Refugees with higher qualifications often find themselves under-utilised in the only jobs they can get. A project at the University of Sussex explored refugees' own perceptions of the barriers they face and designed a course to address them. This article discusses the research project which was specifically designed to work with refugees who had come to the UK with higher-level or professional qualifications from overseas. The 15-month project, funded by the HE European Social Fund, started in October 2003. The initial research phase included exploring good practice elsewhere in the UK. Tangible factors affecting refugees, such as the importance of social networks, of understanding systems and how they work, of being made to feel valued and part of a community factors, were revealed during the delivery of the pilot course. The use of academic mentors and the involvement of the Language Institute on this project did provide a valuable opportunity to link and work with the wider university. The response from all the mentors and visiting speakers was overwhelmingly positive and the Language Institute is keen to find ways of remaining involved and supporting refugees wishing to enter higher education.