Sanctuary Scholarship

What it gives

full tuition waiver · application support · equipment and study costs · travel costs

Full fee waiver + unspecified 'financial support towards study costs' (books/IT/travel), no fixed cash figure published

Who it is for

asylum seeker (claim pending) · humanitarian protection · limited or discretionary leave · dependant of a person with status

Level of study: undergraduate

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.

Hold a conditional or unconditional offer to study an undergraduate degree at Portsmouth starting September 2026
Email sanctuary@port.ac.uk to request the application form (applications open from January 2026)
Complete the form, including a written response on how studying at Portsmouth and winning the scholarship would prepare you for your future
Provide a referee's name and contact details from a school, college, community or voluntary group, plus a copy of your Portsmouth offer letter and evidence of your current immigration status
Submit the completed form and documents by 5pm on 30 April 2026
Decisions are notified by the end of June 2026

What to prepare

Copy of University of Portsmouth offer letter
Referee name and contact details (school, college, community or voluntary group)
Evidence of current immigration status

How they select

application form · references · 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

Opens: January 2027

Where the date comes from: “close 30 April 5pm...Applications open January...for September entry each year»

Deadline

5pm 30 April 2026 for September 2026 entry (closed); decisions by end June 2026

When applications open

Applications open January, close 30 April 5pm, for September entry each year; usually only one scholarship awarded per year

How many places

usually 1

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@port.ac.uk / +44 (0)23 9284 3072

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 Portsmouth, on the south coast of England.

There are adults, but they are a minority. 16.8% of students are over 30 and 27.1% are over 25 — an average picture for a UK university.

In detail about University of Portsmouth: 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 →

Must hold Portsmouth UG offer, live within commutable distance, and attend a referencing school/college/community group.