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Sanctuary Scholarships
Kingston University has four fee-remitted Sanctuary Scholarships available each academic year for Asylum Seeking applicants with no access to Student Finance. This is in support of STAR's Equal Access Campaign which aims to create scholarship pathways to provide higher education to refugees and asylum seekers who have fled persecution and sought asylum in the UK.
Awards for students seeking sanctuary
We currently offer:
- Four full fee-remitted places each year to successful undergraduate applicants
- An annual £5,000 bursary to support students with living costs
- A place on our KU Cares Scheme, which includes a designated member of staff to provide support, guidance and opportunities throughout your studies.
To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, applicants must meet all the following criteria:
- An asylum seeker through forced migration
- Ineligible to apply for Student Finance due to asylum status
- Holding an offer for an undergraduate course at Kingston University for the forthcoming academic year
(Undergraduate courses including an integrated foundation year are permitted.)
Applications for September 2025 open in January 2025.
University of Sanctuary
As a University we are working towards becoming a University of Sanctuary. A University of Sanctuary is a place where everyone feels safe, welcome and able to pursue their right to education.
The award is given to Higher Education institutions that seek to foster a culture of awareness and inclusivity, and can provide evidence of their commitment to developing initiatives that align with three core principles: learn, embed, and share.
Universities of Sanctuary is an initiative to recognise and celebrate the good practice of universities welcoming people seeking sanctuary into their communities, through facilitated access to higher education (HE), supporting local refugee communities, and taking an active role in learning about the issues and obstacles faced by this group in pursuing HE.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a University of Sanctuary, you can read some short case studies in the University of Sanctuary resource pack.
More information
Sanctuary Scholarships at Kingston University are extremely competitive, we would encourage applicants to research other funding opportunities in addition to making an application.
