Sanctuary Scholarships

What it gives

full tuition waiver · living costs · application support

up to £4,000

£4,000/yr towards study costs + full tuition fee waiver + 1:1 personalised support

Who it is for

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

This scheme does not accept recognised refugee status — its terms narrow the field of applicants.

Level of study: 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.

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.

Secure a conditional or unconditional offer for an undergraduate or postgraduate course at York St John University
Be currently attending a school, college, community or voluntary group that can provide a supporting reference for the application
Refer to the scholarship guidance notes before completing the application
Applications for the 2026 Sanctuary Scholarship open 'at the end of the year' (i.e. late 2025 for 2026 entry)
Email sanctuary@yorksj.ac.uk with any eligibility questions

What to prepare

Supporting reference from a school, college, community or voluntary group

How they select

application form · references

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

Dates not published — ask the university

The provider's page gives no date. Write to them — it is the first question in the list below.

Where the date comes from: “Opens 'end of year' for the following year's entry — no specific month/season named»

Deadline

2026/27 cycle: applications open 'end of year' (late 2025); exact deadline not confirmable — direct page fetch returned no body content (JS-rendered)

When applications open

Opens 'end of year' for the following year's entry (2026 cycle opens late 2025); a prior cycle's deadline was 2 May 2025

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: sanctuary@yorksj.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

York St John University, based in York, England, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses; the scholarship covers tuition fees, funding and personalised support for students who have sought refuge in the UK.

There are adults, but they are a minority. 14.5% of students are over 30 and 31.6% are over 25 — an average picture for a UK university.

In detail about York St John University: 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 →

Confirmed via search-engine quote of official site content, not a direct page fetch (page returned only nav/JS shell to WebFetch); aggregator also claims PG availability, unconfirmed on own site.