University of Sanctuary

The national University of Sanctuary scheme aims to make higher education a welcoming and supportive environment for people seeking sanctuary, or with experience of forced migration. 

We have been gathering evidence to support UCL’s application for accreditation in 2026. Find out about UCL’s services, resources and research below.

UCL’s support services

Finance and scholarships

Students with refugee status or humanitarian protection will generally be able to access Student Finance support (similarly to home students). They may also be eligible for the following:

• UCL Undergraduate Bursary
• Undergraduate Funding and Access Awards
• Care Leavers Bursary
• Estranged Student Bursary.

UCL also offers dedicated scholarships for students from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds. Please check the details for each scholarship as the level of study, area of study, and eligibility criteria vary.

• UCL Access Opportunity Scholarship aims to support those, who because of their immigration status, are not able to secure student loans for their undergraduate education programme.
• UCL Humanitarian Scholarship enables students at serious risk and/or displaced due to armed conflict to pursue full-time Masters degree studies at UCL.
• The Bartlett Promise Scholarship is a long-term project to attract students from a broader range of backgrounds to tackle the lack of diversity in the built environment.
• The Bowman Scholarship is designed to support students from forced migration backgrounds who are in financial need and do not have the academic qualifications to enter a UCL undergraduate degree directly.

In addition, the UCL Financial Assistance Fund is available to support current students who find themselves in financial difficulties. 

Please visit the UCL Student Funding page for information on all scholarships and funding options, and the UCL Student Fees page for information on fee status categorisation. If you want further information about which fee status category you may fall under, please consult the UKCISA website.

Support for prospective students 

The Widening Participation Priority Groups team is the pre-entry points of contact for forced migrant students. They provide information and advice about the application process, or help with navigating UCL’s admissions, support or funding services. 

Access UCL’s information for forced migrant students and, if you have any questions about applying to UCL for undergraduate study, email the team wp.pre16@ucl.ac.uk

Support for existing students

UCL’s Student Support and Wellbeing team provides the following:

• Support for Students with Refugee, Asylum-Seeking and Forced Migration experience - a dedicated service for students, offering pre-arrival, pastoral and wellbeing, financial, accommodation, immigration, academic, and social support.
• UCL’s War, Conflict and Disaster Service - a comprehensive and inclusive programme which provides psychological support, self-help resources and signpost to appropriate mental health services.

UCL’s research and networks

Supporting refugees and displaced people

UCL Geography’s Migration Research Unit leads research and activities supporting refugees and displaced people. The unit connects students and staff through study, volunteering and collaborative networks.

Understanding mass displacement and its impact

The ‘Refuge in a Moving World’ network – an Institute of Advanced Study initiative led by the MRU’s Co-Director, Prof Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh – brings together experts from across UCL who work on displacement, forced migration, exile and conflict. The network’s aim is to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration that deepens understanding of mass displacement and its human, material, and cultural impacts worldwide.