University of Exeter Sanctuary Scholarship 2026

The Sanctuary Scholarship scheme enables individuals seeking asylum and refugees who are not able to access student finance to study at the University of Exeter.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineMay 1, 2026
• Study LevelPhD , Undergraduate , Masters
• SponsorUniversity of Exeter
• City to studyExeter
• School to studyUniversity of Exeter
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• Undergraduates – a full tuition fee waiver plus a grant for living costs of £11,500 for each year of study. An Access to Exeter Bursary of £2,300 per year is also awarded.
• Doctorate Students (STEM disciplines) - a full tuition fee waiver plus an annual living cost grant of £20,780*. A research allowance of £5,000 per year will also be paid.  All funding will normally be for a maximum of 3.5 years.
• Doctorate Students (HASS disciplines) - a full tuition fee waiver plus an annual living cost grant of £20,780*. A research allowance of £750 per year will also be paid. All funding will normally be for a maximum of 3 years.

Requirements

Sanctuary Scholarship applications will be considered from students applying to the following programmes:

• Full-time undergraduate degree programmes
• Full-time Doctorate level programmes (eg PhD, EngD, EdD, MPhil)

The following programmes are not eligible for Sanctuary Scholarship funding:

• BMBS Medicine – this is due to a cap imposed by the NHS on the number of home students we can recruit to the programme.  Any change to the fee status of a student during their studies would put the University in breach of this cap
• Any taught or research Masters programmes (eg MA, MSc, MRes, MbyRes)

As well as meeting the academic requirements for your chosen programme of study you will also need to demonstrate one of the following:

• You have submitted a claim for asylum within the UK and are awaiting a response (this includes submission of a fresh claim) or
• You have been granted Limited Leave to Remain (formerly Discretionary Leave to Remain) on the grounds of seeking protection in the UK and are not eligible for funding via Student Finance England or
• You have been awarded ‘Humanitarian Protection’ or Refugee status in the UK but are not eligible for funding via Student Finance England or
• You have left care in the UK and are assessed as international for tuition fee purposes and are not eligible for funding via Student Finance England or
• (For applicants to postgraduate research programmes only) You have been granted refugee status* by the UK Home Office or
• You are the family member of someone with one of the immigration statuses listed above with ‘in line’ or ‘dependent’ status

If you have been granted a visa under any of the Ukraine schemes and are currently resident in the UK, you will be eligible to apply for funding via Student Finance England, and so will not be eligible for this scholarship.  

Application Deadline

May 1, 2026

How To Apply

Are you qualified and interested in this opportunity? Kindly go to University of Exeter on funding.exeter.ac.uk to apply

For more details, visit University of Exeter scholarship webpage