General information
School and College
In the UK, you can go to school between the age of 5 to 18 for free, regardless of your immigration status. You can also study at a sixth form/college also for free, wherever you are from, and whatever your immigration status. However, you must meet some residency and entry requirements (depending on the course). Check out this page to see what the requirements are.
University
With any of the types of statuses listed below, you are allowed to go to university (unless you have particular immigration bail conditions). However, you must meet entry requirements for the course, and depending on your immigration status, you must either fund your own study, apply for a scholarship or apply for a Government loan from Student Finance (the loans from the UK government that help you pay for your university tuition fees and living costs).
The main costs of going to university are the tuition fees and your living costs (such as accommodation, transport, food, etc). Here is information about what you are allowed to apply for, depending on each immigration status:
Asylum Seekers:
If you are an asylum seeker wanting to study at University, you have to fund your own studies and may have to pay overseas (international) fees, which are higher than home fees. However, it is the decision of the university whether they charge Home or International fees.
However, there are currently 85 universities in the UK that offer scholarships to help asylum seekers study. These scholarships include a fee waiver (removing the tuition fee) plus other support towards accommodation and study costs.
See the full list of university scholarships here
Get up-to-date information about new scholarships/study opportunities
Refugee, Humanitarian Protection, and Indefinite leave to remain
If you have refugee, humanitarian protection status, or indefinite leave to remain, you will be considered a ‘Home’ student, and charged Home fees (in the same way as other British students) and you can apply for Student Finance to cover these fees, and a maintenance loan to cover accommodation and any other study costs.
Limited Leave / Discretionary Leave to Remain
If you have this status and want to go to university, you can apply for Student Finance. However, you have to meet specific requirements. You must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least three years before beginning your course AND have lived in the UK for 7 years if you are under 18, or for half your life if you are over 18.
The details of this status and proving your eligibility to student finance with sufficient evidence can get complicated. If you need any help or support, you can contact [email protected]. We Belong is an organisation led by experts in access to HE for people with limited/discretionary status.
Visit the Displaced Student Opportunities UK website
Over 80 universities offer scholarships, bursaries and fee waivers for people who have claimed asylum in the UK. Each scholarship has different eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and levels of financial support. A list of scholarships has been compiled and updated by STAR.
Sign up to STAR’s Equal Access mailing list to stay up to date on scholarship deadlines and new opportunities.
Some students might need smaller grants or funding to study a course to prepare them for university or employment. These organisations offer grants of varying amounts to support educational costs.
Visit the STAR and REUK websites to view these funding options and grants.
Make sure to check the criteria and closing dates of each bursary to see if you are eligible for support.
If you have arrived in the UK through the Ukraine schemes (the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme or the Ukraine Extension Scheme), you are eligible for student loans and home fee status.
Whether you qualify for student finance also depends on your university or college, your course, if you’ve studied a higher education course before, and your age. Therefore, your situation will firstly be assessed by Student Finance. Read more on the GOV.UK website.
You may also be eligible for a Sanctuary Scholarship.
REUK have developed an Education Welcome Pack (available here in English, Pashto and Dari) for an introduction to schools and education in the UK. They are currently in the process of translating this document into Ukrainian.
Education without Backpacks has free educational resources for children in Ukrainian, English and Russian on their website.
The Ukrainian Institute London has some useful links on their website, also, and says that they will be updating their page with information on how to get children enrolled into schools in the UK.
Student Action for Refugees (STAR) has a resource/info page for students from Ukraine who may be affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
Welcome: a guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK
If you have arrived in the UK through the Afghan Relocations or Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) schemes, you are eligible for student loans and home fee status. Whether you qualify for student finance also depends on your university or college, your course, if you’ve studied a higher education course before, and your age.
Read more on the GOV.UK website.
You may also be eligible for a university scholarship. You can view the scholarships that include people with indefinite leave to remain here: STAR scholarships list.
We have also collected information for students affected by the crisis in Afghanistan.
REUK have developed an Education Welcome Pack (available here in English, Pashto and Dari) for an introduction to schools and education in the UK. They are currently in the process of translating this document into Ukrainian.
Welcome Pack for arrivals on the Afghanistan locally employed staff scheme
