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Value

The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition and provide an £8,000 award to support costs associated with education and attending university for one year of study for the duration of the programme.

Eligibility

To qualify for an asylum-seeker scholarship, students must first apply for, and receive an offer of admission for entry in the academic year 2024-25 to a one-year postgraduate Master’s degree programme at Queen’s University Belfast and meet the eligibility criteria below:

1. You must be a registered asylum seeker in the UK and must be currently resident in Northern Ireland, to be considered for this scheme
2. You must have discretionary or limited leave to remain in the UK, be a dependant of someone with discretionary or limited leave to remain as a result of an application for refugee-status, or you or your parent/guardian have submitted an asylum application and not yet received a decision from the Home Office on that application.
3. You must be unable to access mainstream UK student funding due to your immigration status i.e. you are not eligible for Student Finance for the 2024-25 academic year.
4. You must submit an application for a place of study on a full-time postgraduate Master’s course starting in the academic year 2024-25 at Queen’s University Belfast through the University’s online Application Portal by 1 May 2024.
5. When submitting your application on the Portal, please tick ‘I hope to or have already obtained funding for my studies’ and then enter PGT Asylum Scholarship in the free text box ‘Please state the source of funding’.
6. You must hold a conditional or unconditional offer or have ‘decision pending’ status from Queen’s University Belfast by the scholarship application closing date of 10 May 2024. Candidates are required to meet any academic and language conditions attached to their offer as stated in their offer letter.

N.B. Please note that if you have already been granted Refugee Status or Humanitarian Protection Status as the result of an asylum application, you may be eligible to apply for financial support from Student Finance NI.

Exclusions

Please note that postgraduate asylum-seeker scholarships are NOT available for the following programmes:

• Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate courses.
• Two-year Master’s courses, including those with placement.
• All Distance Learning programmes, foundation degree programmes and part-time courses.
• MBA
• MSc (T) Applied Behaviour Analysis

Terms and Conditions

1. Asylum-Seeker Scholarship candidates must return a completed scholarship application form, including documentary evidence regarding immigration status, by 15.00 GMT on 10 May 2024.
2. Tuition fees will be waived upon enrolment in 2024-25 and a bursary of £8000 will be paid annually in monthly instalments over 12 months for the duration of the programme.
3. Successful recipients must register on their degree programme by the start date outlined in their offer letter. If the successful recipient is unable to register because of any outstanding immigration issues, the offer of the Asylum’s Seekers Scholarship will be revoked by 30 September 2024 and the award will be offered to a reserve candidate.
4. Scholarships may not be deferred to the following academic year.
5. Students must request authorisation from the International Office before making any changes to their programme of study. Where changes are made without authorisation being granted, the scholarship may be withdrawn.
6. Candidates are normally required to achieve the required annual pass grade / percentage applicable for their programme in order to benefit from the scholarship for the subsequent year of study. The University reserves the right to exercise its sole discretion regarding academic progression.
7. If the successful candidate is currently in receipt of NASS Support, or becomes in receipt of NASS Support in the course of their studies at Queen’s, they should seek advice from their immigration solicitor as receiving this stipend could have implications on their ongoing NASS entitlement.
8. Prior to registration on their programme, and approval for the Scholarship, students must consent to a UKVI immigration history check to verify their current immigration status. These checks will then be carried out on a monthly basis for the duration of their studies at the University.
9. Students must inform Immigration Support of any changes to their immigration status during their studies.
10. If the student receives a notification of a change in their Asylum-Seeker Status which means that they become eligible for student financial support from the UK government, they must make an application for support for the next academic year. For example, if the student starts a course with Asylum-Seeker Status in September and are subsequently granted Refugee Status in November, they must apply for UK government student financial support for all future academic years of the course.
11. If the University is informed by the Home Office that the student should not be studying in the UK at any point during the application process or their programme of studies, they will no longer be eligible for the award. The student will be considered withdrawn and will be asked to leave their studies and, if applicable, University accommodation with immediate effect.
12. The University reserves the right to vary all or any scholarship awards and regulations and will exercise at its sole discretion.