Overview
We’re happy to provide one taught postgraduate student seeking asylum in the UK with an Equal Access Scholarship. Please be aware that before submitting an application for this scholarship, you must have applied to the University of York.
The scholarship provides:
- a full fee waiver (you will not need to pay any tuition fees)
- a maintenance award of up to £14,880 to help with living costs.
We are thankful that the University of York achieved a ‘University of Sanctuary’ award in 2020 in recognition of our efforts to welcome refugees and asylum seekers into our community. The award, led by the charity City of Sanctuary, recognizes the efforts of the University’s students and staff to welcome forced migrants into the community and promote a culture of inclusion.
Our Equal Access Scholarships support asylum-seeking students to access higher education, and we also provide bursaries for refugee students and dedicated advice and support for all sanctuary-seeking students and applicants.
Open to students from International (non-EU) residing and seeking sanctuary in the UK only.
To be considered for the scholarship you must:
- have a conditional or unconditional offer from the University of York for 2023 for a one-year postgraduate course
- have applied for asylum before you have applied for a place at the university
- Not access to mainstream funding eg student finance or a local authority grant.
Your current immigration status can be described as one of the following:
- Discretionary/Limited Leave to Remain (DLR/LLR)
- Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- Humanitarian Protection (HP)
- awaiting a decision on an application for refugee status
- leave as an Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child (UASC leave)
- Refused Asylum Seeker – your application for refugee status has been refused and you have submitted an appeal or a fresh claim
- a dependent or partner of any of the above status groups
If you have already been granted Refugee Status or Humanitarian Protection Status, you may be eligible for financial support from Student Finance England (gov.uk).
Eligibility
You will not be eligible if you:
- are applying to study a course at the Hull York Medical School
- are applying for the two-year LLB (Hons) Law (Senior Status)
- are applying for the two-year MSc Nursing (Mental Health) or MSc Nursing (Adult)
- are applying for a course that includes work placements and you do not currently have a right to work in the UK.
Before applying to study at the University of York you should carefully consider the documentation you have received from the Home Office in relation to your asylum. Please be aware that some programs require you to undertake work placements that may not be permitted under the terms of your documentation. If you require any advice, please contact us at equal-access-scholarships
Asylum seekers without permission to work are advised to seek legal advice if they are considering undertaking a course that includes a work placement. It is very unlikely that the asylum seeker will be able to undertake a placement as part of a course, whether that placement is unpaid, paid, or has an attached training allowance, without first obtaining permission to work. In any case, they should not start the course without obtaining the advice of their immigration lawyer or Home Office case owner, as they might need to have the conditions changed and/or any allowances might impact their entitlement to financial support.