Support for refugees — University of East London (UEL)

What it gives

full tuition waiver

100% tuition fee waiver, offered in partnership with the Helena Kennedy Foundation, until able to access Student Finance England support. No maintenance/cash element found.

Who it is for

asylum seeker (claim pending) · dependant of a person with status · limited or discretionary leave · other categories — see terms

This scheme does not accept recognised refugee status — its terms narrow the field of applicants.

Level of study: 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.

Apply to start an eligible taught postgraduate course at UEL for 2026/27 entry first
Once applied, you get a unique Student ID number, needed to submit the scholarship application
Submit UKVI documentation confirming immigration status, consenting to UEL verifying it with UKVI
Submit the scholarship application via the 'Apply now' link on the scholarship page
1st round: Nov 2025-12 Apr 2026; 2nd round: 12 Apr-2 Aug 2026 (final deadline Sun 2 Aug 2026, 23:55)
Decision communicated by email within 3 weeks of the relevant round's closing date

What to prepare

Documentation from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) confirming immigration status
Consent for UEL to verify status directly with UKVI's Premium Account Manager

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

Can you apply now · as of 6 September 2026

Dates not published — ask the university

The provider's page gives no date. Write to them — it is the first question in the list below.

Deadline

For 2026/27 entry; specific deadline date not captured (page fetch blocked, reconstructed from search snippet).

When applications open

For September entry: opens around November, runs in two rounds, final deadline 2 August

For how many years

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

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

University of East London, delivered in partnership with the Helena Kennedy Foundation. The award is explicitly '100% tuition fee support until they are awarded such immigration status that enables them to access support from Student Finance' — it stops once the holder becomes eligible for mainstream student finance.

There are adults, but they are a minority. 17% of students are over 30 and 34.1% are over 25 — an average picture for a UK university.

In detail about University of East London (UEL): 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 →

Direct fetch 403'd on retry; content from Google-cached search snippet of the institution's own page. Fee waiver only extends for normal course duration, not resits/repeats.