Edinburgh to give scholarships to refugees and asylum-seekers

Edinburgh Uni officials have announced today that they will be giving full scholarships to five asylum-seeking undergraduates joining the university this year.

Other asylum-seeking students will pay fees of less than 10 per cent of those of other international students at undergraduate level.

International fees at Edinburgh are as high as £21,900 per year, whilst the asylum-seeking students will pay a maximum of £1,820.

They’ll get to see the redevelopment in action

At the same time, financial support is being given to postgraduate asylum-seekers. One master’s degree will taught completely free, whilst others will be at half the usual price.

The university is also setting aside £100,000 to help refugees in other ways such as paying for English classes. Three of next year’s postgrad intake from Syria will have their master’s degree and living costs paid for the university.

The move is being made because current laws make it incredibly difficult for asylum-seekers to pay for a British university education as they are unable to apply for student loans.

Vice-Chancellor, Tim O’Shea

The University Principal, Professor Tim O’Shea said: “We want to support the aspiration of asylum seekers to continue their education at the University of Edinburgh.

“Asylum seekers are routinely charged international fees and are not permitted to apply for any student loans, effectively placing a University education beyond their financial means.

“We are therefore offering one of the best packages of support for asylum seekers in the UK, delivering access that would not otherwise be possible.”