UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

About UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is the United Nations organisation that protects refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. It works in more than 100 countries, including South Africa, where it supports refugees and asylum seekers and works with the government and partner organisations.

UNHCR sees education as a priority. Its strategy, Education 2030, makes education an integral part of its protection and solutions work. One of its goals is to have 15 per cent of young refugee women and men enrolled in higher education by 2030, a target known as the 15by30 Roadmap.

In South Africa, UNHCR's help site gives refugees information on their rights and on services, including education, scholarships and job opportunities outside the country.

How UNHCR supports students

UNHCR's main higher education programme is the DAFI tertiary scholarship programme. Since it was founded in 1992, DAFI has supported more than 27,200 refugee students in 59 countries. It funds undergraduate study in the country of asylum, and South Africa is one of the countries where it is offered. You can read the full terms on our DAFI Scholarship page.

DAFI is about more than money. Scholars take part in a network of students and alumni, and many go on to work in their communities. In 2024, women made up 45 per cent of DAFI scholars, the highest share in the programme's history. UNHCR also notes that the number of scholars fell for the first time since 2020, because of a drop in global funding for refugees.

DAFI has clear limits. Applicants must be 28 or younger when their studies begin, courses may last no more than four years, and postgraduate study is not covered. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed, usually in person, by a committee that often includes UNHCR staff and university or government representatives.

UNHCR South Africa also shares other scholarship opportunities for refugees, such as programmes run by universities in other countries in partnership with UNHCR.

What to know before applying

DAFI is only for refugees. You must have recognised refugee status, or be registered with UNHCR or the government in your country of asylum. You must also have no other way to pay for university, and you must not have another family member on a DAFI scholarship.

Applications go to the UNHCR country office, not to UNHCR's head offices in Geneva or Copenhagen. Ask the UNHCR office in South Africa for the current country-specific application form, and check UNHCR South Africa's help site for other scholarship opportunities for refugees.