Sanctuary Scholarships
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.
- Submit your degree programme application: via UCAS for undergraduate, or directly on the Reading website for postgraduate/foundation
- Also apply for government student financial support if eligible, in case your Sanctuary Scholarship application is unsuccessful
- Submit the Sanctuary Scholarship application online via the Reading website, or complete the downloadable form and email it to refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk — it is a short form and does not require a personal statement or a reference
- Provide immigration documents confirming eligibility (asylum seeker status, refugee status, humanitarian protection, or a qualifying visa scheme) when Reading requests them
- If your course offer is conditional, meet the conditions by Thursday 3 September 2026 to receive the award
- Winners announced 27 May 2026, 17:00
What to prepare
- Immigration documents confirming eligibility (asylum seeker status, refugee status, humanitarian protection, or qualifying visa scheme)
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
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?
- Is the scholarship for one year or for the whole course?
Who to write to: refugeescholarship@reading.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 Reading — Whiteknights campus in Reading, Berkshire; the Admissions Office (refugeescholarship@reading.ac.uk) administers Sanctuary Scholarships across Foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate taught levels, with an advisory panel giving preference to local applicants.
Adults are a visible share. Roughly one student in four is over 30 (22.8%), and 30.9% are over 25.
In detail about University of Reading: 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 →
Award tier depends on immigration-status access to finance, not a strict exclusion — refugees with SF access still get £5k/yr cash.