Sanctuary Scholarships

Applications for the 2025 entry Sanctuary Scholarships have now closed.  The scholarship application deadline was 12:00 on 15 May 2025.

• University of Reading Sanctuary Scholarships
• Eligibility
• The application process
• Apply for a Sanctuary Scholarship
• How are the scholarships awarded?
• Timeline
• Additional information and support

The University of Reading offers scholarships to eligible sanctuary seekers (people with refugee, humanitarian protected or asylum seeker status). These scholarships recognise the educational disruption that displaced people experience. The Sanctuary Scholarships scheme offers these awards each year, to eligible applicants:

• four bursary payments of £5,000* each year of study for new applicants to undergraduate courses** with refugee, humanitarian protection status, 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.
• one bursary payment of £10,000*** (pro rata-ed for part-time students) for new applicants to postgraduate taught courses with refugee, humanitarian protection status, or be granted settlement in the UK through the ARAP or ACRS schemes for Afghan refugees, or who have a right to remain in the UK through Ukraine Family Scheme, the Ukraine Sponsorship (Homes for Ukraine) scheme, the Ukraine Extension Scheme, or the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.
• two scholarships of a fee waiver and a bursary payment of £14,200*  for each year of study for new applicants to undergraduate courses**** with asylum seeker status
• Two scholarships of a fee waiver and a bursary payment of £14,200* (pro rata-ed for part-time students) for new applicants to postgraduate taught courses** with asylum seeker status.

In recognition of the impacts of continuing violence in the Middle East, Ukraine and other regions, the University of Reading has pledged to increase its support for people unable to continue their education because they have fled conflict or been displaced.

This has led to our two additional Sanctuary Scholarships for asylum seekers, as well as a new scheme specifically for PhD students.  

Created and run by the Doctoral and Researcher College, there are now two fully-funded Sanctuary PhD Studentships for September 2025 entry onwards.  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.

* Bursary payments are made in three instalments – October, February, and April.

** Including those with an integrated foundation year or integrated master’s year, but excluding the stand-alone International Foundation Programme.

*** Excluding those provided by Henley Business School from our Greenlands campus.

**** Includes all undergraduate programmes for which the individual applicant’s visa requirements do not prohibit them from completing all elements of the programme (see below for details about those with work placements/study abroad years), including those with an integrated foundation year or integrated master’s year.  Also includes the stand-alone International Foundation Programme (IFP) with September start, though any scholarship awarded for the stand-alone IFP will be for the one-year IFP only; applicants will have to re-apply for a Sanctuary Scholarship for their main programme.

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. have applied to the University of Reading for 2025 entry and have received either a Conditional or Unconditional offer;
3. currently reside in the UK 

The different scholarships have different additional eligibility, which are explained as follows:

• For the bursary awards your immigration status must currently allow you to qualify for Home fees status or to access tuition Fee Loans or Maintenance Loans from Student Finance England/Wales/NI/SAAS
• For the fee waiver and bursary award your immigration status must currently not allow you to qualify you for Home fees status or to access tuition Fee Loans or Maintenance Loans from Student Finance England/Wales/NI/SAAS.

For full terms, conditions, eligibility and limits to what the scholarships cover please read the Sanctuary Scholarships terms and conditions. Some important points to note are:

• Due to government regulations regarding asylum seekers and work placements, those with current/outstanding asylum claims may not be eligible to apply for scholarships for undergraduate programmes that have work placements or study abroad elements as they may be prohibited from completing these elements of their course.
• If you are applying for a course that is considered of an equivalent level to a qualification that you already hold, you may not be eligible for support from the student finance authorities. Please contact the relevant student finance authority if you have any questions about this.

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. Please email refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk. Please note that we have a limited number of these tests available.

• 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 we cannot guarantee that a scholarship will be awarded to you. We suggest that applicants apply for a student loan if they are eligible to do so, in case your Sanctuary Scholarship application is unsuccessful.

Further guidance on student support

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. 

Please note that the maximum master’s loan is £12,471 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2024.  It is paid directly to you, in three instalments, and is unlikely to cover the full tuition fees for a postgraduate taught programme.

• Step 3: Submit your Sanctuary Scholarship application, online via our website, or by completing the downloadable application form and emailing it, or posting it to us.
• Step 4: Once you have completed your Sanctuary Scholarship application, send your immigration documents to refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk
• Step 5: We will confirm eligibility on receipt of all information and documentation.
• Step 6: Winners to be announced for all scholarships at the end of May 2025. 

Applications for the 2025 entry sanctuary scholarships have now closed.  The scholarship application deadline was 12:00 on 15 May 2025.

You will need to submit a short application for all awards in this scholarship programme. You should have applied for the academic course you would like to study before you apply for the scholarship.

Undergraduate courses 

If you have applied for an undergraduate course, and have declared that you have refugee status on your UCAS form we will endeavour to contact you inviting you to apply. If you haven’t declared your status on your UCAS form or are applying through a different route you can still apply for a scholarship if you think you are eligible, but you must have submitted an academic application to study at the University of Reading before you can apply for the scholarship. 

Master’s courses

If you have applied for a Master’s course and you think you are eligible for an award, you can apply for the scholarship. 

If you have any questions about Sanctuary Scholarships, 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

Scholarship applicants will be contacted at the end of May 2025 with the results of their scholarship application. You must apply for the scholarship no later than the date stated on this web page and the application form. 

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 with gender parity where possible.

Please note that for applicants who still have to meet the conditions of their offer to study, scholarship offers will be provisional until applicants have done so. 

Applicants for undergraduate and postgraduate awards need to have met all offer conditions and hold an Unconditional offer at Reading by Wednesday 3 September 2025, in order to receive  a Sanctuary Scholarship. Applicants whose scholarship offers were conditional, who have not met their offer conditions by this date, will have their scholarship offer rescinded, and we will reallocate that scholarship to another applicant.

Any questions? Contact us at refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk  

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

University of Reading Fees and Funding pages:

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

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

UK wide student advice

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