Sanctuary scholarships

These scholarships will be awarded to access and taught postgraduate students who are seeking asylum or staying in the UK on humanitarian grounds.

Key facts

Fee status

All fee statuses

Your country/region

All international

Level

Postgraduate (taught), Access courses

Number of awards

Multiple

Value of awards

Tuition fees plus costs up to £3,000

Deadline

Deadline for the current round of applications has passed. We're waiting on funding confirmation for the next round.

Sanctuary scholarships for access courses and taught postgraduate courses

Deadlines for applications for September 2025 start dates is Wednesday 25 June 2025.

The scholarship includes a fee waiver (until such time as the student is eligible to receive support from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) or an equivalent body). It also includes support, generally in the form of in-kind contributions, to help students meet travel and other essential study costs, up to a value of:

  • £2,000 for access programmes
  • £3,000 for postgraduate programmes

There are only a limited number of scholarships available each year. The scholarships are allocated depending on the number and quality of applications received. This means that meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee you will be awarded a scholarship. We usually receive a much higher number of applications than the number of scholarships available, especially for postgraduate programmes.

Eligibility and availability

Applications will be considered from potential students who:

  • are already in the UK; and
  • have applied for a place on a  postgraduate taught or access programme at the University of Stirling for 2025-2026; and
  • did not enter the UK on a Student Route visa; and
  • have an official Home Office status that is one of the following:
    • asylum seeker;
    • refugee;
    • humanitarian protection with forced migration background;
    • limited leave to remain with forced migration background;
    • discretionary leave to remain with forced migration.

Housing costs are not covered by the scholarship, and applicants must live within a commutable distance of the university at the point of application.

How to apply

Please complete the application form and return to our Widening Participation team at wp@stir.ac.uk by 25 June 2025.

Other sources of support

If you are looking for financial support for undergraduate courses, the Student Action for Refugees website has information about nationwide scholarships and other grants. 

Some displaced students may be eligible for support from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) – please check their website for latest information.

Contact us

Potential applicants should contact the Student Recruitment Team (Scotland Widening Participation). If you call 01786 467046, please ask to speak to Student Recruitment Team for Scotland Widening Participation.