The reception process of refugee students at the University of Bologna

Abstract

This study examines the structure of the reception process implemented at the University of Bologna for students with a history of forced migration. The study aims to critically analyse the initiatives in place at the University of Bologna with the aim of creating a common knowledge base useful for future development and comparisons with other universities. The research used the Grounded Theory methodology and (6) interviews with key informants and (1) field observation were conducted. The data analysis shows that the University of Bologna implements different administrative procedures to ease bureaucracy and ensure that as many students as possible can enrol in full degrees or single learning activities. However, the differentiation of administrative procedures, “Funnelled procedural facilitations”, leads to an overload of the staff involved and, consequently, to the impossibility of creating additional initiatives to those that already exist for the entire student body. In conclusion, we argue that the initiatives at the University of Bologna to promote the inclusion of students with a history of forced migration represent an admission rather than a reception process, as structured support is only provided during the application phase