Student funding for Refugees and Asylum Seekers can vary depending on an individual’s personal circumstances.
As such we would recommend getting in contact with Student Finance England (SFE), who will be able to give you more advice. You can contact SFE by calling 0300 100 0607 .
Refugee Education UK also have a useful guide on eligibility for student finance depending on your immigration status.
UCAS have this webpage, which provides further information on how Student Finance works. However, due to personal circumstances we would also recommend contacting SFE to get clear and correct information and advice on whether you would be eligible for student funding.
If you are eligible for student finance, you would need to apply through the general way. Information on this can be found on the Guide to applying to Student Finance England support page. Furthermore, if you are a refugee with ‘home fee status’ you may also be eligible to apply for Sheffield Hallam’s Student Success Scholarship soon after you enrol at the university. More information can be found on the webpage here.
If you are not eligible for SFE you may be eligible to apply for the Sanctuary Scholarship – more information on this can be found here. The scholarship is currently open for applications and the deadline to apply is the 13th April 2024.
Useful Resources
- Refugee Education’s Higher Education FAQs
- UK Council for International Student Affairs – See section on Higher Education
- STAR (Student Action for Refugees) – Scholarships
Sanctuary Scholarship
The University offers three Sanctuary Scholarships per academic year to support talented students who have sought asylum in the UK. You can read about the details, eligibility, and how to apply on the Sanctuary Scholarship webpage.
The deadline to apply is 13th April 2024.
Translation of documents
You may need to have your qualifications translated, for which there is information on the UCAS website, see the details below:
- You can get a statement about how your qualifications compare to UK equivalents from UK ENIC (the UK’s National Information Centre), or contact the UCAS Qualifications Hotline on +044 371 468 0472 (or 0371 468 0472 if you’re calling from inside the UK) or qualsenquiries@ucas.ac.uk.
English language qualifications
If you don’t already have an English Language qualification, let the SHU Progress team know which course you are interested in as you may be able to complete a free online test through the university, known as a password solo test. If you pass the test, this will be accepted as evidence of your English ability for most courses. Please note, there are some exceptions such as teaching courses, so please check with us first.