UNHCR Tertiary Education Scholarship Programme (DAFI)

SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT

UNHCR Tertiary Education Scholarship Programme (DAFI)

UNHCR invites application from qualified suitable refugees, asylum seekers and returnees currently resident in Somalia for the 2026 DAFI Scholarship programme.

The programme is administered by UNHCR and implemented in partnership with Save the Children with the goal of supporting Refugees youth to access Higher Education. The scholarship covers tuition, registration and other costs associated with the academic course of the scholar.

Criteria & Information

1. Scholarship Academic Level of Study

Undergraduate Degree. Please note that the programme DOES NOT support master’s or PHD level studies.

1. Qualification:

Every Applicant MUST:

1. Have a recognized Status: of either a Refugee, Asylum seeker or Refugee Returnee. The applicant must have a proof of UNHCR registration documents.

   1. Age of the applicant: Be 28 years (male)/ 32 years (female) of age or below at the time of application.

   2. Academic Documents: Have original and/ or certified academic documents from a recognized academic institution. Applicant with a foreign document should have certified equivalent document from the Ministry of Education, Department of Examination in their respective location.

   3. Be proficient in the language of instruction of the degree programme he/she intends to enroll.

   4. Ability to demonstrate financial need for education to pursue the studies applied for.

   5. Have strong motivation to contribute to the community through leadership, volunteering, community service, etc.

   6. Not currently under resettlement process: Applicants who are in the final stages of a resettlement process or have a confirmed departure date are not eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Minimum Education Requirement:

Academic Requirement for DEGREE course is higher/or secondary certificate (equivalent) of above average grades of 60% or C+ (equivalent) for female applicant and 75% or B+ (equivalent) for male applicant.

Scholarship Duration: Successful candidates will receive scholarship support for a maximum of four (4) years during their studies. Students whose programmes extend beyond four years may continue their studies at their own expense and will be required to sign an agreement acknowledging that scholarship funding is guaranteed for a maximum of four years. As a general principle, students will not be removed from the programme solely because they have reached the four-year funding limit. Where a student is unable to self-fund beyond this period, they may submit a request for continued support, which will be considered subject to available funding and programme resources.

1. How to Apply:

2. Application is fully online; no hand delivery is accepted. Kindly use the link Go to unhcr-dafi-tertiary.scholarshipsplatform.com

3. Applicants will register following the three steps indicated on the registration page.

   1. Register an account.
   2. Start your application (save it in progress)
   3. Submit your application for review.

Iii) After registration, applicant will login into the platform using the credentials they registered with.

iv) Applicant will click on ‘Start Application’ button. Please note that this button will be greyed out and applicants will not be able to access it if item 2 above has not been completed or if the application window has closed.

V) Applicant completes the application form, which has questions grouped under various tabs. Some questions are mandatory, while some are optional. The optional ones will be indicated.

Vi) The questions that require attachments are indicated. There is an extra tab ‘Additional Attachments’ where the applicant can attach any additional documents.

VII) Applicants can save the applications and continue later if the applications deadline has not passed.

1. Application Deadline:

Applicants must fully fill in the application form online. A Copy of high/Secondary school certificate, University Admission letter (Where applicable) and UNHCR Proof of registration to be upload into the portal as an attachment. The application will only be accepted on or before Sunday 14th September 2026 at 4.00 pm.

1. Important Notes:

   1. Candidates possessing academic documents from country of origin/other country are advised to translate and equate them where applicable.

   2. One scholarship per family: One member of a family is accepted to obtain a DAFI scholarship to ensure the benefits allocated are equally given to other target POCs.

   3. Eligible female candidates and Persons with Special Needs are encouraged to apply.

   4. Short-listed candidates will be notified by the respective UNHCR Offices via email. Only short-listed candidates shall be invited for the interviews.