Sanctuary Scholarships

The University of Reading is recognised as a University of Sanctuary and is committed to welcoming and including sanctuary seekers across our community, because we value the rich contribution those seeking sanctuary can make to our institution and life in Reading. In recognition of the educational disruption that displaced people experience, these scholarships enable people seeking sanctuary to thrive and recognise their full potential. 

• Key facts
• Award value
• English language assistance
• Eligibility
• How to apply
• Selection process
• Timeline
• Contact details and further support
• Additional information and support

Award value: various, dependent on access to Student Finance.

Number of awards:  9 total (1 x International Foundation Programme, 5 x Undergraduate, 3 x Postgraduate Taught). 

Study level: International Foundation Programme (IFP), Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught.

Degree programme start date: September 2026.

Scholarship application deadline: Wednesday 13 May 2026 at 12:00:00. 

The award value is dependent on your immigration status and whether it allows you Home tuition fees and access to a Tuition Fee or  Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England/Wales/NI/SAAS, or a Masters Loan.

If you have the following immigration status, these are the Sanctuary Scholarships available:

Refugee, humanitarian protection status, be granted settlement in the UK through the ARAP or ACRS schemes for Afghan refugees, or have a right to remain in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Ukraine Sponsorship (Homes for Ukraine) scheme, the Ukraine Extension Scheme, or the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme:

• 1 x International Foundation Programme (IFP)/ integrated International Foundation Year (IFY) Fee Waiver & Bursary Award.
  • Tuition fees are waived for the IFP/IFY year only.
  • A cash bursary of £5000 for the IFP/IFY year.
  • A cash bursary of £5000 per year of study for your undergraduate degree programme, provided you successfully complete your IFP/IFY year and move onto part 1 of a degree at Reading.

• 3 x Undergraduate Bursary Awards.  
  • A cash bursary of  £5,000   per year of study. 
• 1 x Postgraduate Taught (Masters) Bursary Award.  
  • A cash bursary of £10,000 (pro rata-ed for part-time students.

Asylum seekers with an outstanding asylum claim to the UK Government:

• 2 x Undergraduate Fee Waiver & Bursary Awards. 
  • Tuition fees are waived for the degree programme.
  • A cash bursary of £14,200 per year of study.

• 2 x Postgraduate Taught (Masters) Fee Waiver & Bursary Awards. 
  • Tuition fees are waived for the degree programme.
  • A cash bursary of £14,200 per year of study.

Created and run by the Doctoral and Researcher College, there are now two fully-funded Sanctuary PhD Studentships. They cover fees at the Home rate, a living allowance, and an annual research and training support allowance.  More information, including eligibility, how to apply, and contact details for enquiries is available on the Sanctuary PhD Studentships webpage.  

Pre-sessional English (PSE) Programme

We do not have Sanctuary Scholarships for our Pre-Sessional English (PSE) programme, however Breaking Barriers is a charity that sponsor up to three refugee-status students placed on our PSE each  academic year.  

If you wanted to apply for this funding, you would need to apply to Reading's PSE programme and then contact Breaking Barriers directly for support.  

Please note that Breaking Barriers support is entirely separate from the Sanctuary Scholarships, so if you have any questions about the Breaking Barrier sponsorship, you will need to contact them directly.  Visit the Breaking Barriers website and contact them here. 

If you have any questions regarding the PSE itself, please contact the Pre-sessional English team directly on psadmissions@enquiries.reading.ac.uk.

Duolingo

If you are unable to afford to take an English Language test, we may be able to assist you to access a Duolingo English Language test for free.  Please note that we have a limited number of the free tests available, so we cannot guarantee that there will be one available.  They are allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Please email refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk if you require a free Duolingo test. 

For all awards, you must:

1. be granted a form of leave (leave to remain, limited leave to remain, discretionary leave to remain, humanitarian protection) as the result of an asylum application or human rights application; or be an asylum seeker; or be granted settlement in the UK through the ARAP or ACRS schemes for Afghan refugees; or have a right to remain in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Ukraine Sponsorship (Homes for Ukraine) scheme, the Ukraine Extension Scheme, or the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.
2. be a new applicant to the University of Reading and have submitted an academic application for September 2026 entry
3. have received either a Conditional or Unconditional offer
4. currently reside in the UK and have submitted your asylum claim to the UK government.

Please note that these scholarships are not for current students, unless you meet one of the following circumstances:

1. You are progressing from yr 0 to yr 1 of an Integrated Foundation Year undergraduate degree programme, or
2. You are on the standalone International Foundation Programme and are applying for an undergraduate degree programme, or
3. You are a final year student on an undergraduate degree programme applying for a postgraduate taught masters. 

For full terms, conditions, eligibility and limits to what the scholarships cover please read the terms and conditions. 

Step 1: Submit your academic degree programme application. Submit applications via UCAS for undergraduate study, or directly on our website for postgraduate study.   

Step 2: Apply for government student financial support, if applicable. 

We receive more applications than scholarships available, so please be aware that we cannot guarantee that a scholarship will be awarded to you.  We would therefore suggest that applicants apply for a student loan if they are eligible to do so, in case your Sanctuary Scholarship application is unsuccessful.

See our Additional Information and Support section for links to the relevant student loan websites.

Step 3: Submit your Sanctuary Scholarship application, online via our website, or by completing the downloadable application form and emailing it to us.

This is a short application form and does not require a personal statement or a reference.

Step 4: Once you have completed your Sanctuary Scholarship application, we will request your immigration documents if you have not already sent them in to us, in order to confirm your eligibility for a Sanctuary Scholarship. 

Step 5: Winners to be announced for all scholarships at the end of May 2026.

Complete the Sanctuary Scholarship online application form.

Or download the Sanctuary Scholarship application form (Word document)  and return it to refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk.

By submitting a Sanctuary Scholarship application, you agree to comply with, and be bound, by these Terms and Conditions.

Scholarship application deadline: Wednesday 13 May 2026 at 12:00:00.

We typically receive more applications than we have scholarships available, so cannot guarantee that a scholarship will be granted to everyone who submits an application.

When we receive more applications than available scholarships, on the advice received by our advisory panel, winners are selected at random, with preference given to local applicants and an equal split between men and women where possible.

Yet to meet the conditions of your offer to study and are awarded a Sanctuary Scholarship?  Your Sanctuary Scholarship offer will be provisional until you have gone Unconditional with us.

Applicants for undergraduate and postgraduate awards need to have met all offer conditions and hold an Unconditional offer at Reading by Thursday 3 September 2026, in order to receive  a Sanctuary Scholarship. If you do not meet the offer conditions by this date, the Sanctuary Scholarship offer will be offer rescinded, and we will reallocate that scholarship to another applicant.

If you have any questions about Sanctuary Scholarships, please email refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk or write to us via:

Sanctuary Scholarship applications
Admissions Office
University of Reading
5th Floor, Philip Lyle Building
Pepper Lane
Whiteknights
Reading
RG6 6EG

University of Reading Fees and Funding pages:

• Undergraduate fees and funding
• Postgraduate fees and funding
• Student Financial Support Team

Student loans

Undergraduate: 

Contact the relevant office, depending on where you normally live in the UK:

• Student Finance England students can apply online
• Student Finance Wales students can apply online
• Student Finance Northern Ireland students can apply online
• Students from Scotland can find further information from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

Postgraduate taught:

• Master’s loans: information and how to apply can be found on the government's website.

Support for Sanctuary Seekers:

• University of Reading information for Sanctuary Seekers
• University of Reading Sanctuary PhD Studentships
• Reading City of Sanctuary
• Student Action for Refugees
• Reading Refugee Support Group
• Red Cross
• Breaking Barriers
• International Committee of the Red Cross (Gaza) 
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA (Gaza Office).
• Displaced Student Opportunities UK
• UCAS: Scholarships, bursaries & grants search.

UK wide student advice

• UKCISA – information on Government Student Support
• UKCISA – information on fee status in Higher Education.