. The research process resulted in the collation of a database comprised of 3,730 fully anonymised advice and guidance queries from individuals who sought advice from REUK or STAR. Ten project researchers led the development of the database, interpretation and prioritisation of research findings. Each of whom has lived experience of forced migration, studying as a sanctuary scholar and advocating for the universal right to study at university.
REHEB project researchers identified two key objectives through this project:
- ‘To increase awareness and understanding of both the trauma and strategies to mitigate it, experienced by people seeking sanctuary, in the process of accessing and participating in higher education’.
- ‘To utilise learning from existing data sources to shape future data collection and evaluation processes’.
The following outputs are in preparation or projects in progress:
- ‘Lines Equal Lives’ – exploring the data produced by ‘(Re) imagining the Higher Education Border’ (report in preparation).
- ‘Seeking Sanctuary in Higher Education’ - series of comics and accompanying animations (see below).
- ‘Access – Welcome – Protection’; creating a template for sanctuary in higher education – knowledge exchange project between young migrants in South Yorkshire, UK and Ontario, Canada (project in progress).
A British Academy small grant and the Department of Sociological Studies (University of ºù«Ӱҵ) Strategic Research Fund funded this project.
‘Seeking Sanctuary in Higher Education’
‘Seeking Sanctuary in Higher Education’ is a project funded by the University of ºù«Ӱҵ’s ONE University initiative. This project was designed to meet Objective (2), which was identified during the ‘(Re) imagining the Higher Education Border’: ‘To increase awareness and understanding of both the trauma and strategies to mitigate it, experienced by people seeking sanctuary, in the process of accessing and participating in higher education’.
The project produced a series of comic strips and animations that sought to communicate:
- Why opportunities to study and work in higher education are so challenging to access, yet play a vital role in the lives of people seeking sanctuary, and;
- How staff and students can take individual and collective action to ensure that universities are safe and welcoming place for people seeking sanctuary.
Access, Welcome, and Protection are three pillars that encapsulate sanctuary students’ experiences across their journey through university. First, they need access—not only to the university itself but also to vital information and resources that can guide them through the application process and beyond. Second, they need to feel genuinely welcomed, with a strong sense of belonging, as though they are valued members of the university community. Lastly, the pillar of protection speaks to the importance of students feeling safe, supported, and part of a collective, where a sense of togetherness fosters both security and solidarity. Together, these pillars form the foundation of what sanctuary students need to thrive in higher education.
By distilling the research into three clear and powerful pillars Access – Welcome – Protection, our intention is that, the information is both digestible and compelling. Our goal was to translate the university experience of sanctuary students into everyday activities that any person could relate to, while also highlighting the unique struggles and barriers that prevent access to these same opportunities—opportunities that others often take for granted.
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Dr Rebecca Murray (PI) & Dr Patricia Nabuco Martuscelli (CI)
Enioluwada Oluwajoba & Angel Nakhle (Research Associates)
Abdullah, Abdulrahman, Arooba, Aysha, Daniel, Maryam, Sam & Tamana (REHEB Researchers)
Susana Vinolo (Illustrator)
Dominic Foster (Creative Editor)
'Access - Welcome - Protection': developing a shared vision of sanctuary in higher education.
This knowledge exchange project is working across South Yorkshire (UK) and Ontario (Canada) to collaborate on the production of a resource designed to support universities to ensure that people with precarious immigration status can:
- Access their institutions on accredited programmes of study;
- Welcome and orientate them to ensure full participation in university life and;
- Protect and minimise any potential harm during the course of their studies.
The project seeks to address the barriers and issues experienced in higher education by creating a "Sanctuary Template" – a comprehensive framework that universities can adopt to foster an environment of support, safety, and inclusivity for all students, regardless of their background or immigration status. Building on insights from the previous project,, this initiative is grounded in three core principles: Access, Welcome, and Protection.
This collaborative initiative involves young people from South Yorkshire (UK) and Ontario (Canada), alongside academics, advocates, and organisations. Together, we aim to co-create the Sanctuary Template and guide its implementation across universities in both countries. The project emphasises decolonial approaches to both sharing existing and producing new knowledge. We aim to ensure that the voices of those directly impacted are at the heart of the process.
KE Project Partners
- University of ºù«Ӱҵ represented by Dr Rebecca Murray the PI (Primary Investigator), supported by: Maryam Taher, Impact Associate (on secondment from Universities of Sanctuary); Dr Sara Vannini, School of Information Studies & Journalism; Dr Peter Mylon, Faculty of Engineering.
- – Building a movement of welcome across the UK. From community groups to councils, schools to libraries, vibrant networks that provides welcome, support, and opportunity to people seeking sanctuary – Chief Officer, Sian Summers-Rees.
- Sanctuary Students Solidarity & Support Collective () – Fighting for accessible and equitable education since 2018. A group of current and past Sanctuary Students who have a common goal: Education for all regardless of immigration status.
- York University & Toronto Metropolitan University, – Dr Tanya Aberman.
IASFM Research Cluster
The IASFM research cluster: 'Education, Displacement & (Im)mobility’ was established (2024) in response to the IASFM (International Association for the Study of Forced Migration) invitation to establish an international special interest group to operate under their organisational umbrella to address a key migration challenge. This research cluster brings together people with diverse backgrounds and expertise (academics, practitioners, NGOs, students with experience of displacement, doctoral candidates) to explore connections between education, displacement, and how responses from nation states and local education providers, can both mobilise and immobilise access for students experiencing displacement.
We are keen to grow our membership. If you are interested in learning more or joining us, please complete this or visit the website: for further information.
