First students graduate with Alsama's G12++ qualification
News and Events
First students graduate with Alsama's G12++ qualification
At the end of July, the first ever cohort of students graduated with a G12++ certificate in Shatila refugee camp in Beirut.
At the end of July, the first ever cohort of students graduated with a G12++ certificate in Shatila refugee camp in Beirut. The G12++, developed by Alsama Project, with support from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, is a high school equivalent qualification designed for young people forcibly displaced from their homes.
Alsama Project, an award-winning educational NGO based in Lebanon, established the G12++ as a global solution for young people excluded from formal education systems.
Of 49 million young people worldwide displaced by crises such as conflict, violence and persecution, only 9 percent attend university, compared to the 42 percent global average. The G12++ certificate addresses this systemic gap as the world’s first qualification designed for displaced youth. It is an internationally benchmarked and digitally scalable qualification.
For students, it provides a recognised pathway to further education and skilled employment. For universities, it provides a credible admissions tool that unlocks the potential of an untapped pool of talent.
Over the past two years, Cambridge has worked with Alsama to strengthen the assessment approach and support exam development of G12++, drawing on experience delivering assessments to more than eight million learners each year in over 170 countries.
This first cohort of G12++ test-takers is exceptional. Many were completely illiterate when they joined Alsama Project just six years ago. Now they have won full scholarships to study at universities around the world, including in the UK, Canada, India, Lebanon, and remotely through programmes such as the University of Cambridge's Professional and Continuing Education (PACE).
Star Alsama student, Fatima, earned the G12++’s top mark in 2026. In September 2026, she will study Environmental Science at the University of Leicester – one of the six partner universities that accept the G12++ as an admissions tool. Other partner universities include the University of Cambridge, Kent University, Arizona State University, Moravian University and MUBS, Beirut.
"The G12++ changed the direction of my life. Alsama gave me education, and the G12++ gave me the chance to prove that education. Because of the G12++. I am going to university."
Star Alsama student, Fatima J
"I'm so excited to see the first students graduate with the G12++ qualification, which is a significant milestone not only for them personally but for education for displaced students more widely. The G12++ was created to provide a credible pathway for learners whose education has been interrupted by conflict and displacement, and these graduates are proof of what can be achieved when talent is given the opportunity to flourish.
"We congratulate every student on their achievement and look forward to working with the Alsama Project and partners around the world to help many more displaced young people access higher education, training and employment."
Jane Mann, Cambridge's Chief Education Officer
Alsama Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Meike Ziervogel told students:
"Back in January 2020, many of you could not look me in the eyes, didn't know what you wanted from life, couldn't even write your own names. Now you are ready to go to university, to get a job. By being the inspiration for Alsama, you changed the lives of many young people."
Meike Ziervogel, Chief Executive Officer and Alsama Co-Founder
