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University of Sussex · England · Brighton

Sanctuary Scholarship (Masters)

What it gives
full tuition waiver · living costs
up to £17,460
Full overseas tuition fee waiver + £17,460/year living costs + Sussexsport membership; household income must be under £35,000
Who it is for
asylum seeker (claim pending) · recognised refugee status · humanitarian protection · limited or discretionary leave · dependant of a person with status
Level of study: 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.

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. Accept an offer for an eligible Masters course at Sussex starting September 2026
  2. Apply for the Sanctuary Scholarship, providing evidence of forced-migrant/asylum status — a submitted (or dependant's) Home Office refugee application, granted limited leave to remain or humanitarian protection, or being the partner/child of an asylum seeker or unaccompanied asylum-seeking child
  3. Show household income under £35,000 and inability to access UK government student financial support because of immigration status

What to prepare

  • Evidence of forced migrant/asylum status
  • Evidence of household income under £35,000

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

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: “Deadline 1 June each year, 23:59»
Deadline
1 June 2026 for 2026/27 cycle (closed)
When applications open
Deadline 1 June each year, 23:59; decisions before the end of July
How many places
3 (shared across UG + Masters Sanctuary

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: scholarships@sussex.ac.uk

If this scheme is not for you

About the institution

University of Sussex — Falmer campus near Brighton; the scholarships team (scholarships@sussex.ac.uk) assesses eligibility via household-income and immigration-status evidence, sharing an application pool with the undergraduate Sanctuary Scholarship.

Mostly school leavers. Only 10.8% 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 Sussex: 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 →