Aber Sanctuary Scholarship

What it gives

full tuition waiver · living costs · accommodation · English tuition

up to £8,000

£8,000/year living costs + full tuition fee waiver + free single room in halls + pre-sessional English course support

Who it is for

asylum seeker (claim pending) · limited or discretionary leave · dependant of a person with status

Level of study: foundation year, undergraduate, taught postgraduate

The student finance condition

Only if you cannot access student finance

This scheme is for people without access to government student finance — usually asylum seekers and some limited-leave categories. If you have refugee status and can access student finance, this is normally not for you.

Important warning

Payments stop if you are granted status during the course. Ask in advance what happens to the money: a decision can arrive mid-course.

How to apply

You need a place first: apply to the programme and wait for an offer. Scholarship applications are only considered from people who already hold one.

Hold a conditional or unconditional Aberystwyth offer (full-time UG degree, PGT masters, or International Foundation Programme)
Complete the online Sanctuary Scholarship application form (Microsoft Forms link on the page)
Email a copy of your ARC or a completed Immigration History Consent Form to sanctuary@aber.ac.uk
Provide a reference from a UK-based professional (support group, volunteer organisation, caseworker, education/health professional) on headed paper with an official email address
Submit by 23:59 GMT on the closing date (30 March 2026 for 2026/27, now closed)

What to prepare

Copy of Application Registration Card (ARC), OR a completed Immigration History Consent Form
Reference from a UK-based support worker/professional, on headed paper, from an official (non-Gmail/Yahoo) email address

How they select

application form · references · evidence of circumstances

There is no interview — the decision is made on documents. On most routes there are no subject entrance exams either: the main hurdle on the way into university is proving your level of English. The exceptions are medicine, dentistry and creative courses, where tests and portfolios do appear.

Dates

Can you apply now · as of 6 September 2026

Opens: February 2027

Where the date comes from: “closed 30 Mar 2026 for 2026/27 entry»

Deadline

Opened 10 Feb 2026, closed 30 Mar 2026 for 2026/27 (closed)

When applications open

Opened 10 Feb 2026, closed 30 Mar 2026 for 2026/27 entry — appears to run annually on a similar Feb–Mar window

For how many years

Given for one year. For the next year you have to apply again or find other support.

If this scheme is not for you

See the full list of schemes — it has a filter for your status and for whether student finance is available to you.
Check whether you are entitled to student finance — if it is, a scholarship stops being the only road.
Foundation year and Access to HE — routes for people who only have a school certificate.
Education hub — where to start if you have not chosen a route yet.

About the institution

There are adults, but they are a minority. 18.6% of students are over 30 and 25.6% are over 25 — an average picture for a UK university.

In detail about Aberystwyth University: all schemes, student ages, study modes →

Source

We found this scheme in the STAR Network and Displaced Student Opportunities lists, but the institution's own site was unavailable when we checked: the page returned an error or blocked automated access. The record is therefore built from an archived copy and open sources — check the terms with the institution before you apply. Checked on: 22 August 2026.

The scheme page on the institution's site →

Excludes Veterinary Science and postgraduate research. Institution's own page lists asylum seeker/discretionary leave/dependant — 'Humanitarian protection' as claimed by the aggregator is not stated on the institution's […]