UNICORE Project
The Università Mediterranea has begun the process of joining the University Corridors for Refugees project promoted by UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.
The project allows for the implementation of the procedures required for welcoming refugee students from the African continent.
The University Corridors for Refugees – UNICORE 8.0 call for applications is now open for 3 scholarships , 2 of which are reserved for women , and reception services for refugee students applying for master's degree courses at the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria for the Academic Years 2026/2027-2027/2028.
The goal of the UNICORE 8.0 project is to promote refugees' right to higher education through study corridors from Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to Italy.
Applications are open online from March 10 to April 17, 2026, on the official website universitycorridors.unhcr.it. Benefits include €7,000 per year, free accommodation and meals, tuition exemption, computer access, and integration support. Selection involves an assessment of qualifications and an online interview. Available courses include Architecture, Engineering, Economics, and Agriculture.
The University Corridors for Refugees - UNICORE 7.0 Call for Applications is now open for 3 scholarships and reception services for refugee students for the master's degree courses at the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria for the Academic Years 2025/2026-2026/2027.
The overall objective of the University Corridors for Refugees – UNICORE 7.0 is to promote the right to higher education for refugees through study corridors from Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe to Italy.
March 13 - Unicore 2025 Call for Proposals (news)
Regarding student contributions, students who win the UNICORE project are required to pay only:
- stamp duty (Presidential Decree 26 October 1972, n. 642) paid virtually, amounting to 16.00 euros;
- regional tax for the right to study of €130.00 as they are totally exempt from paying the Annual Comprehensive Contribution (COA) and are considered on a par with students with Italian citizenship with an ISEE ≤15,000 (Table A - Column 1, refer to the Study Manifesto).
The Rector of the University of Reggio Calabria, Professor Giuseppe Zimbalatti, initiated the application process for joining the University Corridors for Refugees (UNICORE 6.0) project in 2023, promoted by UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. The proposal was submitted by Professor Paola Raffa, holder of the UNESCO Chair "Mediterranean Landscape in Context of Emergency," which has been active at the University since 2021.
The project, which involved the Reggio Calabria diocesan Caritas, led by Maria Angela Ambrogio and deputy director Don Antonino Russo, the Reggio Calabria Next ODV association led by Ernesto Romeo, and the local branch of Banca Etica, represented by Simona Spagna, has enabled the necessary procedures to be initiated to welcome three students from the African continent.
Following an evaluation of their qualifications and an online interview from their countries, they selected three students from Sudan and South Sudan with refugee status in Uganda.
The selection process took place from the publication of the Unicore 6.0 call in March 2024 until November, the month in which the students were enrolled and began their studies at the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria.