Number of refugee students in Australia doubles in five years: report

The number of refugee students in Australia has more than doubled since 2009, new research has found.

The research, undertaken by the University of Melbourne, found that the number of students with refugee backgrounds in Australia doubled in a five-year span from 2009 to 2014 - from 1,697 students to 3,506.

Les Terry, one of the report's co-authors, said that while the research found most institutions had welcomed refugee students, several needed to introduce better pathways for the students.

"When you meet these people, what stands out is that despite having experienced trauma, persecution, and even loss of family, they see education as a way of reclaiming their lives, not just for their own sake, but as a means of making a future contribution to the larger Australian community," Terry told Fairfax Media on Monday.

Mlisho Karega, a Congolese refugee who was granted a humanitarian visa to come to Australia in 2009, said moving to Australia renewed his dream of becoming a doctor.

"Everything changed when I got a chance to come here," Karega, 26, told Fairfax.

"I believe education is everything. I believe if you stop studying, you start dying. If life knocks you down, try to land on your back."

Having completed an English course followed by a diploma and bachelor of nursing, while simultaneously caring for his younger brother, Karega is working as a registered nurse in Melbourne's western suburbs.

Karega's pathway was in line with the finding by the study that a disproportionately high number of refugee students enrolled in health and engineering degrees.

Victoria University's dean of students, Susan Young, said the university made a concerted effort to welcome refugee students.

"We have students who have been boy soldiers in Sudan who have tremendous psychological issues. The students are so motivated to have a fresh start and really do well in their studies and make a big impact," Young said on Monday. Endit