ReConnect to Education – Preparation for Higher Education Programme
How to apply
You do not need to wait for an offer — the scholarship application can run alongside admission.
- Read the programme flyer
- Complete the Application Form (Word document, linked on the Apply page)
- Email the completed form to applications@reconnectonline.org.uk
What to prepare
- Evidence of a recognised academic qualification equivalent to Level 3 (enabling entry to higher education)
- Evidence of ability to speak and write English at an appropriate level
- Evidence of asylum seeker or refugee-background status (refugee under the UN Geneva Convention; Humanitarian Protection; Discretionary Leave to Remain/Exceptional Leave to Remain; Indefinite Leave to Remain; or former refugee now with full UK citizenship)
How they select
application form · 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
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?
Who to write to: applications@reconnectonline.org.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
Delivered at UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, Central London — ranked No.1 for education worldwide in the QS World University Rankings every year since 2014. The programme itself is run by Reconnect, a London-based charity (Charity No. 1105016) working with unemployed/underemployed professional refugees; participants get a normal UCL student ID during the module, with access to the library, computer workspaces, a UCL email address and electronic resources. Open only to refugees and asylum seekers resident in London; fees and travel costs are covered by the programme.
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 →
Requires evidence of a Level-3-equivalent qualification and adequate English. A June 2026 UCL IOE event confirms the partnership is still active.