Building on our long history, CEPAL launched our program, the Higher Education Access for Palestine (HEAP), in March 2025. HEAP was designed to enable displaced Palestinian students to continue their higher education at universities around the world.

HEAP will be an ongoing CEPAL program to support displaced Palestinian students to continue
their higher education. The first phase of HEAP will support displaced Palestinian students from
Gaza to continue their post-secondary education at universities abroad, with the goal of eventually expanding the program to support Palestinian refugee students from the West Bank, Lebanon, and other countries.

Our fundraising efforts in 2025 enabled us to raise over $60,000 to support six students. This year, we are aiming to double our impact.

Photos of CEPAL’s Board members and volunteers at different fundraising events throughout 2025.

Why is HEAP critical?

The genocide on Gaza has displaced 90% of Gaza’s population and destroyed most infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. It is estimated that Gaza would take more than ten years to rebuild.

With all six of Gaza’s universities destroyed, Palestinians from Gaza need to be able to continue their education in other countries around the world. Education empowers and enables Palestinians to prosper and give back to their communities in countless ways. Access to higher education will allow them to create the vibrant future that all Palestinians deserve.

As students continue their education, it is crucial that we ensure they have access to psychosocial supports. Students from Gaza have experienced immense trauma, and many of their loved ones continue to live through the genocide. Psychosocial supports are essential to ensure students can succeed in their educational journeys and integrate into their new communities.

Program Partners

CEPAL is partnering with the U.S.-based Elnajjar Joudah Foundation (EJF)to implement the HEAP Program and distribute funds directly to students and universities. EJF is a private, humanitarian, nonprofit, nonpolitical, and charitable family foundation (EIN: 88-4421562). Using private and public contributions, EJF provides financial assistance to displaced students from Gaza who are relocating to another nation to continue their studies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Most displaced students from Gaza are currently in Egypt but are unable to study there due to legal complexities and high costs of private education.

  • Malaysia is very welcoming and supportive of Palestinian refugees.
  • The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), a highly reputable university with strong academic programs, has committed to placing 500 Gazan students into programs across its three campuses.
  • IIUM is accepting local tuition fees and is actively supporting the administrative process to help bring students there.
  • Living expenses in Malaysia are significantly lower than in other countries. By prioritizing Malaysia, HEAP can support more students at a lower cost, maximizing the impact of every donation.
  • In the future, CEPAL will also consider opportunities for placing students in other welcoming countries.

HEAP covers:

  • Tuition remaining after scholarships/financial assistance from universities
  • School supplies and books
  • Laptops and phones, as needed
  • Country residency fees
  • Living expenses (e.g., accommodations, groceries, transportation costs, clothing)
  • Access to psychosocial supports (e.g., specialized services, counselling)

Each student’s situation is unique. CEPAL estimates that most students will need $10,000 CAD per year, but this could vary based on each student’s needs.

CEPAL is currently prioritizing sending Palestinian students to continue their university education in welcoming countries with strong records of consistently supporting Palestine and with systems and policies that support Palestinian refugees. Welcoming countries have governments, institutions, and communities that all actively support Palestinian refugee students in their educational journeys and facilitate their community integration to allow them to thrive in their new environment.

Malaysia is a great example of a welcoming country that offers a high standard of living while remaining comparatively affordable. By sending Palestinian students to Malaysia and other welcoming countries, CEPAL’s HEAP program can support more students and maximize the impact of donations to transform students’ lives.

Currently, Canada’s systems and policies not only place significant barriers for Palestinian refugees to come to Canada, including students, but they also enable the genocide against Palestinians. To date, only a small number of Gazans have been able to come to Canada since October 2023.

There is significant uncertainty regarding future Government of Canada policies towards Palestinian refugees, making bringing Palestinian students higher risk compared to other countries. Palestinian students coming to Canada would also be charged hefty international tuition fees and universities’ willingness to offer scholarships for them varies greatly. If students are able to come, living expenses are much higher than other countries, and consistent community support varies across Canada.

CEPAL will advocate to ensure that Canada is a welcoming country for Palestinian refugees in the future.

CEPAL is working with its partners at Elnajjar Joudah Foundation (EJF) to support displaced Palestinian students with a GPA of at least 3.5. To receive HEAP support, students must be accepted at an accredited university.