The Sanctuary Scholarship
Guidance Notes 2022-23
This scholarship is for international undergraduate applicants to the University who are unable to pursue their education in their home country due to risk of persecution, violence, and conflict. Applicants will be referred to the University by a partner organisation, such as the Council for At Risk Academics (www.cara.ngo). The University is offering one scholarship for 2022 entry and will pay the successful candidate’s tuition fees for each year of their undergraduate course, plus £9,225 per year towards their living costs.
Who can apply for this scheme?
For this scheme you must meet the following criteria at the point your application is made. You must:
- be at risk of discrimination, persecution, suffering, violence or other abuse of your human rights in your home country due to political unrest and conflict;
- be prevented from pursuing your education in your home country due to the above issues.
- be referred by, and provide a letter of reference from, one of the University's approved partner organisations confirming that you meet the abov criteria;
- not hold a previous undergraduate degree or degree equivalent qualification;
- not be applying for asylum and are applying for a student visa;
- be classed by the University as an international student for tuition fee purposes;
- be unable to access Student Finance/government suport for your course due to your residency status and not be in receipt of any funding other than the scholarship whilst you study at the University;
- hold a current offer from the University of Nottingham UK Campus to start year one of a full time three or four year undergraduate course with a maximum tuition fee in 2022/23 of £26,500. Courses for which NHS funding is available and courses with foundation years are not eligible; and
- agree that you will contact the University's Funding and Financial Support team should your immigration/funding situation change and accept that, should you access government support at any time during your course, the University will terminate your scholarship and you will not receive and furtherfunds from that point on.
Students applying for asylum should refer to the WH Revis Article 26 Scholarship
As only one award is available in 2022, should we have more than one eligible applicant the outcome will be determined by the information provided in your and your referee’s supporting statements (see information below).
Please see information below for details of the supporting evidence you will need to provide.
Personal statement
Please submit a short (around 500 words) personal statement which addresses the following areas:
- Your personal and family circumstances and any barriers you have had to overcome in order to pursue/continue your education. You do not need to provide any details of events which led to your seeking sanctuary in the UK, unless you wish to.
- Why you have chosen to study at The University of Nottingham and why you have chosen your course of study. Describe your ambitions and the impact the award would help you achieve these.
Referee’s statement
It is important that applicants provide a written reference (around 500 words) from someone who knows them in a professional capacity through one of our approved partner organisations. Details of the information required and in what format are found here. This statement may be provided with the application or sent separately. Both the completed application form and reference must be received by the application deadline for the application as a whole to be considered.
The referee's statement should include evidence of 'at risk' status. Our partner organisation must give a written statement giving supporting evidnece that you are, or have been, at risk of discrimination, persecution, violence or other abuse of your human rights and that this has prevented you from pursuing your education in your home country.
Correspondence must be on headed paper and include your referee's contact details.
When is the closing date and when will I know if I’ve been successful?
The closing date for submitting this form is 30th June 2022. Applications will be looked at once the closing date has passed and all applicants will be informed by email of the outcome of their application within 4 weeks of the closing date. Successful candidates will receive a provisional notice of an award on the condition that they meet the conditions of their offer to study, that they register on the course in September 2022, and that they still meet the eligibility criteria at that time.
How will any award be paid?
The tuition fee award will be paid directly to your University fee in three, termly instalments. Your £9,225 award towards living costs can be paid in ‘cash’ directly to your bank account in 9 equal monthly installments of £1,025.
Payments in future years of study are subject to academic progression. Any years of repeat study will be supported only at the discretion of the Funding and Financial Support team. Should you fail to progress, you accept that the University may have to withdraw sponsorship or your student visa.
How to submit the form and evidence
Please scan and email a completed form and documents to
bursaries@nottingham.ac.uk
How to appeal
All applications to funds administered by the Funding and Financial Support team are assessed according to agreed guidelines and all assessments are checked prior to notifying the applicant of the outcome. If you are unsatisfied with the outcome your application you should initially contact the team to discuss your concerns (see contact details below).
If after an explanation of the assessment you believe there has been an error or procedural inconsistency you can ask for the outcome to be reviewed by emailing the Funding Manager, detailing the basis of your appeal. Please send your email to john.hudson@nottingham.ac.uk and copy in financialsupport@nottingham.ac.uk.
Appeals must be lodged within 2 weeks of the date of the email notifying you of the initial outcome. You will be contacted within 7 working days of receipt of the appeal with confirmation of the outcome.
Please note that this appeals process specifically relates to the outcome of a particular funding application. It provides a process by which to question that outcome in the context of the relevant criteria and assessment guidelines. The Funding and Financial Support Management’s decision on such appeals is final. Where wider issues or questions are raised, these will be dealt with in accordance with the appropriate University procedure or policy.
Funding & Financial Support Team Contact Details
If you have any questions about applying for this fund or want more information then please contact us:
Email: Bursaries@nottingham.ac.uk
Website: www.nottingham.ac.uk/financialsupport
Data Protection and Confidentiality:
All information and supporting documentation supplied by you with this application will be used for the sole purpose of assessing your application. Your application and some related information, including the outcome of the application, will be held and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The data will not be passed to any other third party without your consent, except when the University is required to do so by law. For our full Data Protection and Confidentiality Statement, please see: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/support/financialsupport/data-protection.aspx
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The University of Nottingham is focused on embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion in all that we do. As part of this, we seek to reward and recognise our diverse staff and student population, and therefore encourage applications from all communities, particularly those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please see our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion web pages:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/edi/equality-diversity-and-inclusion.aspx
If you have any questions about your application in relation to EDI issues, or you have any questions about completion of the application form, then please contact the Funding and Financial Support team.