Equal Access Scholarship (Postgraduate)

What it gives

full tuition waiver · living costs

up to £14,880

Full fee waiver + maintenance award up to £14,880/year

Who it is for

limited or discretionary leave · indefinite leave to remain · humanitarian protection · asylum seeker (claim pending) · other categories — see terms · 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.

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.

Apply to the University of York for an eligible one-year postgraduate taught course and hold a conditional or unconditional 2026 offer
Submit the scholarship application online using your York Application ID (9 digits) from your offer letter
Provide evidence of your asylum status, e.g. a biometric residence permit or a UKVI share code
Answer three supporting questions, each 1,000–1,500 characters
You may be invited to an informal interview with the scholarship awarding panel

What to prepare

York Application ID (9 digits, from offer letter)
Evidence of asylum status, e.g. biometric residence permit or UKVI share code

How they select

application form · essay · interview

There is an interview here. It is a conversation about your situation and your study plans, not a subject exam: nobody tests the school syllabus or tries to catch you out. You can answer calmly, in your own words.

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: “18 May 2026, 9am BST, for 2026 entry»

Deadline

18 May 2026, 9am BST, for 2026 entry

When applications open

Deadline mid-May each year (2026: Monday 18 May, 9am BST); outcome by 1 June

How many places

For how many years

Given for one year. For the next year you have to apply again or find other support.

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 York — Heslington campus in York; the international office (international@york.ac.uk) administers the Equal Access Scholarship, sharing branding and process with the undergraduate version.

Mostly school leavers. Only 10.7% 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 York: 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 →

Excludes Hull York Medical School, 2-year LLB (Senior Status), and placement courses without right-to-work authorisation.