ColibriSupport for students and researchers in exile

Committed institutions

The university community in Grenoble wanted to adapt to fulfill its public service mission for an audience with numerous and specific constraints and needs. All measures to facilitate their access to higher education have received the support of the presidents and directors of the member institutions of the EPE Université Grenoble Alpes.

Our actions aim in particular to simplify access to information and procedures specific to individuals wishing to enroll in higher education in the Grenoble area. They also aim to protect scientists whose lives are in danger in their home countries, enabling them to continue their research within our institutions. Finally, we coordinating a set of support programs specific.

Exemption from registration fees

As early as 2015, institutions in Grenoble voted to exempt students holding the following statuses from registration fees:

• refugee 
• beneficiary of subsidiary protection  
• stateless person 
• asylum seeker
• beneficiary of temporary protection

Upon proof of status, these students are exempt from registration fees.

The Colibri Welcome Desk

In person, by phone, and by email, he assists individuals with the statuses listed above.
He provides wide-ranging support, both to help ease daily challenges arising from these individuals' highly precarious situations and to answer questions regarding training, credential recognition, or entry into the job market.

He also acts as a link for a range of actions and services within and between institutions:

• it coordinates application workshops and professionalization workshops (CV, cover letter, job interview preparation, etc.) in collaboration with the UGA's Guidance and Professional Integration Department;
• it serves as an entry point for diversifying pedagogical activities by building on the Co-Former project (RUSF and UGA) and by directing students to French as a foreign language resources within the metropolitan area;
• it feeds monitoring and tracking data (number of registered participants, courses taken (level, subject, success rate)) to help us evolve our support with increasingly tailored responses.

Other initiatives supported by UGA

• Passerelle University Diploma
• Co-FormER
• PAUSE Program supporting researchers in exile
• Other support programs
• The partner network