Article 26 Sanctuary scholarship

Terms and conditions

2021 entry

Please ensure you read the full eligibility criteria and other terms and conditions carefully before applying to the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship.

The information below relates to students applying to start their course at Keele University in 2021. Students already registered with the University are not eligible to apply.

For 2021 entry we will be offering the following Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarships:

  • 2 scholarships for eligible applicants wishing to study an undergraduate degree programme or foundation programme (up to a maximum of four years)
  • 1 scholarship for eligible applicants wishing to study a postgraduate taught degree programme (part-time or full-time)

The scholarship will provide the following:

  • Full tuition fee costs for up to a maximum of four years
  • A further cash award of £1200 towards living costs and £250 towards course costs loaded onto the student’s Keele Card in each year of study, funded by the Felix Andrew Opportunity Fund.
  • Personal Support: Support will also be offered to each successful student to enable them to identify and overcome barriers to achievement on their degree programme.

Please be aware that the scholarship is unable to provide full maintenance support so applicants must be able to provide evidence that they will be able to cover their own living costs whilst studying.

To be eligible to apply for the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship, an applicant must meet the academic and any other requirements of their chosen course. This can include but is not limited to matriculation, English proficiency as well as satisfactory references, personal statement or Disclosure and Barring Service check. An applicant must have received an offer of a place on the course for 2021 entry before applying for the scholarship. Applicants must also meet the following criteria:

Applicants must fall into one of the following immigration status groups and be unable to access UK government funding because of their current immigration status.

  • An asylum seeker - a person who has made a claim within the UK for refugee status
  • A person who has been granted some form of temporary status, such as Limited Leave to remain, in the UK
  • Dependents or partners of any of the above status groups, whose claim is dependent on a principal applicant.

Applicants must be able to provide evidence of their status, under one of the above categories.

(Please note, some students with temporary status may be eligible for funding under the Long Residence category)

Priority will be given to applicants who live within easy commuting distance of Keele University.

Applications will be considered from students applying for the following courses:

  • Full time undergraduate degree and foundation programmes (up to a maximum of four years)
  • Full time or part time postgraduate taught Master’s programmes. (Applicants must be studying a minimum of a Master's qualification; modular courses and the Postgraduate Certificate/Postgraduate Diploma are not eligible).

Please note that the following courses are not eligible for the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship scheme:

  • Postgraduate Research and PhD programmes
  • Medicine
  • Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
  • Social Work

If you have any questions or are unsure about your eligibility for the scholarships, then please contact us at student.services@keele.ac.uk before applying.

Applicants will need to read the guidance notes fully and complete an online application form.

All applicants will require a referee to provide a supporting statement for their application. This could be a school or college lecturer, support worker or community or voluntary group leader.

All applicants will also need to provide supporting evidence of their circumstances by the application deadline.

Applicants are reminded that this is a competitive process and not all applications for the Scholarships will be successful.

Stage 1
Following an initial assessment, the University will contact applicants to let them know whether or not their application will progress to the next stage of the selection process.

Stage 2
Applicants who are shortlisted will be invited to an interview to verify the information they have provided on their application and to give them an opportunity to get to know the University. Applicants will be asked to sign a document providing permission for the University to share information with the UK Home Office in order to verify eligibility for the scholarship and status in the UK.

Stage 3

  • Successful applicants will be sent an offer of an Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship within two weeks of the interview:
  • An applicant who is offered an Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship must confirm acceptance of the award to the Student Services Centre within two weeks (10 working days) of being notified.
  • Failure to reply within two weeks (10 working days) may result in the Scholarship being awarded to a reserve applicant or applications being reopened.
  • If an applicant declines an offer of an Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship award, the award will be offered to a reserve applicant or applications will be reopened.
  • For the avoidance of doubt, all offers of an Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship are conditional of applicants receiving an Unconditional offer from the University and subject to satisfactorily meeting the right to study check undertaken by the University’s Immigration Compliance Team.
  • Once an applicant has accepted the offer of the scholarship and the scholarship has been confirmed they will be asked to sign a Student Contract to show they understand the terms and conditions of the scholarship and the responsibilities of both the scholarship recipient and the University.
  • Scholarship recipients will be allocated a dedicated contact within Student Services to support them for the duration of their studies.
  • Scholarship recipients will be invited to meet with their dedicated contact when they arrive at the University and will be supported through the enrolment process.

A student will only be entitled to the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship once they have fully enrolled with the University.

Each scheduled payment will only be made provided the student remains enrolled on their chosen course.

If they have not already done so students should apply to open a UK bank account in order to receive payments of the additional financial support.

  • Payments will normally be made in two instalments, one per semester, unless students would benefit from a different payment schedule which can be discussed with the dedicated contact.
  • Payments to Keele Cards will be loaded onto the student’s Keele Card during Semester 1.
  • Students will receive a confirmation email at the beginning of Semester 1 to confirm payment dates.
  • Alternative arrangements will be made for students who do not have access to a UK bank account.

Changes of circumstances or course of study

Any changes of circumstances must be discussed with the students’ dedicated contact in order to explore the implications of any changes on their course and eligibility for the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship. 

If a student decides to withdraw or is withdrawn from their course by the University, the student will no longer be eligible to receive the scholarship.

  • A student who withdraws or is withdrawn from the course by the University will not have to repay any of the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship as long as they are in attendance on the date of the payment.
  • A student who withdraws or is withdrawn by the University will not receive any further payments, but any previously paid instalments will not be recovered.
  • A student who withdraws or is withdrawn by the University will have their Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship tuition fee award reduced to meet the tuition fee liability in the year of withdrawal.
  • An undergraduate student repeating one year of study may be considered for further financial support. 
  • If an undergraduate student is repeating as a Repeat Modular student they may be considered for further financial support on a pro-rata basis.
  • If an undergraduate student is repeating on a Repeat Assessment only basis they will not normally be considered for further financial support.
  • A postgraduate student repeating one or more years of study will not normally be considered for further financial support.
  • A scholarship recipient who wishes to take a Leave of Absence from their course must initially discuss this with their personal tutor and dedicated student support contact.
  • Scholarship recipients will not be entitled to any award payments during their period of Leave of Absence.
  • If the student has received any award payments prior to taking a Leave of Absence they will not be required to repay any of the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship as long as they were in attendance on the date of payment.
  • If an Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship recipient wishes to change course or course length this must be discussed with their dedicated support contact prior to applying for the course change to discuss implications.
  • A postgraduate student who transfers to a programme with a tuition fee that is greater than the tuition fee of their original programme, may be considered for additional funding but must discuss this with their dedicated contact before making the course change.

The Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship is payable in each academic year of the course. This is unless the scholarship recipient receives a change in their immigration status, which means they become eligible for UK Government student financial support. If this happens, the student must inform the University and the award will cease from the start of the next academic year. Students would be expected to apply for UK Government Student Financial Support without delay. 

The Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship award covers the ordinary duration of a student's studies. The Article 26 Sanctuary scholarship award is renewable each year provided that the following conditions are met:

  • A scholarship recipient must satisfactorily progress on to their next year of study.
  • A student must continue to be enrolled on their course at each time of payment.
  • A scholarship recipient must continue to meet the eligibility criteria for the Article 26 Sanctuary Scholarship.
  • If a student does not meet these conditions they must immediately speak to their dedicated support contact to discuss options.