This information is for 2023 entry, the page will be updated with scholarship information for 2024 entry as soon as relevant information is available.
The University of Manchester Humanitarian Scholarships
Social responsibility lies at the heart of our University and we are committed to playing our part in helping those fleeing conflict and persecution by offering the opportunity to study at Manchester.
Set up in 2022, our Humanitarian Scholarship programme supports individuals at immediate risk who have been forced to flee their homes as a direct result of armed conflict. The awards cover tuition fees, living expenses and visas.
For 2024 entry, we are offering up to ten Scholarships.
The Scholarships are available for a wide range of full-time undergraduate and postgraduate-taught courses excluding medicine, dentistry, nursing and architecture.
You’ll need to have an offer to study here before applying for the Scholarship. Applications open on 1 March 2024 and close on 15 April 2024.
Eligibility criteria
To apply for a scholarship, you’ll need all of the following:
- be at serious risk as a direct result of armed conflict, and/or
- be displaced inside or have been forced to leave your home country within the last three years because of armed conflict;
- be unable to access or complete higher education;
- have not previously studied, at any level, in the UK or EU;
- have received an offer of admission for entry in September 2024;
- be able to demonstrate knowledge of, and commitment, to, your chosen course;
- have an excellent academic background.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications from individuals who are currently in the UK or EU.
If you’re on one of the Ukraine visa schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme, and Ukraine Extension Scheme), you’ll have access to Student Finance England and can apply for tuition fees and maintenance loan funding through them.
If you’re an asylum seeker or refugee in the UK and want to study for an undergraduate degree, we offer Article 26 Sanctuary Seeking Scholarships.
Available courses
To be eligible for a Scholarship, you’ll need to be studying a full-time course as part-time and online courses are not included.
Undergraduate courses
The Scholarships are available for three-year undergraduate degrees. Applicants for Medicine (MBChB), Dentistry (BDS), Nursing or Architecture degrees are not eligible.
We’ll offer Scholarships for our integrated foundation year or Biosciences Foundation course if you don’t have the right qualifications for direct entry to any of our three-year degree courses in engineering, natural sciences and biosciences. However, funding is not available for the foundation programme run in partnership with INTO Manchester.
Master’s courses
All master’s courses except for the MBA and Clinical Medicine and Dentistry degrees are included in the Scholarship programme.
How to apply
To apply, you'll first need an offer of admission. If you do not hold an offer then you cannot be considered for a scholarship.
Please note that obtaining an academic offer does not mean that you are guaranteed a scholarship. Academic admission and scholarship selection are two separate processes.
Undergraduate courses
You need to apply through UCAS. You can find some advice and information on how to apply on our applications webpage.
You may submit a conditional offer with your Scholarship application but you’ll need to have selected The University of Manchester as your firm UCAS choice by 20 May 2024.
Master’s courses
You need to apply online through our website.
You must hold an unconditional offer at the time of the Scholarship application.
Some courses where there is high demand for places, operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. We advise you to apply as early as possible.
On the funding section of the application form, under ‘Funding Sources’, please choose ‘University of Manchester scheme’ and for Awarding Body type put ‘Humanitarian Scholarship’.
In your formal offer letter, you may be asked to pay an acceptance deposit in order to secure your place. You do not need to do this. If your application is successful then the requirement to pay a deposit will be waived.
Applying for the Scholarship
Applications open on 1 March 2024 and close on 15 April 2024.
This webpage will be updated in early 2024 to include a link to the application form which will go live on 1 March 2024.
If you’re applying for a master’s scholarship, you must upload a copy of your unconditional offer letter with your application. We cannot accept any documents sent by email. For the undergraduate Scholarship, you should include your UCAS ID number on the form. You'll receive an automatic acknowledgement when you submit the application, but you'll not receive a separate confirmation by email.
Timeline for 2024/25
| Applications for academic admission in 2024 | 1 October 2023 |
| Scholarship applications open | 1 March 2024 |
|
Application deadline |
15 April 2024 |
| Deadline for undergraduate applicants to accept Manchester as their firm UCAS choice | 20 May 2024 |
| Selection panel assesses applications | May 2024 |
| Applicants receive results | 28 June 2024 |
| Students arrive in Manchester | September 2024 |
Assessment criteria
When reviewing applications, the University selection panel will consider:
- the level of risk you are experiencing and how this is impacting on your ability to pursue higher education;
- academic merit and potential;
- demonstrated interest in the field of study;
- your financial circumstances and if you've received funding from any other source to support your studies.
Selection process
After submitting your application please wait to hear if you've been selected. There is no interview requirement. We guarantee to be in touch with you by 28 June 2024.
We'll email you to let you know our decision, whether successful or unsuccessful.
Contact us
If you have any questions that are not answered on this page, please send them to humanitarian-scholarship@manchester.ac.uk.