The University of Liverpool are pleased to offer tuition fee and maintenance support for up to three undergraduate students who have sought protection in the UK, so they can succeed in higher education. The Asylum Seekers Scholarships cover the cost of tuition and provide awards to support the costs of study e.g. equipment, books, travel and accommodation.*
*The value of the scholarship awarded is dependent upon individual circumstances.
The Asylum Seeker Scholarships are for applicants applying for undergraduate programmes: clinical programmes in the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences and Veterinary Sciences are excluded. If you are unsure whether your programme is eligible, please contact us for clarification.
Accommodation discount
If you are awarded the Asylum Seekers Scholarship and will be living in University owned accommodation, you will also receive the accommodation discount. For entry 2024, the accommodation discount is worth 15% off your first year University accommodation fees.
Eligibility
Application Step 1 – Check Your Eligibility
Before completing an application for the Asylum Seeker Scholarship, please read the eligibility criteria carefully. Awards may be withdrawn if we later become aware that successful scholars have not met the eligibility criteria or have provided false information.
To be considered for our Asylum Seekers Scholarship you must:
- Be an asylum seeker in the UK, a dependent of someone seeking asylum, or have temporary status such as discretionary leave or limited leave to remain in the UK, or be the dependent of someone with such status
- Have been granted Humanitarian Protection, leave as a stateless person or Limited Leave to Remain in the UK, or be a dependent or partner of someone with leave on these grounds
- Have applied for asylum in the UK before you applied for a place at University
- Be unable to access mainstream funding, such as funding from the Student Loans Company or local authority grants
- Not already hold a degree or equivalent higher level qualification
- Currently attend a school, college, community or voluntary group who will provide a reference in support of your application. Priority may be given to applicants who have been educated or reside in the local area (Liverpool City Region).
You may also be eligible if you have Refugee status but without access to mainstream funding – please get in touch to discuss your eligibility if this is the case.
Please note:
- It is important that you ensure it would be realistic for you to join the University of Liverpool if you were to awarded the Scholarship. This would include moving to Liverpool if you are currently based elsewhere in the country. The Scholarship award does not support living costs of any dependents you may have.
- If you, or your family are in receipt of asylum seeker support provided by the UK Home Office, this scholarship may impact your eligibility. It is your responsibility to seek independent advice from an appropriate organisation on the impact the scholarship may have and to notify the UK Home Office or other bodies as appropriate.
Application Step 2 – Asylum Seeker Review Form:
You should complete the Asylum Seeker review form before applying to the University of Liverpool, to check if your current and prior study, qualifications and English Language Level are suitable for study at the University of Liverpool.
You can now submit a review form for feedback on beginning a course at the University in September 2025. We are no longer accepting review forms for courses beginning September 2024.
Once you have completed the form, please send it to wpscholarships@liverpool.ac.uk.
Application Step 3 – UCAS Application:
After we have reviewed your form, we will be in touch to discuss your next steps, including how to make an application to study at the University through UCAS.com if you have not already applied.
Application Step 4 – Scholarship Application:
To apply for the Asylum Seekers Scholarship, you must have received an offer through UCAS from the University of Liverpool for a full time undergraduate course starting in September 2025.
Check the UCAS website to see when you can submit your UCAS application for entry 2025. Please do not apply for a scholarship until you have a conditional or unconditional offer from the University of Liverpool.
You will be able to apply online for an Asylum Seekers Scholarship from January 2025.
Application Step 5 – Supporting your application:
You will need to provide a supporting statement from a referee as part of your application. This referee must provide their contact details and confirm that the school, college, community or voluntary group that they represent wishes to support your application.
Your referee should send a statement in support of your application to wpscholarships@liverpool.ac.uk, with your name in the subject line.
The supporting statement should address the following questions, so please ensure you provide these questions to your referee in advance:
1. What are the applicants personal and financial circumstances and what barriers have they overcome to continue their education?
2. How well suited is the applicant to the university course they plan to undertake and how realistic are their ambitions?
3. What contributions has the student made to school/college life or their community?
4. How do you think the student would benefit from the support offered by the University of Liverpool?
Enquiries
If you have any questions, please contact wpscholarships@liverpool.ac.uk.
Closing date
The closing date will be published in January 2025.
Decisions
Final decisions on scholarship applications will be taken by a panel comprised of representatives from the following areas of the University:
- Admissions
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- International Advice and Guidance
- Liverpool Guild of Students
- Widening Participation and Outreach.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of June 2025.
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