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A unique course designed to give refugee-background students the English language skills to study at university is marking its fourth successful cohort of students. 

Established in 2022, the RefugEAP Programme is run by the Â鶹ÊÓƵ in collaboration with the Language Centre at the University of Leeds. This week, they have released their first impact report, demonstrating the difference that the programme is making to those escaping the impact of conflict and disaster.

The programme has supported 127 students since it was established, with 27 so far receiving offers to study at university and another 41 who have moved onto further preparation for university or requalification.

Many international students joining a university degree programme will take part in a pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes course, to develop and demonstrate their English language proficiency in a Higher Education environment. While most of these students already have strong English language skills, these courses prepare students for the academic use of English at university, practising skills such as incorporating academic sources, paraphrasing and developing an argument for an essay.

Pre-sessional programmes are not only an important means through which students whose first language isn’t English might improve and demonstrate their language level to meet university entry requirements, but they also give them a head start on their degree programmes. However, normal pre-sessional courses are usually expensive, highly intensive and inflexible, which often makes them unsuitable for those with backgrounds of forced displacement and trauma. 

The RefugEAP Programme is trauma-informed and specifically designed to cater to the circumstances of those with refugee backgrounds. It is run online to overcome the challenge of many refugees being unable to travel, and lessons take place in the evenings to help work around appointments and caring responsibilities. The programme is free and supported by several refugee charity and partner organisations.

Staff and volunteer tutors adopt a trauma-informed approach to running the programme, such as avoiding personal or direct questions during lessons to prompt students to talk about their own lives, which might be a trigger for them. They are encouraged to discuss topics from a different vantage point and lessons incorporate more choice to give students more agency.

Farshad is an Iranian student who completed the programme in 2023 and was subsequently awarded a scholarship to study on a Master’s programme in the UK. He said: “RefugEAP supported me like a family during a challenging period in my life. They assessed and improved my level of English and guided me towards my goal of continuing my education at university to pursue a Master’s degree. 

“Throughout this journey, I made friends and established valuable connections who continued to support me even during my course, offering advice in many areas, including my academic writing. Overall, I might not have been able to achieve any of this without their help.”

Aleks Palanac, Head of Sanctuary at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ, said: “RefugEAP is not just about giving students academic skills - it's also about seeing students as human beings, seeing them as whole people, and focusing on their wellbeing. Many students have said that it's given them a sense of purpose and hope, a feeling that they're moving towards something, that they're progressing. But students have commented that it's actually really benefited their mental health as well, in terms of helping them feel a sense of connectedness and belonging to a group of people, and maybe to a wider academic community. Also helping to build their confidence and feel seen and heard by other people, and helping to reduce their isolation. 

“Some universities across the UK are now starting to open up free places on their pre-sessionals for refugees, and we were one of the first universities to do that. But the problem is that there's still much more demand than there is supply when it comes to that. This is why a programme like RefugEAP is so needed – to fill that gap.”

Deirdre McKenna, Associate Professor in EAP at the Language Centre, University of Leeds, said: "Putting together this impact report has given us a moment to reflect on what we have achieved so far on the RefugEAP programme - I am very proud of the working partnership Aleks and I have, and the impact we have made in setting up and running this unique course. 

“It's really important to highlight what a team effort it all is. None of this would have been possible without the support from our respective universities in providing resources, the amazing volunteers who give their time and expertise, and the partner organisations who work alongside us. Breaking Barriers in particular have been invaluable to the programme in the wraparound support they give our students. It's quite a complex course to run, and there have been challenges along the way, so it's been very rewarding to see the positive impact we've had."

RefugEAP also contributes to the 15 by 30 pledge by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which aims to get 15% of refugees into higher education by 2030 and which the Â鶹ÊÓƵ is signed up to. The Â鶹ÊÓƵ is part of the University of Sanctuary community and is committed to working to make Higher Education institutions places of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary.

A  has now been launched to support the continued running of the programme, and contributions from both individuals and organisations are welcome.