The following list provides details of the universities in the UK that provide funding for refugees and/or asylum seekers. This information was correct at time of writing in November 2024. However, funding arrangements are liable to change so you are advised to check with the relevant university prior to making any personal arrangements.
Keele University: Sanctuary Scholarships are offered to asylum seekers and forced migrants who are seeking sanctuary in the UK. Two scholarships are available for undergraduate or foundation degree programmes and one for postgraduate taught degree programmes. The scholarships cover tuition fees and provide a cash award of £1,200 for living costs and £250 for study costs.
University of Kent: five Article 26 awards are available for undergraduate entry. Awards are aimed at helping those seeking asylum in the UK to progress to higher education. Each recipient’s tuition fees will be waived for the duration of their programme of study (undergraduate programmes only). The recipients will also receive £2,000 to cover the cost of travel (to the University or for group support), books, equipment, etc.
Kings College London: Sanctuary Scholarships are available for students seeking sanctuary in the UK. These comprise of full tuition fee support and help with living costs, for each academic year of an undergraduate programme. Also, the Dr Monica Malik Refugee Bursary supports postgraduate students from a refugee or humanitarian protection background to study at King's. The scholarship is worth £10,000.
Kingston University, London: Sanctuary Scholarships are offered to asylum seekers or the partner/dependant of an asylum seeker, or those granted Discretionary Leave to Remain (DLR) or some other form of temporary status. Recipients will receive a full fee-remitted place each year, a £5,000 bursary and a designated member of staff to offer support and guidance.
Lancaster University: the Lancaster sanctuary scholarship offers a full tuition fee waiver and £5,000 per year to support with living costs, along with free accommodation on university campus and one-to-one coaching and support. It is available for refugees and asylum seekers on Master's postgraduate taught courses and undergraduate courses.
University of Leeds: the Sanctuary Scholarship is for forced migrants to the UK and is open to people who wish to study any undergraduate, postgraduate or research degree. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition and £10,000 a year award towards living costs, for a maximum of three years.
Leeds Trinity University: up to five Sanctuary Scholarships are available for asylum seekers to enable them to progress onto higher education. The tuition fees are waived for the length of the course, unless the student, parents or spouse/civil partner are granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK. In this case, the University must be informed and the award will cease from the start of the next academic year.
University of Leicester: up to four Sanctuary Scholarships are available for undergraduate, taught Masters and PhD courses. They consist of a fee waiver and a support package, and are available for candidates who are unable to access mainstream funding in the UK. The Distance Learning (DL) Sanctuary Award is for those with refugee or asylum-seeking status to study at the University of Leicester via distance learning on certain specified courses. There is also a Ukraine Conflict Distance Learning Sanctuary Scholarship for students whose access to higher education has been significantly restricted due to the conflict in Ukraine, and a CELTA Sanctuary Scholarship of a full tuition fee waiver for CELTA courses. This is an initial teacher training qualification for people who wish to enter the field of teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
University of Liverpool: up to four Asylum Seekers Scholarships are available for asylum seekers so that they can succeed in higher education. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition and provide awards from £4,000 per year to support the costs of study. There are also University of Liverpool Humanitarian Scholarships for up to three postgraduate taught students who have sought international protection outside of the UK so they can proceed with their education. It provides a full fee waiver, accommodation costs and a stipend for living costs.
London Metropolitan University: the London Metropolitan University Refugee Scholarship offers a full fee waiver, £12,667 per year and an academic mentor. It is available for asylum seekers and refugees without access to student finance.
London School of Economics: scholarships are available for asylum seekers, refugees, those with humanitarian protection or those who are resident in the UK and have been granted Discretionary/Limited Leave to Remain in the UK. Full and partial awards to cover tuition fees (either at the Home or Overseas rate) and living costs for the length of the undergraduate programme are offered to those on undergraduate programmes and a full tuition fee waiver and a grant of £14,400 is offered to those on graduate programmes.
University College London: the Access Opportunity Scholarship offers tuition fees and a living allowance of £12,000 per year for the normal duration of a programme at UCL and is available for asylum seekers or their dependants studying on an undergraduate course. The Bowman Scholarships are for UK-based students of forced migration backgrounds who do not have the qualifications to enter an undergraduate degree, nor the finances to study a foundation year. They fully fund the course fees to access the Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate (UPC) International Foundation, on either the Sciences and Engineering or the Humanities and Social Sciences pathway.
University of London: the University of London has a range of scholarships for refugees and displaced persons, offering fee waivers for undergraduate and postgraduate students. A full list of scholarships, with eligiblity criteria, can be found on the the University website.
Loughborough University: up to fifty £10,000 bursaries are available for students studying towards one of four data science and artifical intelligence related MSc programmes. These scholarships are designed to support those from under-represented groups develop skills in data science and artificial intelligence and are available to refugees living in the UK.
University of Manchester: five scholarships are offered to sanctuary students who are not eligible for UK government student financial support. The scholarships cover tuition fees, provide £5,000 per year towards living costs and provide free university accommodation in halls of residence. Scholarships are available for undergraduate study (with the exception of Medicine, Dentistry or Architecture courses). There is also a Humanitarian Scholarship for individuals at immediate risk who have been forced to flee their homes as a direct result of armed conflict. The awards cover tuition fees, living expenses and visas.
Newcastle College University Centre: scholarships of up to £9,250 in fee waivers over the duration of two-year degree programmes are offered to selected applicants who meet the criteria, including asylum seekers and refugees.
Newcastle University: the University offers three NU Sanctuary Scholarships consisting of full tuition fee support and a bursary for living expenses to asylum seekers, refugees or their dependants. Applicants must be unable to access mainstream funding.
Newman University, Birmingham: two undergraduate scholarships are available for applicants from a forced migrant background who cannot access finance from Student Finance England. Successful applicants will be provided with a tuition fee waiver and an annual bursary of £1,200 per year for study and travel expenses. Personal support will be offered, along with the possibility of free campus accommodation for applicants who do not live within a commutable distance of Newman University.
Northumbria University: the Asylum Seeker Sanctuary Scholarship offers a full tuition fee waiver and a living cost grant of £1,000 per year for students on full-time undergraduate courses. There is a similar scholarship available for students studying on full-time Master’s courses.
The University of Nottingham: one Article 26 scholarship is available for asylum seekers, consisting of full international fees and a £500 grant per year towards living costs. The University also offers the Maycock-Whileman Scholarship of £1,000 per year for applicants who have been granted asylum in the UK on the basis of refugee status, if they have a household income below £35,000.
Nottingham Trent University: two Article 26 scholarships of a full fee waiver and a £3,000 living cost grant for asylum seekers. Applicants must have a firm unconditional or firm conditional offer of a place to study a full-time undergraduate degree or foundation degree course at Nottingham Trent University.