Refugees to get free education at Kiron University

A new online university with a unique mission has sprung up in the wake of the refugee crisis this autumn. Launched last month in Germany, Kiron University aims to provide refugees with an opportunity to continue their education after leaving their home countries and thus help with removing barriers to their integration in the host country. By promising to provide free higher education to anyone with a proof of refugee status, Kiron intends to overcome the many obstacles to refugees accessing traditional higher education, including the requirement of legal documents, proof of qualifications and financial resources. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign to cover the fees, the non-profit university enrolled its first 1000 students in October for the pilot semester.

Kiron University offers bachelor degrees in five popular fields: architecture, business, engineering, computer science and intercultural studies. The study programmes build on existing massive open online courses (MOOCs) developed by established universities, with Kiron also developing its own learning materials. Students will complete the first two years of coursework online, allowing them to follow classes from anywhere in the world, and spend the third year attending traditional brick-and-mortar partner universities, earning an accredited degree. Kiron has already secured partnerships with universities in Europe, the Middle East and West Africa. Kiron University