Postgraduates
Sanctuary Scholarships
The University of Leicester is proud to have obtained the University of Sanctuary award.
We believe that higher education should be accessible to all based on merit alone, and are pleased to offer up to four Sanctuary Scholarships to help reduce the barriers to participation in higher education faced by those seeking asylum in the UK.
Each Sanctuary Scholarship consists of a tuition fee waiver, and a support package to be confirmed following assessment with our Welfare Service.
The Scholarships will be awarded to up to four applicants wishing to begin their studies at the University of Leicester in September 2025 who can demonstrate that they have the ability to succeed academically, but face barriers to that success.
The awards
The number of awards available are:
- 2 x Undergraduate awards (3-year programmes only)
- 1 x Taught Masters award
- 1 x PhD award (3 years of funding)
Eligibility
- Candidates must hold an offer of a place to study full-time at the University of Leicester beginning in September 2025
- Candidates must not be prohibited from studying in the UK
- Candidates must be in the UK:
- waiting for the outcome of an initial asylum claim or having submitted an appeal or fresh asylum claim following an asylum refusal
- or having been granted Discretionary or Limited Leave to remain in the UK, following an application for asylum in the UK
- Candidates must be unable to access mainstream funding in the UK, e.g. Student Finance
- Candidates must have provided evidence of their current immigration status in the UK to the Admissions Team by the deadline of 11.59pm on 30 April 2025 (for Undergraduate, please send them to admissions@le.ac.uk; for Postgraduate, please send them to pgadmissions@le.ac.uk)
- Candidates must have completed the sanctuary scholarship application form fully (see below) by the deadline of 11.59pm on 30 April 2025 to be considered for the scholarship.
- Please note, priority will be given to candidates who:
- live locally in Leicester or at short commuting distance
- have not previously obtained a degree at the same level
Caveats and exclusions
- The scholarship is for September 2025 entry only: the award cannot be deferred to a different intake.
- The scholarship is for Year 1 entry of a degree course at the University of Leicester.
- The scholarship cannot be used for any NHS-funded courses (e.g. Medicine MBChB).
- The scholarship cannot be used for Distance Learning, Certificate or Diploma courses (for information about DL Sanctuary Awards, please refer to our academic scholarships and home fees page).
- The scholarship can only be used for full-time study.
Application timeline
- 11.59pm on 30 April 2025 – application deadline for Stage 1
- By 16 May 2025 – we will notify all applicants as to whether they have progressed to Stage 2 or whether their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion
- Between 19 and 23 May 2025 – applicants who have progressed to Stage 2 will have a meeting with our Welfare Service to determine their needs and suitability for the scholarship
- By 30 May 2025 – we will notify all candidates who have progressed to Stage 2 whether they have been provisionally offered a Sanctuary Scholarship or not
- By 14 September 2025 – successful candidates need to meet all outstanding course conditions by this date, otherwise the scholarship offer will be withdrawn. Candidates may then ask Admissions to defer their course offer to the next academic year, but they would need to reapply for the scholarship itself.
Application checklist
Have you:
- applied for your degree programme at the University of Leicester?
- received an offer of a place to study and your student number?
- checked that you are eligible for this scholarship (see Eligibility section above)?
- completed the Sanctuary Scholarship application form fully (please see below) and submitted by 11.59pm on 30 April 2025?
- submitted your most recent immigration documents to Admissions by 11.59pm on 30 April 2025?