Equal Access Scholarships
About this opportunity
University of York’s Equal Access Scholarships enable students seeking asylum to access a York education and fulfill their potential. We provide 2 undergraduate and 1 postgraduate taught scholarship each year which provides a tuition fee waiver and an annual living costs bursary of £12,300 for each year of an undergraduate course or £14,880 for a one year postgraduate taught course.
Level of Study
- Undergraduate
- Master’s - Taught
Eligibility
Asylum seeker, Refugee, Humanitarian protection, Limited or Discretionary Leave to Remain, Indefinite Leave to Remain, Ukraine or Afghan Schemes, Other forms of sanctuary (including Calais Leave, Section 67 Leave, UASC leave and Stateless Leave)
Additional notes about eligibility criteria
Open to students from International (non-EU) who are currently residing and seeking sanctuary in the UK only. Also, Any of the above who cannot access mainstream funding.
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 university
- not have 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
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 which 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 programmes 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@york.ac.uk.
Asylum seekers without permission to work are advised to seek legal advice if they are considering undertaking a course which 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 have an impact on their entitlement to financial support.
What is included in this opportunity?
- Fee Waiver (no fees)
- Full bursary (study costs and full living costs)
- Application support and advice
Additional notes about support provided
You can contact us on equal-access@york.ac.uk for support and guidance regarding the scholarship application, applications to the university and support for displaced students at the university.
If you are successful in obtaining a scholarship and require support accessing English Language Assessments to fulfil the conditions of your university offer, we may to able to provide support and access to Duolingo Assessments.
Types of study available
- Part-time / flexible
- Full-time
- Face-to-face
Additional details about application process
Scholarships are competitive.
As part of your application you will be asked to answer three supporting questions which will be assessed and help our scholarship awarding panel learn more about you. See the ‘how we allocate’ section on our webpage for guidance on what our panel is looking for and how these are assessed.
After applications have closed you may be invited to an informal interview with our scholarship awarding panel. We will contact you directly if we require this.
You will also need to provide evidence of your immigration status, for example, your biometric residence permit.
Is this opportunity available for individuals outside of the UK?
No
For further questions contact Anita Magee
Call Us n/a
Email Us equal-access@york.ac.uk
Recent opportunities
Schwab and Westheimer Trust
The Scholarship Supported By The Marks Family Charitable Trust
Location
East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, South West, South East, London, North West, North East, West Midlands
Deadline
09/05/2025
Type of opportunity
University Scholarship
University of Southampton
University of Sanctuary Scholarship
Location
South East
Deadline
25/05/2025
Type of opportunity
University Scholarship
Birkbeck, University of London
The Compass Project Sanctuary Scholarship
Location
London
Deadline
25/05/2025
Type of opportunity
University Scholarship, Online
Resources
For further guidance on how to apply to university, check out our resources page
Get in touch