St Andrews Sanctuary Scholarship

Value of award (per year)

A minimum of six scholarships are available. Each scholarship includes:

Tuition Fees

Applicants are encouraged to apply for government funding (e.g. SAAS/SFE) where eligible, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

• Undergraduate Government funding (opens in new tab)
• Postgraduate Government funding (opens in new tab)
• Scottish Government (SAAS) funding (opens in a new tab)

The Sanctuary Scholarship will cover any remaining tuition fee liability not covered by public funding.

Accommodation

• Postgraduate Research/Taught Accommodation:  Equivalent accommodation value of £10,762 (based on 2025-26 rates) for a catered standard single room as advertised by Accommodation Services.
• Undergraduate Accommodation:  Equivalent accommodation value of £9,119 (based on 2025-26 rates) for a catered standard single room as advertised by Accommodation Services.

If you choose to stay in private accommodation, the equivalent value of the university's catered accommodation will be provided to you as a monthly maintenance payment.

Maintenance Allowance

• A weekly living allowance of £110, paid monthly.
• Undergraduate students: Paid for 39 weeks per academic year.
• Postgraduate students: Paid for 52 weeks per academic year.

The University offers flexible funding to Sanctuary students depending on your situation, immigration restrictions, government or other funding provided.

Awardees are asked to contact the Sanctuary team to discuss funding arrangements: sanctuary@st-andrews.ac.uk

Duration of award

The award is paid annually for the full duration of your programme. If you wish to return to study a new course after completing your current programme, you will need to reapply for Sanctuary Scholarship funding. The award does not automatically continue for further study.

At what stage of my course application can I apply for this scholarship?

You can apply for the scholarship after you have submitted your course application for a place at the University of St Andrews. You do not need to wait until you have received an offer of a place before applying for the scholarship.

Additional criteria

As part of the application, you will be asked to upload the following documents:

• A personal statement, which should be no longer than two pages. Please include the following when writing your statement:
  • A description of your personal financial need, your current financial circumstances and any anticipated changes to income (personal or family).
  • The impact of your forced migration status on your access to higher education.
  • You may also use this statement to provide further context in support of your answers to the application questions.
• Evidence of your household income.
• If you are an asylum seeker and are unable to provide household evidence, please upload evidence confirming your official Home Office Status.

You will be asked to confirm your accommodation needs in the application form. This allows us to temporarily reserve a room for successful applicants before they apply directly to Accommodation Services.

How to apply

After you have applied to a new course beginning in the academic year 2026-27, you will be provided with login details for the My application portal. You must allow up to three working days for processing and issue of your log in details before you can apply for this scholarship.

This scholarship is available through the relevant (undergraduate or postgraduate) St Andrews Sanctuary Scholarship application in the Scholarships and Funding Catalogue in the Scholarships and Funding section of My application or MySaint if you are a current student at the University of St Andrews.

You must complete, submit and provide all references before the deadline date.

Scholarship application form guidance

Application fee exemption

If you are applying for a postgraduate taught course and intend to apply (and are eligible for) the Sanctuary Scholarship, you do not need to pay the £50 application fee. At the point of submitting your application to St Andrews, please contact pgscholarships@st-andrews.ac.uk for further advice.

Terms and conditions

Please read the University of St Andrews scholarships terms and conditions (opens in new tab)

Sanctuary awardees must apply directly to Accommodation Services to secure University accommodation. This process is separate from the scholarship application.

If you select University accommodation in your scholarship application, the Sanctuary team will hold a catered standard single room for you to the value of your scholarship.  However, this hold is time-limited and may be lost if:

• you do not apply directly to Accommodation Services,
• you do not meet your course conditions,
• you do not respond to communications promptly.

If you choose to stay in University accommodation that costs more than the accommodation award value, you will be liable for any outstanding fees.

Please note: Scholarship funding cannot be released until you are fully registered as a student at the University of St Andrews. You should ensure you have the necessary resources to travel to the University and complete matriculation.

After scholarships are awarded, the Sanctuary team will arrange an online or phone meeting with each awardee and relevant colleagues to discuss individual circumstances and any additional support needs.

Important for Undergraduate Students:
The Sanctuary Scholarship cannot be held alongside the St Andrews Access Scholarship. If you are awarded the Sanctuary Scholarship, the Access Scholarship will be automatically withdrawn.

When will I know the outcome?

The outcome of your scholarship application will be available in My Application, or in MySaint, Scholarships and Funding, View my funding applications by mid-May 2026.