Sanctuary Scholarships

What it gives

full tuition waiver · living costs

up to £10,300

£10,300/yr living-cost award + full tuition fee waiver

Who it is for

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

Level of study: undergraduate, 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.

Get an offer from Sheffield for an undergraduate or postgraduate taught course starting September 2026
Complete the personal details form answering the scholarship questions
Get a referee's supporting statement (max 750 words) from a school, college or community/voluntary group
Submit all Home Office correspondence relating to your asylum claim
Complete and attach the Client Care, Data Confidentiality, Responsibility and Service Agreement Form 2026
Submit everything before 1pm Monday 29 June 2026

What to prepare

Personal details / scholarship questions form
Referee supporting statement (max 750 words)
All Home Office correspondence relating to the asylum claim
Client Care, Data Confidentiality, Responsibility and Service Agreement Form 2026

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

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: “1pm Monday 29 June 2026»

Deadline

1pm Monday 29 June 2026 for 2026 entry (closed)

When applications open

2026 entry deadline: 1pm Monday 29 June 2026

How many places

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 Sheffield, a Russell Group university based in Sheffield.

Mostly school leavers. Only 9.4% 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 Sheffield: 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 →

PhD/doctoral candidates explicitly excluded. Applicant must be ineligible for any UK funding agency support and for other university scholarships.