University of Sanctuary Scholarship

International Scholarship

University of Sanctuary Scholarship

UEA is committed to helping reduce the barriers to participation in Higher Education (HE) faced by those seeking sanctuary in the UK. Information about the UEA Sanctuary scholarships for the 2025/26 academic year are detailed below, including the UEA Sanctuary Scholarships and the Pre-sessional English Sanctuary Scholarships.

Please note that all scholarships are highly competitive but we encourage everyone who meets the eligibility criteria to apply.

If you have any queries relating to the Sanctuary Scholarships, please email us.

UEA Sanctuary Scholarships

We welcome applications to these scholarships from anyone who is seeking sanctuary in the United Kingdom. For this scholarship applicants may have one of the following residency statuses:

Asylum seeker
Limited or Discretionary Leave to Remain
Refugee
Humanitarian Protection
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Ukraine schemes
Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)
Other forms of sanctuary (including Calais Leave, Section 67 Leave, UASC Leave and Stateless Leave)

Applicants may have another immigration status which relates to their status as seeking sanctuary. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss this.

Value of Scholarship award

The Scholarship awards the student honorary Home fee status, and pays for:

Undergraduate level: the Home rate (£9,535* per annum) and an annual bursary (£9000) for up to four years of study.
Postgraduate taught level: the Home rate (£10,675* per annum) and an annual bursary (£9000) for one year of study.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this Scholarship, applicants must:

Have applied for a place at UEA for a full-time undergraduate or full-time postgraduate taught masters course and have met the offer conditions.
Provide evidence of their background of seeking sanctuary in the UK. They should hold one of the residence statuses discussed above or another immigration status which clearly relates to their status of seeking sanctuary. They will need to provide evidence of their background of seeking sanctuary,such as a Bail 201 letter detailing any restrictions.
Not apply for the MB/BS course at the Norwich Medical School.
If the applicant is applying for any UEA course which includes a placement component, they need to ensure that their immigration status will allow them to undertake placements.
Declare all previous study completed in a higher education setting.

English Language Requirements and Support

All applicants to the University of East Anglia will be asked to demonstrate an acceptable level of English language before they can be admitted onto any course or programme. For further guidance on the minimum entry levels for the university, please view our English Language Equivalencies page.

The University of East Anglia accepts a selection of English language tests, including Duolingo. The Duolingo English language test is an online test which can be taken anytime, anywhere. The test is one hour long and the results take two days to be processed.

Duolingo English Test Access Programme 
As a University of Sanctuary, we are delighted to be taking part in the Duolingo English Test Access Programme which offers a set number of free English language test places for students from a forced migration background. To find out more about Duolingo, including further
guidance on preparing for the test, visit the Duolingo website.

To access your free test place, please email university.of.sanctuary@uea.ac.uk.

Preparing for University-Online Course
UEA offers a free online course which explores the following areas:

the skills needed to do well at university
engage with the key skills required for success at university
identify with what university lecturers have to say about skills their students excel at or struggle with
explore what lecturers value in their students
collect top tips for coping with the university learning environment

This free online course can be completed over a six week period.

Terms and Conditions

Read the full terms and conditions.

Type of Course

Undergraduate
Postgraduate Taught
Postgraduate Research

Funding Type

Tuition Fees
Maintenance

Course Start Date

September 2025

Criteria

International Fees
UK Fees

School/Faculty

Art, Media and American Studies
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Computing Sciences
Economics
Education
Engineering
Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Medicine and Health
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Sciences
Global Development
Health Sciences
History
INTO
Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities
Law
Literature, Drama and Creative Writing
Mathematics
Medicine
Music
Natural Sciences
Norwich Business School
Pharmacy
Physics
Politics, Philosophy Language and Communication Studies
Psychology
Social Work
Sociology
Sport

Country / Region

Further Criteria

We welcome applications to this scholarship from anyone who is seeking sanctuary in the United Kingdom.

Application Process

Sanctuary Scholarship Application Support Sessions
One to one support sessions offering guidance and advice on how to write strong supporting statements are available for sanctuary scholarship applicants. To find out more and to book your session, please email university.of.sanctuary@uea.ac.uk.

The application deadline is 16 May 2025.

Apply Now