Navigating forcibly displaced learners’ pathways to higher education and beyond: Ukrainian students in French higher education

Abstract Although there is growing literature on access to and survival in higher education among forcibly displaced migrants, cases of mass displacement across different geographies highlight the need for deeper exploration to understand the role of higher education in mitigating the impact of displacement. The Ukrainian influx to European countries in the aftermath of the country’s full-scale invasion exhibits an entirely different migration structure, both in terms of the origin country and the receiving countries, including the access and survival of Ukrainian forcibly displaced migrants in higher education and the role of higher education in these migrants’ future imaginaries. This study aims to examine the access and experiences of Ukrainian student migrants in French higher education, as well as how they use higher education to construct their desired future. A total of 20 Ukrainian Forcibly Displaced Migrants (UFDMs) were interviewed. The findings suggest that Ukrainian Forcibly Displaced Learners’ journeys to France are shaped by the interplay between agency and capabilities, in which agency enhances capabilities, while the resulting capabilities, in turn, reinforce the agency of the migrants in cyclical manner. The presence of political will at the EU and national (France) levels, along with institutional openness, reinforces their agentic capacity, strengthens their mobility capital, and enhances their retention in programs. Additionally, despite a strong intention for circular migration, the evolving situation in Ukraine forces them to develop alternative future plans, including staying in France or migrating onward. Higher education is identified as a fundamental tool that provides hope, confidence, and readiness for UFDMs to pursue these multiple futures.