startnewlife
Home/ Directory/ Scholarships/ Distance Learning (DL) Sanctuary Awards
University of Leicester · England · East Midlands (distance learning; open worldwide)

Distance Learning (DL) Sanctuary Awards

What it gives
full tuition waiver
Full tuition fee waiver, for specified distance-learning Master's courses only
Who it is for
asylum seeker (claim pending) · recognised refugee status · humanitarian protection · limited or discretionary leave · indefinite leave to remain · Ukraine or Afghan scheme · BN(O) visa holder · stateless or s.67 “Dubs” arrivals
Level of study: taught postgraduate
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.
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.

  1. Apply for a place on one of the listed part-time distance-learning Master's programmes
  2. Once you hold an academic offer (conditional or unconditional), apply for the DL Sanctuary Award, selecting it as your funding source
  3. Send evidence of your current immigration status to dladmissions@leicester.ac.uk as soon as possible after applying
  4. No evidence of status? Email sanctuary@le.ac.uk to explain your situation
  5. Submit a supporting statement answering two prompts (250-300 words each)

What to prepare

  • Evidence of current immigration status, sent to dladmissions@leicester.ac.uk
  • Supporting statement covering educational journey/barriers and future ambitions (250-300 words each)
  • Evidence of previous qualifications where available (if unavailable, describe them in the personal statement instead)

How they select

application form · personal statement · 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
Rolling admissions
Where the date comes from: “Ongoing/rolling opportunity; latest listed intake deadline 6 Mar 2026 (Apr 2026 start)»
Deadline
Ongoing/rolling opportunity
When applications open
Reviewed roughly 4 weeks before each course start; for Oct 2025 start, deadline was 5 Sept 2025 9am; for Jan 2026 start, 5 Dec 2025 9am; for Apr 2026 start, 6 Mar 2026 9am — only unconditional-offer holders are considered at each panel

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.

  • Is the scholarship for one year or for the whole course?

Who to write to: sanctuary@le.ac.uk

If this scheme is not for you

About the institution

University of Leicester. The award is a full fee waiver only (does not cover optional campus-based activities) on the part-time version of specific distance-learning Master's programmes (e.g. Human Rights and Global Ethics MA, Security, Conflict and International Development MA, International Relations and World Order MA, Employment Law LLM, Museum Studies MA/MSc, Archaeology and Heritage MA, and others listed on the page). Applicants can be based anywhere in the world with internet access; eligibility for those outside the UK is decided case by case. Verbatim: 'if you are in the UK and able to access Student Finance, we would not prioritise your application' — applicants are told to use their personal statement to fully outline the barriers they still face.

Mostly school leavers. Only 9.3% of students are over 30. If you are over 35, look at other universities on the list — there are more adults there.

In detail about University of Leicester: 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 →

Applicant must already hold or be awaiting a decision on an offer for one of the specified distance-learning courses.