Academic scholarships and home fees

Refugee and Humanitarian Protection

Students with Refugee or Humanitarian Protection status qualify for Home tuition fee rates.

Asylum seeker, DLR and LLR

The University of Leicester charges Home tuition fee rates for students with Asylum Seeker status, and for students who got Discretionary Leave to Remain (DLR) or Limited Leave to Remain (LLR) as a result of an asylum application.

Please email Admissions (admissions@le.ac.uk for undergraduate, pgadmissions@le.ac.uk for postgraduate) including your name, student number and proof of status to make sure you are charged the correct fee amount.

Ukraine schemes

From 1 August 2022, if you have been granted leave under the Homes for Ukraine or Ukraine Family schemes, or under the Ukraine Extension scheme, and have been a resident in the UK, you will be treated the same as a UK resident for higher education fees and funding. You will also qualify for advanced learner loans for further education courses. You do not need to demonstrate three years ordinary residence in the UK before the start of your course, but you will need to show that you have been resident in the UK since your leave was granted.

Sanctuary Scholarships (general)

Each Sanctuary Scholarship consists of a tuition fee waiver for a campus-based academic programme, and a support package to be confirmed following assessment with our Welfare Service. The number of awards available are:

• 2 x Undergraduate awards
• 1 x Taught Masters award
• 1 x PhD award.

Deadline for applications: 14 June 2023

You can find more information about these Sanctuary scholarships (and other scholarships) in the scholarships and discounts section of our website.

Leicester Global Studies Centre Sanctuary Scholarship

This LGSC Sanctuary Scholarship consists of a tuition fee waiver for a one-year full-time campus-based International Foundation Programme. There is one scholarship available per academic year.

Deadline for applications: 6 August 2023

You can find more information about this on the LGSC Sanctuary Scholarship web page, and there is more information about the eligible programmes on the International Foundation Programme web pages.

Ukraine Conflict Sanctuary Scholarships

This Sanctuary Scholarship offers an opportunity to study at the University of Leicester in the academic year 2023/24 for students from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus whose access to higher education has been significantly restricted due to displacement and/or at risk of persecution, violence or conflict.

Each scholarship consists of a tuition fee waiver for a campus-based academic programme, and an annual stipend. The awards are for study on the following types of programme:

• Undergraduate
• Taught Masters
• PhD

A number of scholarships will be prioritised for STEM subjects, in particular for Mathematics and Physics. 

Deadline for applications: 11.59pm on 17 May 2023.

You can find more information about the Ukraine Conflict Sanctuary Scholarships (and other scholarships) in the scholarships and discounts section of our website.

School of History, Politics and International Relations (HyPIR)

1 full fee waiver on 5 distance learning master degree programmes twice a year (up to 10 scholarships per year):

• Human Rights and Global Ethics MA by distance learning
• Intelligence and Security MA by distance learning
• International Relations and World Order MA by distance learning
• The Politics of Conflict and Violence MA by distance learning
• Security, Conflict and International Development MA by distance learning

You can find more information about these scholarships on HyPIR's Sanctuary scholarships for distance learning master programmes page, and you can find out more about the department on the HyPIR webpages.

School of Business Distance Learning Masters Sanctuary Scholarship

The University of Leicester’s School of Business (ULSB) is offering two full fee waivers from a choice of two distance learning master degree programmes twice a year (up to four scholarships per year – with October and April entry points):

• Human Resource Management and Training MSc by distance learning
• Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management MSc by distance learning

You can find more information about these scholarships on the ULSB Sanctuary scholarships for distance learning master programmes page, and you can find out more about the department on the ULSB webpages. 

Ukraine Conflict Distance Learning Sanctuary Scholarship

What is it?

This Sanctuary Scholarship offers an opportunity to study at the University of Leicester via distance learning for students whose access to higher education has been significantly restricted due to the conflict in Ukraine.

The scholarship provides a full fee waiver.

Applicants can be based anywhere in the world and hold any nationality but must be able to demonstrate that the conflict in Ukraine has created a barrier to higher education for them. Applicants must have regular access to the internet. We welcome applications from those who were displaced from Ukraine but did not qualify for the Homes for Ukraine scheme in the UK. We will determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

Look at our Ukraine Conflict Distance Learning Sanctuary Scholarships web pages to find out more about these scholarships. 

We offer a wide range of opportunities and scholarships for students from refugee backgrounds to improve their general and academic English. You can find out more about these on our English language classes and support web pages.

CELTA Sanctuary Scholarship

1 full fee waiver per face-to-face CELTA course, including the 5-week intensive, the 10-week semi-intensive and the 20-week extensive course.

CELTA is an initial teacher training qualification for people who wish to enter the field of teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Learn more about CELTA.

Learn more about the CELTA Sanctuary Scholarship fee waiver

We offer a range of other scholarships which are not specifically for refugee-background students, but which some refugee-background students may be eligible to apply for. You can read about these on our scholarships and discounts page.

There are many other university scholarships and discounts available to refugee-background students across the UK. You can find many of these on the Student Action for Refugees and the Displaced Student Opportunities UK websites.