Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust Annual Grant Round

What it gives

living costs

up to £1,500

Grants normally £650–£1,500 for one academic year

Who it is for

asylum seeker (claim pending) · recognised refugee status · humanitarian protection · limited or discretionary leave · indefinite leave to remain · other categories — see terms

Level of study: taught postgraduate, research postgraduate, other programmes

The student finance condition

Open to applicants who do receive student finance

Having no access to student finance is not a condition here: people with recognised refugee status who already receive a student loan can apply.

How to apply

Sign up by email in advance to be notified the moment the online application form reopens
Submit the online application form as soon as the round opens — recent rounds filled within 24 hours (cap of 300 eligible applications)
If your first degree was awarded outside the UK, upload a letter from your UK university confirming it is equivalent to a UK 1st, 2:1, Master's or Doctoral degree
To renew, submit a fresh application every year (up to 3 grants full-time, 6 part-time)

What to prepare

Letter from a UK university confirming equivalence of a non-UK first degree (only if applicable)

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: January 2027

Where the date comes from: “2026/27 round closed 5 January 2026; next round opens January 2027 for 2027/28»

Deadline

2026/27 round closed 5 January 2026 (cap of 300 eligible applications reached within days); next round opens January 2027 for 2027/28

When applications open

Opens once a year in January (2026/27 round opened 10am 5 Jan 2026 and closed within 24 hours); next round opens January 2027 for 2027/28

For how many years

Renewed for the following years of the course, as long as you keep studying.

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.

Ask the Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust (admin@stapleytrust.org) whether recognised refugee status or humanitarian protection counts as “currently living in the UK and planning to remain” for the purposes of an application — the page does not mention immigration status at all, only citizenship and residence.
What happens to the payments if I am granted refugee status mid-year?

Who to write to: admin@stapleytrust.org

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.

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 →

General postgraduate hardship charity, not refugee-specific; must already hold a First/2:1 degree and remain UK-based throughout the course. […]