Sanctuary Scholarship

Applicants must meet all the following criteria to be considered eligible to apply for the Swansea University Sanctuary Scholarship.

You are one of the following:

• You are a Person Seeking Asylum in the UK
• You have been granted discretionary leave to remain or Humanitarian Protection
• You are the partner/dependent included on the application of an asylum seeker in the UK

Please note: Spouses/civil partners must have been the spouse/civil partner of the applicant on the date on which the asylum application was made. Children/step-children must have been aged under 18 on the date on which the asylum application was made.

AND

• You are currently in the UK
• You have a conditional or unconditional offer from Swansea University for entry in September 2025 onto a postgraduate taught master’s degree course.
• You meet the minimum IELTS requirement attached to your offer of a place on the course, and all other conditions of your offer, and you agree to undertake a Swansea University specific language test to determine your IELTS status as part of the application process if required.
• You have been assessed by the University’s Admissions Team as a person seeking asylum and therefore classified as an international student.
• You have been assessed by the University’s Compliance and International Team as a person seeking asylum with the right to study in the UK
• You are currently attending a school, college, community or voluntary group, which can provide a reference in support of your application
• You have a UK bank account
• Please note that priority will be given to candidates who have not previously obtained a degree at the same level.

Applicants must meet ALL of these strict eligibility criteria and be in a position to verify their circumstances in order to apply before the scholarship closing date of 4pm on Thursday 31st  July 2025. Applicants who do not meet all of the criteria will not be considered eligible for the scholarship. Applicants who are unsure of their eligibility to apply are encouraged to contact Sanctuary@Swansea.ac.uk for further guidance.

An eligible postgraduate taught master’s programme is a full-time or part-time degree leading to an MA/MSc/LLM qualification. Offer holders on the following degree programmes are eligible to apply for the Sanctuary Scholarship:

• Full-time taught master’s programmes.
• Part-time taught master’s programmes (for part-time programmes, financial support is offered on a pro-rata basis).

*Please note that all NHS sponsored master's degree programmes, including Nursing, Healthcare Science and Medicine are not eligible. Courses that include travel abroad and/or work placements are not eligible. Please see Sanctuary Scholarship Terms & Conditions for more information on eligible programmes.

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees.

A grant is available to help towards living and study costs and is capped at £12,000 for the duration of the course, paid as a regular stipend.

Dates of relevant payments will be confirmed once the sucessful applicants are notified.

Applicants must be unable to access mainstream funding in the Uk. 

You will firstly need to hold a conditional or unconditional offer to study at Swansea University on an eligible master’s course. 

Future Learn provides a free online course to help asylum seekers through the application process of applying to a UK university.

Applicants must apply before the application deadline of 4pm on Thursday 31st July 2025. Please read the Sanctuary Scholarship Guidance Notes before completing your application.

To apply, complete and submit the following to Sanctuary@swansea.ac.uk:

• Application form - Please email us to request this.
• A personal statement
• A copy of your Swansea University offer letter
• A letter of reference from a person of good standing who is aware of your circumstances and can verify your suitability to study a Postgraduate Taught Masters’ degree (for example a teacher or former teacher, a member of a community group or organisation that has been supporting you, etc).
• Evidence of your current immigration status/pending status*

*Eligibility to apply for the scholarship is contingent upon successful confirmation of the student’s immigration status at the time of application, and the successful scholarship recipient will be required to reconfirm their immigration status prior to enrolment on their postgraduate taught master’s degree.

Applicants will be notified if their application meets the eligibility criteria within 10 days of the final deadline of the 21st July 2025.

Once approved, applications will be put forward for assessment by the Sanctuary Scholarship Review Panel. Applicants may be required to attend an interview.

Please note that this is a competitive process, and consequently not all applications will be successful. All students have the right to appeal decisions made regarding their eligibility to apply for the Sanctuary Scholarship - please contact Sanctuary@Swansea.ac.uk for further details. Appeals must be submitted within 3 working days of the application being rejected, and must be supported by relevant evidence.

Decisions made by the Compliance and International Team regarding students’ immigration status and right to study in the UK are final, unless you are able to provide new evidence for your current legal right to remain and study in the UK.

For Sanctuary Scholarship queries or further information on the scholarship application process, please contact the Participation Team via Sanctuary@swansea.ac.uk.

For course application process queries, please contact the Admissions Team: admissions@swansea.ac.uk.   

For immigration status or eligibility to study as an asylum seeker, please contact the International@CampusLife Team: international.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk. 

For IELTS score queries, please contact the English Language Training Services Team elts@swansea.ac.uk.