SOAS, University of London
There is a support scheme for refugees and asylum seekers here — up to £12,000. Below: who it is for, how to apply, and how it feels here as an adult student.
How it feels here as an adult
Only 12% of students are over 30. If you are over 35, look at other universities on the list — there are more adults there.
HESA · Table 3 — HE student enrolments by HE provider and age group, 2024/25 · Counts every student at the provider, including postgraduate, distance and partner programmes. Source
Can you study alongside work
Among undergraduate programmes in the official database there is no part-time option — full-time only.
Discover Uni publishes undergraduate programmes only — postgraduate study is not in the database, so “full-time only” here means undergraduate. Part-time does not always mean evening classes: check the timetable with the university. Source: Discover Uni — the official database of UK university courses; downloaded 22 August 2026.
What the university gives
SOAS Sanctuary Scholarships 2026/27
up to £12,000Open to applicants who do receive student finance. Gives: full tuition waiver · living costs.
Dates: 3 July 2026, 12:00 noon, for 2026/27 (page text also references 'September 2025 entry' - possible stale wording)
If you are an asylum seeker
While there is no decision on your claim, government student finance is closed to you. That is the rule in England; in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland funding works differently and the decision belongs to the local agency rather than SFE. Universities decide the tuition rate differently: some will treat you as “overseas”, the expensive rate, and some charge asylum seekers the home rate. Ask about this first — the answer changes the sum several times over. The main road here is still one: a scholarship from the university itself, created for people in your position.
- SOAS Sanctuary Scholarships 2026/27 — up to £12,000
Check separately college and ESOL: in England free English classes are normally available after six months of waiting for a decision, and it does not affect a future university application.
If you have refugee status
With recognised refugee status or humanitarian protection you pay the home fee rate and can access student finance from day one: the three-year residence rule does not apply to these statuses (Education (Student Support) Regulations, Schedule 1). That changes the picture: the loan covers tuition, and a scholarship is no longer instead of it but on top — for living costs, housing, a laptop. Schemes marked “only if student finance is not available to you” will normally turn you down, and that is about the scheme's condition, not about you.
- SOAS Sanctuary Scholarships 2026/27 — up to £12,000
If you only have a school certificate
That is a normal starting point, not a problem. A school certificate from another country is rarely treated as equivalent to British school qualifications, so the way into university runs through a foundation year — a preparatory year inside the university — or through Access to HE at a college.
On most of these routes there are no subject entrance exams: the exceptions are medicine, dentistry and creative courses, where tests or portfolios do appear. The main thing you will have to prove is English: usually IELTS or an equivalent, and sometimes a college result is enough. An interview is not required everywhere, and where it happens it is a conversation about your plans, not a test of knowledge. Step by step — in the route guide.
What to ask the university
- How will you decide my fee status given my immigration status — home or overseas?
- Does the scholarship still apply if a decision on my claim arrives mid-year?
- Do I need an offer for the programme before applying for the scholarship?
- What English qualifications do you accept besides IELTS?
Who to write to: scholarships@soas.ac.uk
Every fact on this page is checked against the university's own site and official sources; the check date is shown with each scheme. All universities with support schemes · All schemes · Education hub