2026 University of Warwick Undergraduate Sanctuary Scholarships

Undergraduate Sanctuary Scholarships are available to students who are seeking sanctuary in the United Kingdom and are not entitled to receive Government Student Financial Support from Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland or the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

• Table of Content
• About University of Warwick
• University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship
• Requirements for University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship

Financial support

• Full tuition fee support: Students will be offered a non-repayable 100% tuition fee waiver for each year of study (up to a maximum of 4 years).
• Maintenance/living cost support: Students will be awarded a non-repayable grant equivalent to the maximum government Maintenance Loan towards living costs and course-related expenses for each year of study (up to a maximum of 4 years), either at the rate for living at the parental home or living away from the parental home, depending on the applicant's circumstances.
• Maintenance loan rates for 2026-27 are yet to be confirmed by Student Finance England. Once they are released they will be updated on this webpage. However, for illustrative purposes, the 2025-26 rate was £10,544 for students living away from the parental home and £8,877 for students living in the parental home.
• Warwick Bursary: Awarded scholars also will be eligible for additional funding equivalent to the maximum undergraduate Warwick Bursary (up to £2,500 per year of study, up to a maximum of 4 years).
• Warwick Scholars Bursary: Awarded scholars also will be eligible to join the Warwick Scholars Undergraduate Programme, which will include the maximum Warwick Scholars Bursary of £2000 (further details below).

Accommodation support

• Students will be eligible for 52 week university managed accommodation where required during their studies. There will be a charge for this accommodation (for more information, please see the FAQs below) and Undergraduate Sanctuary Scholars can choose to deduct some of this cost from their scholarship payment.
• Please note that students are required to move rooms as part of the University's 52-week accommodation package. Should UG Sanctuary Scholars wish to have university accommodation for the entire year, they will usually be offered a 40/44 week term-time room in university managed accommodation, followed by alternative accommodation over the summer vacation and pre-term shut down period (in early September).
• There is more information about the term-time accommodation Warwick offers here and you can find out more about the 52-week accommodation package (including summer accommodation and accommodation costs) in our 52-Week Campus Accommodation FAQs.

Warwick Scholars Undergraduate Programme

• Undergraduate Sanctuary Scholars are invited to join the Warwick Scholars Undergraduate Programme when they enrol at the University. This programme provides students with access to bespoke activities, along with academic, personal and professional development opportunities (such as internships and mentoring experiences) while students are at Warwick. Students who join the programme will be eligible for the maximum Warwick Scholars Undergraduate Bursary (£2,000).

Pastoral support

• The Widening Participation Lifecycle Team will support you throughout your studies and will share information about opportunities that might be relevant to you. We can also signpost you to other areas of support across the university.

Requirements for University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship Qualification

Please note that you must be able to provide documentary evidence to verify your circumstances in relation to each criteria. Applicants who do not meet the full criteria will not be considered for an award. If you have any questions, please contact the Widening Participation Lifecycle Team at [email protected].

Criteria 1: Sanctuary Eligibility Criteria

1. You must be living in the UK at the time of your UG Sanctuary Scholarship application. The UK includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We will not accept applications from students living outside of the UK.

We will not accept applications from students living outside of the UK. If this applies to you, you may find the following webpages helpful to navigate the options available to you:

• Displaced Student Portal – a place to search for Sanctuary Scholarship.
• Refugee Education UK – a charity offering support and guidance to young refugees or asylum seekers around Further Education and Higher Education progression.
• Global Partnership Scholarships - information about international scholarships at the University of Warwick.

2. In addition, you must meet ONE of the following Sanctuary criteria:

• You have sought asylum from the UK government (you are an asylum seeker) or were included as a dependent (e.g. a spouse/child) on an application for asylum. Please note: Spouses/civil partners must have been the spouse/civil partner on the date on which the asylum application to the UK government was made. Children/step-children must have been aged under 18 on the date on which the asylum application to the UK government was made.

OR

• You have received a decision on your claim for asylum but your new visa status does not allow you to access UK Government Student Financial Support (i.e. Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans) nor does it give you Home Fee status. For example, if your decision contains the words "no public funds", this means that you cannot access UK student loans, therefore you would be eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Please note: If you have been granted refugee status or protection under specific schemes that make you eligible for 'Home fee' status and student loans from the UK government, such as the Ukraine Schemes or Afghan Schemes, you will not be eligible for the Undergraduate Sanctuary Scholarship.

If your new visa status means that you are eligible for student financial support from the UK Government, we would advise you to contact the relevant student loans company for more information:

• Student Finance England
• Students Finance Wales
• Student Finance Northern Ireland
• Student Awards Agency Scotland

Criteria 2: Education Eligibility Criteria

You must also meet?BOTH of the following educational criteria:

1. You must apply for an Undergraduate course (2026 entry) at the University of Warwick by UCAS's 14 January 2026 deadline. If you have not yet applied for a course, we strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible. If you do not apply for a course place through UCAS by the 14th January 2026, we will no longer be able to consider your Sanctuary Scholarship application. There is more information about how to make a UCAS application online here.

You must be applying for one of the following courses starting in September 2026:

• International Foundation Programme
• Undergraduate course:
  • Full-time course which lasts up to 4 years
  • Part-time course
  • These include courses leading to either a Bachelors degree (eg BA, BSc) or an Integrated Masters (eg MA, MSc)
  • For a full list of Undergraduate courses, please see the University's Undergraduate course listLink opens in a new window

Please note the following courses are?not eligible:

• Courses taught at Partner Colleges or Universities
• 4-year graduate entry MBChB course
• Year 1 Foundation courses in the Warwick Business School
• Module based courses
• Non-degree awards (Higher Education Diploma, Higher Education Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma)

2. You have not obtained an undergraduate degree or degree equivalent qualification from another institution or country.

Please note that you must be applying for the first year of study for your first undergraduate degree. Applicants seeking to transfer in from another higher education institution are not eligible for this scholarship.

Interview date, Process and Venue for University of Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship

• All eligible scholarship applications will be assessed by a panel. The panel will take into account your:
  • Eligibility for the scholarship, based on the criteria above
  • Previous qualifications and educational experience
  • Supporting statement
  • Reference
• The University of Warwick will aim to notify eligible applicants of their application outcome by Monday 1 June 2026.

Please ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria in full and read the guidance notes before completing the application form.

Check also:
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2027
Global Korea Scholarship 2027

Application Deadline

How to Apply

1. Students should have submitted their undergraduate admissions application through UCAS by the 14th January 2026 deadline.

2. You should submit a separate UG Sanctuary Scholarship application by 18:00pm on Monday 18 May 2026. You are asked to provide the following information on your scholarship application form:

• Your personal details and contact information
• Evidence of your Sanctuary, Financial and Educational eligibility for the scholarship, along with evidence of your right to study
• A supporting statement (maximum of 750 words)
• A reference (maximum of 750 words) and your referee's contact details (this should be someone who knows you in a professional capacity, such as a teacher, social worker or solicitor)
• For more information and guidance about the application form, please see our 2026 entry guidance notes.

3. UG Sanctuary Scholarships applicants will be reviewed and assessed by a panel after the application deadline (Monday 18 May 2026). If you do not meet the eligibility criteria and are therefore ineligible for the scholarship, we will aim to inform you as soon as possible after you have submitted your application so that you can explore alternative funding options.

4. Outcomes of eligible UG Sanctuary Scholarship applications will be communicated to applicants by Monday 1 June 2026.

Please note: A very small number of UG Sanctuary Scholarships may be available to students who join the University in 2026 through Clearing. The same eligibility criteria will apply with the exception that applicants will have been made an offer through Clearing. More information about this will be shared after the main scholarship application cycle has taken place in Spring 2026.

For more information, kindly visit University of Warwick scholarship webpage.