Cost is a barrier to getting into University to all but a small minority of forced migrants across the UK: they are usually charged international fees and are ineligible for student loans. Some scholarships are available, but these are very competitive and often cover only part of the costs (so there is a high risk to retention).

To ensure that education remains accessible to marginalised and vulnerable groups, we have facilitated fully-funded scholarships at Oxford University (co-funded by the University and EAA) for forced migrants. Oxford University is ranked third in the world in the 2025 QS Rankings.

Three scholars from Syria and Afghanistan completed Master’s degrees in 2025 at Sommerville College Oxford, which was one of the UK’s first Colleges of Sanctuary. They were all awarded a Merit, with courses as varied as:
Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment; Social Anthropology; Modern South Asian Studies. 8 new Masters scholars started at Oxford University in October 2025. Their courses included: Surgical Science and Practice; Genomic Medicine; Social Data Science; Environmental Change and Management; East European Studies. Countries were Afghanistan, Palestine, Ukraine. We are confident of the nurturing environment and world-class education at the University of Oxford, which is now a University of Sanctuary.