Sanctuary Scholarship

What it gives

full tuition waiver · living costs · equipment and study costs

up to £5,000

Full fee waiver + bursary up to £5,000/year, plus a separate up-to-£5,000/year study-costs support package

Who it is for

asylum seeker (claim pending) · humanitarian protection · dependant of a person with status

Level of study: foundation year, 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 firm offer on an undergraduate programme at Winchester
Complete the Sanctuary Award Application Form (September 2026 entry) via the Office Forms link on the page
Submit recent Home Office evidence that your asylum claim is under consideration, your ARC card, and your Bail 201 form showing your permitted conditions of stay/study
Priority is given to applicants within a 25-mile commuting radius of Winchester
Award is paid in three instalments across the academic year

What to prepare

ARC (Application Registration Card)
Bail 201 form showing study conditions

How they select

application form · evidence of circumstances · automatic, no separate application

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: “an aggregator cites 26 June 2026»

Deadline

26 June 2026 for September 2026 entry (date per aggregator; institution's own page did not show an explicit date at time of check)

When applications open

For September entry; no fixed annual deadline stated on the institution's own page (an aggregator cites 26 June 2026)

How many places

up to 2

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 Winchester, Hampshire (postcode SO22 4NR).

There are adults, but they are a minority. 17.6% of students are over 30 and 23.5% are over 25 — an average picture for a UK university.

In detail about University of Winchester: 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 →

Priority within 25 miles of campus; excludes Ukrainian nationals (already Student Finance-eligible) and BSc Physiotherapy/BN Nursing/BSc Nutrition & Dietetics.