Compass Project Fund

What it gives

full tuition waiver · travel costs · equipment and study costs

Fee waiver + support toward transport, childcare and books; no fixed annual cash figure stated

Who it is for

asylum seeker (claim pending) · limited or discretionary leave · recognised refugee status · humanitarian protection

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.

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.

Apply for and hold an offer on a permissible Birkbeck course (foundation, UG or PGT) — this is a precondition
Read the Sanctuary Scholarship Application Guidelines in full before applying
Optionally attend a Compass Project Taster Day for guidance on studying at Birkbeck and how to apply
Submit the online application form during the window: 13 April – 15 May 2026 (for October 2026 start)
Contact thecompassproject@bbk.ac.uk with questions — the scholarship is competitive, more applications are received than places

How they select

application form

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: April 2027

Where the date comes from: “Opens 13 April, closes 15 May each year»

Deadline

13 April – 15 May 2026 application window, for October 2026 start

When applications open

Opens 13 April, closes 15 May each year, for an October start

How many places

Ask before you apply

We do not fill in the gaps for the institution. Here is what its own page leaves unclear — these are normal questions, everyone asks them.

What happens to the payments if I am granted refugee status mid-year?
Is the scholarship for one year or for the whole course?

Who to write to: thecompassproject@bbk.ac.uk

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

Many adult students. More than a third of students are over 30 (48.1%). You certainly will not be the oldest in the room.

In detail about Birkbeck, University of London: all schemes, student ages, study modes →

Source

Every fact on this page we opened and read on the institution's own site, rather than taking it from an aggregator. Checked on: 22 August 2026.

The scheme page on the institution's site →

Priority to those with no prior UK degree or 5+ years out of education; support excludes accommodation.