UK Sanctuary Scholarships: How Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Students Access University
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 03, 2026 • Education Planning, Study in Europe, Scholarships & Funding
UK universities that offer Sanctuary Scholarships waive tuition fees, and often add a living cost grant, for asylum seekers and refugees who would otherwise face international fees and no access to student finance. Eligibility and scholarship value differ by university, so check each institution's own scheme directly.
💶 Sanctuary Scholarships typically bring your fee down to the home rate or waive it fully
📩 Most schemes are run individually by each university, not through one national body
🏠 Some scholarships add a stipend for living costs alongside the fee waiver
⏱️ Apply as early as possible, since scholarship places and funding are limited each year
Why fee status matters if you are an asylum seeker
UK universities classify every applicant as either a home or an international student for fee purposes, and that classification decides your tuition rate. Recognized refugees and people with humanitarian protection generally qualify for home fee status once their status is confirmed, but people still waiting for an asylum decision often do not, and until a decision is made they can also lose access to standard UK student finance loans.
This combination, international-level fees plus no access to a student loan, blocks many asylum-seeking students from university even when they meet the academic entry requirements. Sanctuary Scholarships exist specifically to close that gap.
What a Sanctuary Scholarship covers
Universities design their own Sanctuary Scholarship schemes, so coverage differs by institution, but most bring your tuition fee down to the home rate or waive it fully for the length of your degree. A number of universities add a maintenance grant or bursary for living costs on top of the fee waiver, recognizing that asylum-seeking applicants often cannot access standard maintenance loans either.
Some schemes also cover accommodation costs, a foundation year before the main degree, or English language support, so read the specific terms of each university's scheme rather than assuming all schemes match.
Who is eligible
Eligibility generally covers asylum seekers with an active claim, refused asylum seekers still legally resident and pursuing further options, refugees, and people with humanitarian protection or another qualifying immigration status, though the exact list of eligible statuses differs between universities. Age, prior UK residence length, and academic entry requirements also vary by scheme.
Check the specific eligibility criteria published on each university's own Sanctuary Scholarship page before you apply, since a status that qualifies at one university might not qualify at another.
How to find universities offering a scheme
Universities that run Sanctuary Scholarships usually publish the scheme on their financial support or widening participation pages, often under a search term like sanctuary scholarship or refugee scholarship. Networks that support displaced students in UK higher education, such as university-affiliated sanctuary groups and student-run refugee support societies, also keep lists of participating institutions and can point you toward current schemes.
Contact your target university's student funding office directly and ask whether it runs a Sanctuary Scholarship or an equivalent scheme, even if the scholarship is not listed prominently, since some institutions handle these applications case by case rather than through a public scheme page.
Applying: practical steps
Apply to your course through UCAS the same way any student does, and separately submit a Sanctuary Scholarship application to each university once you hold an offer, since the scholarship and the course application usually run as two separate processes. UCAS publishes guidance for applicants who are refugees, asylum seekers, or under humanitarian protection, covering how to declare your circumstances on your application.
Gather your immigration documents, any evidence of your current status, and academic transcripts early, since scholarship deadlines can fall before the general course application deadline at some universities. Contact the university's student support or widening access team if your documents are incomplete, since many teams have experience working with applicants whose paperwork is limited.
Timing your application
Start researching schemes at least a year before your intended start date, since both scholarship funding rounds and course application deadlines often close months ahead of the academic year, and processing your immigration status and fee classification takes time on the university's side too. Apply to more than one university where possible, since scholarship numbers at each institution are limited and competitive.