The UK University Scholarships Directory

Aberystwyth University: Sanctuary scholarships are available for 1 undergraduate and 1 postgraduate student. They offer a full fee waiver, accommodation and £8,000 per year, along with English language support. They are available to those from forced migrant backgrounds who face a barrier to accessing university because Home Office regulations surrounding their immigration status prevent them from accessing funding from Student Finance.

University of the Arts London: the UAL Vice-Chancellor’s International Postgraduate Scholarship offers up to four scholarships to applicants meeting the eligibility criteria. Scholarships provide a £50,000 award to cover tuition fees and make a contribution towards living costs. Scholarship recipients will also be offered accommodation at one of UAL’s halls of residence for the duration of their study. The scholarships are open to asylum seekers.The Beyond Borders Bursary of £28,000 is available to 1 Home student accepted on any MA course at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London who is a refugee or from a forced migration background.

Aston University: refugees are eligible for the Aston Support Scholarship, worth £1,250 in each stage of study. The University will automatically assess eligibility using information provided at enrolment. The Ernest Edward Scholarships are available to those prevented from accessing student finance. They are for any three-year undergraduate or one-year postgraduate taught programme and offer a full tuition-fee waiver and support with accommodation and living costs up to a value of £25,000 throughout the course.

Bangor University: the Refugee Scholarship is available for those students who have had to flee their country of origin and have sought sanctuary in North Wales. It offers a full tuition fee waiver and a full accommodation fee waiver in University Halls accommodation.

University of Bath: Sanctuary Scholarships of a full tuition fee waiver and a £18,622 bursary for living costs for asylum seekers wishing to study taught postgraduate master’s programmes. There is also a bursary of up to £7,000 over a five year course of study for those who have refugee status or have Humanitarian Protection, and a Sanctuary Scholarship to cover fees, along with a bursary of up to £5000, for one undergraduate student who is seeking asylum. There is also a Doctoral Sanctuary Studentship in Engineering and Design for candidates who hold Refugee, Humanitarian Protection, or Asylum Seeker status.

Bath Spa University: a Bath Spa University Sanctuary Scholarship is available to students from refugee and asylum-seeking communities. It offers an annual bursary of £2,000, an accommodation fee waiver for the first year of study and full tuition fee waiver for each year of study for those ineligible for student finance.

Birkbeck, University of London: the Compass Project Sanctuary Scholarship provides up to 20 asylum seekers, who are not eligible for student finance, with a sanctuary scholarship to study a university-level programme at Birkbeck, University of London. The scholarship offers a full tuition fee waiver and additional financial support to cover costs such as transport, childcare and books.

University of Birmingham: up to five Sanctuary Scholarships of a full tuition fee waiver and a £5,000 living cost grant for a student who has sought refuge in the UK to study for an undergraduate degree. The scholarship will be awarded for a maximum of three years if conditions do not change and the criteria are met.

University of Bradford: Sanctuary Scholarships provide free tuition and £4,000 for costs and travel for undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses to enable people seeking asylum, or those already granted refugee status who cannot access student finance, to participate in higher education.

University of Bristol: the Sanctuary Scholarship Scheme offers support towards the cost of full or part-time undergraduate and master's degrees. The scholarships comprise two schemes: a full scholarship for students with no access to financial support from the UK Government and a partial scholarship for students who can access UK Government support.

Brunel University, London: the Sanctuary Scholarship offers a full fee waiver to full time students identified as ‘refugees’. As well as a full tuition fee waiver, successful applicants will receive free single occupancy accommodation in one of Brunel’s Halls of Residences.

Buckinghamshire New University: the BNU Asylum Seeker Scholarship offers a full fee waiver, £10,000 per year, accommodation for the whole course and gym membership. The BNU Refugee Scholarship offers a Full fee waiver, £2,600 per year, accommodation and gym membership.

University of Cambridge: the Rowan Williams Cambridge Studentship is a full-cost award available to undergraduate and graduate students, covering tuition fees and maintenance. It is available for students from an area of instability or zone of conflict who have been at risk of discrimination, persecution, suffering, violence or other abuse of their human rights. The Quantedge-Cambridge Refugee Scholarship is available annually to support one student, to study for an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) at King’s College, Cambridge. The Scholarship is intended for applicants who have been awarded ‘refugee status’ in the UK, have formerly held refugee status, or are from an area of instability/conflict.

Canterbury Christchurch University: one Article 26 Scholarship for a student seeking asylum in the UK, or a dependant or partner of someone seeking asylum or a student, dependant or partner of someone seeking asylum who has been granted Discretionary Leave to Remain or some other form of temporary status. The scholarship offers a full tuition fee waiver and an annual £1,000 bursary.

Cardiff University: six awards to students who are either asylum seekers or children of asylum seekers. Awards will cover the cost of tuition and provide a non-repayable grant of £4,000 per year. Additional awards of up to £1,000 are available through the Cardiff Education Trust Fund for students who have attended a secondary school in Cardiff and they, or their parents, are seeking asylum. Some asylum seekers may be eligible for a reduction in fees known as the Tuition Fee Reduction Scheme.

Cardiff Metropolitan University: offers three scholarships to asylum seekers or their partners or dependants for postgraduate taught Master’s courses and three scholarships for undergraduate courses. The scholarships consist of a full tuition fee waiver, assistance toward local travel to campus, a daily meal allowance and personal support.

University of Central Lancashire (UCLan): this scholarship supports forced migrants who are not eligible for student finance to access higher education with UCLan. There is one scholarship available each year, covering fees and providing a support package of up to £5,000 per year. The support package is tailored according to the awardees needs. This may include a cash bursary that covers accommodation costs, travel costs or other in-kind support.

University of Chester: the Sanctuary Award offers a full tuition fee waiver per year and up to £2,500 per year in-kind financial support package to help with essential study costs. Priority will be given to applicants who already live within easy commuting distance of the University of Chester.

City, University of London: three Sanctuary Scholarships are offered to asylum seekers, consisting of full tuition fee support and a grant equivalent of a full maintenance loan from Student Finance England, and a grant equivalent to the City Cares Bursary (£3,500), to cover living expenses. This will apply for each year of study on an undergraduate course. Students must be attending a school, college, community or voluntary group that can provide a reference in support of their application.