CoSS Sanctuary PhD Scholarship

Please note that the information below should be used as a guide only. Full information will be confirmed in December 2025.

The University of Glasgow is offering 4 Sanctuary PhD Scholarships (1 per College) for PhD applicants to the University, who have been forced to travel to the UK for humanitarian reasons and are facing challenges in progressing in Higher Education. The scholarship is open to prospective PhD students at the University of Glasgow applying for commencing their PhDs in October 2026.

The scholarship will meet the cost of tuition fees for the minimum duration of your programme. The Sanctuary PhD Scholarship also provides a £5,000 per year stipend, to assist with study costs and a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG).

Prospective PhD applicants who are in need of urgent help to escape from discrimination, persecution, violence or conflict, may also wish to explore opportunities and support available via the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA), of which the University of Glasgow is a member institution.

Eligibility:

Full eligibility is yet to be confirmed but will primarily match the eligibilty listed for the Undergraduate & Postgraduate Taught Sanctuary Scholarships.

Applicants must:

AND

  • have submitted a claim for Asylum in the UK OR are actively appealing a negative decision on a claim for aslyum in the UK OR have been granted Refugee Status, Humantarian Protection (HP) or Discretionary Leave (DL) by the Home Office, as a result of an asylum claim

OR

  • have come to the United Kingdom through schemes such as:
    • UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS)
    • Afghan citizens Resettlement Scheme
    • Afghan Relcations and Asssitance Policy (ARAP)
    • Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS)
    • Ukraine Sponsorhiop Scheme (Homes fo Ukraine)
    • Ukraine Family Scheme

Value:

The CoSS Sanctuary PhD Scholarship provides:

  • A stipend of £5,000 per annumn towards study costs
  • 100% tuition fee waiver (Home/RUK fees only)
  • Access to a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) up to £940 per annum (to a maximum of £2,820 over the 3-year funded period)

How to apply:

In order to be considered for this scholarship you must:

  1.  Apply for a PhD within the College of Social Sciences as soon as possible, and no later than DATE TBC 
    1. Please indicate in the funding sectiojn of your admission application that you will be applying for the 'Sanctuary PhD Scholarship'
    2. Note if you have any issues with evidencing that you meet the entry requirements of the PhD Programme, please contact the Displaced and Conflict Affected (DACA) team in Admissions via their online enquiry form: https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/enquire/ as soon as possible, making sure you select 'I have been affected by forced displacement and conflict' as the reason for the enquiry
  2. All applicants must also complete the CoSS Sanctuary PhD Schoalrship application via the Scholarships Application Portal (Note: the Portal will open to application in December 2025 or January 2026)
  3. As part of the Scholarships Application process, you will need to upload the following documents:
    1. CoSS Sanctuary PhD Scholarship application form
    2. Supervisor Statement of Support
    3. Demographic elgibility documentataion (please see below)

Demographic eligibility documentation is yet to be confirmed, but will match the documentary requirements of the Undergraduate & Postgraduate Taught Sanctuary Scholarships)

Assessment:

  • Applications will be judged in terms of qualifications, preparedness to undertake a PhD, and the quality of the proposed project.
  • The College of Social Sciences expects all funded PhD candidates to be able to complete their PhD within the funded period
  • All applications are reviewed and decided by the College funding panel.