Sanctuary Scholarships
Sanctuary Scholarships 2025/6
UEA is committed to helping reduce the barriers to participation in Higher Education (HE) faced by those seeking sanctuary in the UK. Information about the UEA Sanctuary scholarships for the 2025/26 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: m.dutton@uea.ac.uk

UEA SANCTUARY SCHOLARSHIP
The UEA Sanctuary Scholarships
We welcome applications to these scholarships from anyone who is seeking sanctuary in the United Kingdom. For this scholarship applicants may have one of the following residency statuses:
- Asylum seeker
- Limited or Discretionary Leave to Remain
- Refugee
- Humanitarian Protection
- Indefinite Leave to Remain
- Ukraine schemes
- Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)
- Other forms of sanctuary (including Calais Leave, Section 67 Leave, UASC Leave and Stateless Leave)
Applicants may have another immigration status which relates to their status as seeking sanctuary. 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 (£9,535* per annum) and an annual bursary (£9000) for up to four years of study.
- Postgraduate taught level: the Home rate (£10,675* per annum) and an annual bursary (£9000) for one year of study.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this Scholarship, applicants must:
- Have applied for a place at UEA for a full-time undergraduate or full-time postgraduate taught masters course and have met the offer conditions.
- Provide evidence of their background of seeking sanctuary in the UK. They should hold one of the residence statuses discussed above or another immigration status which clearly relates to their status of seeking sanctuary. They will need to provide evidence of their background of seeking sanctuary,such as a Bail 201 letter detailing any restrictions.
- Not apply for the MB/BS course at the Norwich Medical School.
- If the applicant is applying for any UEA course which includes a placement component, they need to ensure that their immigration status will allow them to undertake placements.
- Declare all previous study completed in a higher education setting.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The full terms and conditions can be found HERE.
DEADLINE
The deadline for sanctuary scholarship applications is 11.59pm on 16th May 2025.
HOW TO APPLY
Please click HERE to access the application form..
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any queries, please email: m.dutton@uea.ac.uk
UEA SANCTUARY SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION SESSION
Are you interested in finding out more about the UEA Sanctuary Scholarships, including the criteria, terms and conditions and how we can support you through the application process?
Join us on Thursday 3 April, 1pm-1.45pm, for a special online session. The session is open to all those looking to apply for a UEA sanctuary scholarship.
Please email m.dutton@uea.ac.uk for further information, including the link to the Teams meeting.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRE-SESSIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
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 (a maximum of 0.5 IELTS lower than the level required by your University School of Study, both overall and in subskills). The award includes a bursary of up to £1000 to cover living expenses whilst undertaking the4 week in-person course which runs from 11 August to 5 September 2025.
Course features
Designed to improve your English language skills to the level required by your chosen degree. (A maximum of 0.5 IELTS lower than the level required by your University School of Study, both overall and in subskills.)
- Focus on research and study skills to prepare you for academic life at a UK university.
- Enables you to adjust to the demands, challenges and expectations of UK higher education.
- Teaches you how to give presentations on different areas of academic interest.
- Time to prepare for living and studying in the UK.
To find out more information about the course, please visit: Pre-sessional English | University of East Anglia | INTO (intostudy.com)
HOW TO APPLY
Please note, in order to be eligible for the scholarship, you will need to be applying for the main UEA Sanctuary Scholarship. All applications to the Pre-sessional English Language scholarship are made via the main Sanctuary Scholarship application form.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any further queries, please email: m.dutton@uea.ac.uk
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.