Palestinian student says USW apology ‘not enough’ after application ‘mistakenly’ rejected

The University of South Wales (USW) has issued a public apology after rejecting a prospective student on the grounds that it is “not accepting applications from Palestine”.

Haya shared the university’s response to her application, where a staff member claimed “no applications from Palestine are being considered at this time.”

The university has since apologised and clarified how Haya’s application was “mistakenly processed as a 2025 application.”

Haya applied for an MSc in health and public service management at USW on August 28th 2025. Born in Gaza City, she is a 2022 pharmacy graduate of Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, where she maintained a high GPA. 

The 25-year-old posted a screenshot of her rejection email on X on September 1st with the caption: “It seems we’ve officially become outcasts.”

the email read: “Dear Haya. Thank you for your recent application to study at the University of South Wales. Regrettably, no applications from Palestine are being considered at this time, therefore, your application has been withdrawn. King regards.”

The post quickly went viral, amassing over nine million impressions and strong responses.

شكلنا صرنا منبوذين رسمي https://t.co/lxkm2lxME6 pic.twitter.com/1WAgmDFmr5

— 𝑯𝒂𝒚𝒂 𓂆 (@madeinPls) September 1, 2025

The Tweet was later shared on the Land Palestine Instagram account, which has over 1.6 million followers.

Speaking to The Cardiff Tab, she said the rejection made her feel Palestinians were being treated as “outcasts despite the genocide, starvation, and suffering we are going through”.

Haya said: “We need to continue our education after the destruction of universities in Gaza, and traveling abroad is our only solution for learning.

“My acceptance into the university and being granted a full scholarship would be both a compensation for what happened and an expression of their genuine concern about the situation.”

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Following the backlash, USW emailed Haya on September 2nd with an apology, which she also shared online and which gained 79,000 views.

Universities should stand with us, not against us.. https://t.co/hwf7SDnLMO pic.twitter.com/vYSAe364ol

— 𝑯𝒂𝒚𝒂 𓂆 (@madeinPls) September 2, 2025

Following the conversation on social media, the university additionally issued a public statement on X and Instagram, explaining that her application had been “mistakenly processed as a 2025 application.”

It wrote: “We are aware of an email circulating online regarding an international application. International students are a valued and integral part of our university community.

“We do not have a policy of automatically rejecting applications from Palestinian students. However, due to current visa processing timelines, we are no longer able to accept applications for September 2025 entry from many regions.

“A 2026 application was mistakenly processed as 2025. We’ve reinstated it and contacted the applicant with our sincere apologies. Applications for September 2026 remain open.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by University of South Wales (@unisouthwales)

The apology, however, was met with criticism.

Social media users commented: “Show me the same rejection email for a student from ANY other country where you specifically mention that their country isn’t being accepted.”

Another wrote: “Do not discriminate based on nationality or skin colour of any student seeking higher education. Students are students. You’re a university. Do better.”

Haya has since said the university’s apology is “not enough”.

Despite the controversy, Haya has been accepted into both the University of South Wales and Swansea University. However, she says that due to the difficult situation she is in, she is still in urgent need of a scholarship to help cover he tuition costs. She alleged USW has “ignored” her scholarship request.

Haya and her family were displaced to the south of the Gaza Strip but later returned to the north. As Israel continues to intensify its assault on Gaza City, they once again face the prospect of forced displacement in a territory with no safe refuge.

Still, Haya says she is determined: “I still stand by my decision to pursue my studies in the UK, because this is my dream.”

Cardiff Students for Palestine, which shared Haya’s story on their socials, expressed its disappointment at USW’s action to The Cardiff Tab: “We were extremely disappointed to see the email from University of South Wales stating that applications from Palestinian students weren’t being accepted at this time. We were even more disappointed to see the poor attempt of an apology that was made to Haya.

“There are no universities left in Gaza and students are desperately trying to find ways to continue their education, and the callousness of USW’s email and lack of compassion is unfortunately part of a pattern of anti-Palestinian discrimination we have witnessed at universities in Wales and across the UK.

“We hope that USW will now do the right thing and offer Haya a place with a full scholarship, accommodation and travel costs covered.”

A spokesperson for The University of South Wales told The Cardiff Tab: “All applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis. However, due to current visa processing timelines, we are no longer able to accept applications for September 2025 entry from many regions. This is in line with practices in the UK HE sector. Applications for September 2026 entry are open for all international applicants, including applicants from Palestine.

“In this instance, due to human error, the application was mistakenly processed as a 2025 application. We deeply regret this. The application has now been reinstated, and we have contacted the individual to offer our sincere apologies and to follow up on the application.

“We also completely accept that the email did not fully explain why the application had initially been declined, and we are genuinely very sorry for this. We are taking steps to ensure that this doesn’t happen again and to review our correspondence with international applicants so that fuller explanations are provided as appropriate.”

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Featured image via Google Maps, Instagram @caredyddstudents4palestine and X @madeinPls