Refugee students at the University for the UNICORE project

This morning, rector Alessandra Petrucci and the delegate for Inclusion and Diversity, Maria Paola Monaco, welcomed one of the two students selected for the UNICORE – University Corridors for Refugees program. The initiative, promoted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), provides refugee students with the opportunity to continue their academic studies in Italy by enroling in an English-taught master’s degree programme.

The two young students —a Rwandan student and an Ethiopian student, selected on the basis of merit and motivation—will receive a scholarship from the University of Florence and benefit from the main welcome services provided by Unifi. They will enrol in an unrestricted English-taught master’s degree programme for the academic years 2025/26 and 2026/27: respectively, Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (School of Agriculture) and Software: Science and Technology (School of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences).

"The University has been firmly committed to the UNICORE program since 2020", said rector Alessandra Petrucci. "In doing so, it not only reaffirms its dedication to inclusion and equal opportunities, but also upholds a fundamental human right, enabling these students to pursue their academic path within an academic community that provides structured and accessible services”.

Now in its seventh edition, UNICORE has this year involved 37 Italian universities, which have offered 67 scholarships for refugee students from Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The project is carried out in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Caritas Italiana, Diaconia Valdese, and Centro Astalli. At the local level, Unifi is supported by Diaconia Valdese–CSD and the Giorgio La Pira International Student Center.