Sanctuary Scholarships

What it gives

full tuition waiver · living costs

Fee waiver + partial bursary; individual support packages confirmed after assessment, no fixed figure published

Who it is for

asylum seeker (claim pending) · limited or discretionary leave · other categories — see terms

Level of study: undergraduate, taught postgraduate, research 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 your degree at Leicester and receive an offer of a place plus your student number
Check you meet eligibility (asylum claim in progress/appeal, or Discretionary/Limited Leave via an asylum claim)
Send evidence of your identity/immigration status to the relevant admissions email by 11.59pm 19 Apr 2026
Complete the Sanctuary Scholarship application form in full by the same 19 April 2026 deadline
If shortlisted (notified by 1 May), attend a Welfare Service assessment meeting 5-22 May 2026
University runs an Immigration History Check during the Welfare Service stage
Provisional scholarship offer outcome notified by 29 May 2026
Meet all outstanding course conditions by 13 Sept 2026, or the scholarship offer is withdrawn

What to prepare

Share Code
Asylum Registration Card (ARC)
Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), even if expired
BAIL 201 (must not carry a 'No Study' condition)
If none available: an expired passport or driving licence plus recent Home Office correspondence; solicitor's letters not accepted

How they select

application form · evidence of circumstances · interview

There is an interview here. It is a conversation about your situation and your study plans, not a subject exam: nobody tests the school syllabus or tries to catch you out. You can answer calmly, in your own words.

Dates

Can you apply now · as of 6 September 2026

2026/27 round closed · next date not announced

Next year's round usually opens in winter or spring. Write to the university early: ask for the date and to be added to their mailing list.

Where the date comes from: “19 April 2026 for September 2026 entry»

Deadline

19 April 2026 for September 2026 entry

When applications open

For September entry each year: documents/form due 19 April, Welfare Service stage in May, outcome by 29 May

How many places

up to 4

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.

What happens to the payments if I am granted refugee status mid-year?

Who to write to: sanctuary@le.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

University of Leicester, England; holder of the University of Sanctuary award. Up to 4 scholarships/year (2 undergraduate on 3-year programmes only, 1 Taught Master's, 1 PhD with 3 years' funding), September/Year 1 entry only, full-time study only. Content on this postgraduate page is identical to Leicester's undergraduate Sanctuary Scholarships page — it is the same single scheme covering all three levels.

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

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 of le.ac.uk was blocked (403); record based on aggregator's rendered extraction plus WebSearch confirming the page exists. Recommend manual re-check before publishing.