Refugee and asylum seeker status students

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• Refugee

  A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, violence or persecution. They have had their status as a refugee recognised under the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.  

  A refugee is entitled to the same social and economic rights as any UK citizen. Refugee status is awarded for a period of 5 years after which they become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. 

• Asylum seeker

  An asylum seeker is a person who has asked the government to recognise their refugee status and is waiting to hear the outcome of their application.

• Humanitarian protection

  If a person is found not to be a refugee under the 1952 Refugee Convention but there is a well-founded fear of persecution or harm, they may be granted humanitarian protection and have permission to stay in the UK for humanitarian reasons. As with Refugee Status, Humanitarian Protection is awarded for a period of 5 years after which a person is eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

• Limited leave to remain (LLR) or discretionary leave to remain (DLR)

  Where an asylum claim has not resulted in either refugee status or humanitarian protection a person may be given either Limited leave to remain or discretionary leave to remain and permission to stay temporarily in the UK.

  More information and guidance regarding immigration status and the implication on higher education can be found in the Universities Scotland, Refugees Welcome guidance.

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• Undergraduate applicants

  If you wish to apply for an undergraduate programme, and your immigration status is that of the qualifying status detailed above, you will qualify for our minimum entry offer. More information regarding minimum offer can be found on our entry indicator pages. The minimum offers for each individual programme can be found on the specific subject pages.

  If your qualifications have been obtained outside of the UK, details of the requirements for your country can be found on our entry requirements page.

  If your home country qualification is not one that meets the minimum entry requirements, please contact the relevant member of Admissions staff for further guidance on your specific situation.

  We would respectfully ask that you make your status known as part of the UCAS application, either in your Personal Statement, Academic Reference or by way of additional documentation. This information will help us to ensure we offer you appropriate guidance and support.

  We may also ask you to provide some additional information regarding the impact on your education due to your circumstances. This is to allow us to ensure that we have as much information as possible when we assess your application and put your achievements into the context of your individual situation. If we do request further information, this can be in the form of a letter from your School Guidance Teacher, or another professional working with you and your family.

  This information will be treated confidentially as part of the admissions process only.

  Medicine 

  Due to the nature of our medical degree programmes, asylum seekers considering applying to Medicine are advised to contact the School of Medicine directly for further information and guidance (medical.admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk).

• Postgraduate applicants 

  When making a Postgraduate application, we would respectfully ask that you make your status known in the application, either in your Personal Statement, Academic Reference or by way of additional documentation. This information will help us to ensure we offer you appropriate guidance and support.

  If you are unable to provide documentation verifying previous degree level qualifications, please contact admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk.

• Funding and financial assistance

  If you are currently seeking asylum, you will not have access to public funding bodies such as Student Awards Agency Scotland and therefore would be required to seek alternative sources for your funding. As part of our University of Sanctuary commitment we also pledge to assess applicants with asylum seeker status as Home rather than Overseas for fee status purposes.

  In addition to being an asylum seeker or child of an asylum seeker. To be eligible for this concession you should:

  • Be applying to study on a full-time undergraduate course
  • Provide Home Office documentation which verifies that an application for asylum in the UK has been made prior to making a UCAS application to us.

  If you feel you are eligible for this concession, you may request a review of your fee status by emailing fees@st-andrews.ac.uk and we will ask you to complete our Fee Status Questionnaire.

  As part of our University of Sanctuary status, St Andrews is pleased to offer financial assistance at both undergraduate and postgraduate level to support students who are seeking sanctuary in the UK.

  Undergraduate Sanctuary Scholarship

  • Applicants interested in applying for an undergraduate scholarship can find out more information on our St Andrews Sanctuary Scholarship page.

  Postgraduate Sanctuary Scholarship

  • Applicants interested in applying for a postgraduate scholarship can find out more information on our St Andrews Sanctuary Scholarship page.

  In addition to these specific scholarships, we have a wide range of financial assistance scholarships available and for more details please visit our Scholarship pages.

• Support and guidance

  All students considering applying to university require a great deal of information to make the best decisions for their future. If you have experienced forced migration, you may need additional information during the application process you may contact the most appropriate staff member detailed below for guidance. 

  Pre-application advice and guidance

  Joanna Fry, Access Manager: Widening Participation and Transitions schools.access@st-andrews.ac.uk  

  Ongoing support and guidance for students 

  Fiona Whelan, Student Services: few3@st-andrews.ac.uk  

  The Global Office is also available to offer general support and guidance for forced migrant students: sanctuary@st-andrews.ac.uk.