Sanctuary Scholarships
Sanctuary Scholarships 2023/4
UEA is committed to helping reduce the barriers to participation in Higher Education (HE) faced by those seeking sanctuary in the UK. Sanctuary scholarships for the 2023/24 academic year are detailed below, including the UEA Sanctuary Scholarships and the Pre-sessional English Sanctuary Scholarships.
Please note that all scholarships are highly competitive but we encourage everyone who meets the eligibility criteria to apply.
If you have any queries relating to the Sanctuary Scholarships, please email: university.of.sanctuary@uea.ac.uk.

SCHOLARSHIPS
We welcome applications to this scholarship from anyone who is seeking sanctuary in the United Kingdom. For this scholarship you may have one of the following residency statuses:
- Refugee status AND Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- Five years' limited leave as a refugee, and intend to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- Humanitarian Protection (HP) AND Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- Humanitarian Protection (HP) for an initial period of five years’ limited leave, and intend to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- Discretionary Leave to Remain (DLR) OR Limited Leave to Remain
- Awaiting a decision on application for asylum OR in the appeals process
- Family member of one of the above and an application is dependent on theirs/ leave has been granted in line with theirs
You may have another forced-migration immigration status – please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss this.
Value of Scholarship award
The Scholarship awards the student honorary Home fee status and pays for:
Undergraduate level: the Home rate (£9,250* per annum) and an annual bursary (£9000) for up to four years of study.
Postgraduate taught level: the Home rate (£9,500* per annum) and an annual bursary (£9000) for one year of study.
Postgraduate research level: the Home rate (£4,500* per annum) for three years of study and an annual bursary (£9000) for three years of study plus an additional bursary for the year of thesis write-up (post registration), and an annual bench fee (to be agreed with Sanctuary budget holder).
To be eligible for this Scholarship, applicants must:
1. Have applied for a place at UEA and met the offer conditions
2. Can provide evidence of your background of seeking sanctuary (and hold one of the residence statuses discussed above or another immigration status which clearly relates to your status as seeking sanctuary). You may need to provide evidence such as your Bail 201 letter detailing any restrictions
3. Have an immigration status which allows you to study for the duration of your course. If your immigration permission changes so that you are not allowed to study, we may have to cancel the scholarship
4. Not apply for the MB/BS course at the Norwich Medical School
Preference will be based upon:
1. Being unable to access mainstream funding, for example from Student Finance England or a local authority grant due to your immigration status
2. Living in the East of England Region
We will still consider applications forms which do not meet the preference criteria.
The selection panel will take the following factors into consideration:
1. Barriers to accessing higher education
2. Academic Potential and ambitions for the future
3. Potential contribution to the UEA and local community
Terms and Conditions
The full Terms and Conditions can be found here.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The deadline for applications to the Sanctuary Scholarships is 31 May 2023.
APPLY HERE
In partnership with INTO UEA, a Pre-sessional English scholarship is available to applicants whose standard of English does not meet UEA’s course requirements. The award includes a bursary of up to £1000 to cover living expenses whilst undertaking the course.
To be eligible for this Scholarship, applicants must:
1. Have applied for a place at UEA and met the offer conditions, except for the English language requirement;
2. Have applied for a place at INTO Norwich’s pre-sessional English course and met INTO’s offer conditions.
3. Be recognised by the UK government as either: a Refugee, Humanitarian Protection, an asylum seeker, or discretionary leave, or be of another forced-migration immigration status.
Value of Pre-Sessional English Award
1. The Scholarship pays for a pre-sessional course at INTO Norwich.
2. A bursary of up to £1000 is also available to cover costs whilst studying the pre-sessional course.
Terms and Conditions
The full Terms and Conditions can be found here.
Please note, you do not need to complete a separate application form for this scholarship. Please highlight on the main Sanctuary Scholarship application form whether you would like to access the Pre-sessional scholarship.
Please note that all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their submission by early July 2023.
ADDITIONAL SANCTUARY SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT
All applicants to the University of East Anglia will be asked to demonstrate an acceptable level of English language before they can be admitted onto any course or programme. For further guidance on the minimum entry levels for the university, please click here.
The University of East Anglia accepts a selection of English language tests, including Duolingo. The Duolingo English language test is an online test which can be taken anytime, anywhere. The test is one hour long and the results take two days to be processed.
Duolingo English Test Access Programme
As a University of Sanctuary, we are delighted to be taking part in the Duolingo English Test Access Programme which offers a set number of free English language test places for students from a forced migration background. To find out more about Duolingo, including further
guidance on preparing for the test, please click here.
To access your free test place, please email: university.of.sanctuary@uea.ac.uk.
Sanctuary Scholarship Application Support Sessions
One to one support sessions offering guidance and advice on how to write strong supporting statements are available for sanctuary scholarship applicants. To find out more and to book your session, please email: university.of.sanctuary@uea.ac.uk
Preparing for University-Online Course
UEA offers a free online course which explores the following areas:
- the skills needed to do well at university
- engage with the key skills required for success at university
- identify with what university lecturers have to say about skills their students excel at or struggle with
- explore what lecturers value in their students
- collect top tips for coping with the university learning environment
This free online course can be completed over a six week period. To find out more and sign up click here.