Will you help to offer a new life for a student fleeing persecution and war?

Asylum seeking students are denied permission to work, are not allowed to apply for student finance and are charged international fees to study in the UK.

A gift to the Equal Access Scholarship Fund will enable students seeking asylum to access a York education and fulfill their hopes of contributing to the community. Your support will help to provide an annual living costs bursary of £12,300 which will be matched by the University with a complete tuition fee waiver.

Since 2016, the fund has helped over 20 asylum-seeking students to receive an Equal Access Scholarship, enabling them to study at York; this includes overseas students and those coming through the UK schooling system.

It is thanks to the support of staff, alumni, current students and friends that we’ve been able to increase the number of scholarships available to meet demand and now aim to offer two undergraduate and one postgraduate scholarship every year.

It has never been more important to stand in solidarity with asylum seeking students. Will you consider making a regular donation of £10, £25, or £50 a month to the Equal Access Scholarship today?



Will you stand with asylum seeking students?

Like Nazia, many students who have been forced to flee their homes know that an education is vital to securing a better future.

This has never been more important than right now. We have been closely monitoring the humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Afghanistan, and support has been provided to help students and academics like Nazia directly at risk.

We are also continuing our commitment of welcoming students with asylum-seeking status. Asylum-seeking students cannot access student finance and are classed as overseas students, meaning they have to pay the higher overseas rate of tuition fees. Such barriers place any hope of higher education completely out of reach as they are forced to live on as little as £5.66 per day.



“When the Taliban took over their main target was women. Every day they would announce new decrees that would restrict women’s rights, for example the right to work, the right to education, the right to express themselves in public life. Leaving my home was the only option left for me. Without the support of the International Team and the Equal Access Scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to come to York and pursue my dream.”

Nazia, LLM International Human Rights Law

Supporting those in crisis

Thanks to the support of people like you, we have been able to support 8 students fleeing Afghanistan since August 2020. By maintaining direct contact with our Afghan students and keeping in pace with a fast-moving situation, we were able to offer urgent scholarship funding and a fee waiver in addition to individual welcome packages and accommodation support.

We have also provided emergency assistance for 9 prospective students affected by the Russia-Ukraine crisis; offer-holders both in Ukraine and Ukrainian nationals residing in other countries. We have offered full scholarship support and an annual fee waiver, as well as help with travel and accommodation needs.