The University of Edinburgh’s official ‘Sanctuary’ status has been reaffirmed for 2026 due to the university’s continued commitment to humanitarian education and support for students seeking sanctuary in the UK.
The ‘Sanctuary’ status is awarded by City of Sanctuary UK, a non-profit organisation working with a wide range of organisations to make higher education accessible for refugees and asylum seekers.
The University of Edinburgh was the first higher education institution in Scotland to be given this recognition in 2017 and has since gone on to play a vital role in supporting other institutions achieve the same status.
Currently, over 80 UK universities are offering scholarships and other support to people who have claimed asylum.
The university has invested in many programmes and partnerships to achieve this status as well as supporting research surrounding the topics of forced migration and refugee education.
In 2024, an innovative programme was set up at the university to provide forcibly displaced post-graduate students with scholarships called Education Beyond Borders.
The first cohort was a success and welcomed 21 scholars from countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Yemen.
For the 2025/2026 academic year, the initiative is supporting 52 students through online programmes and the initial in-person scholarships.
There is also the Academic-At-Risk Fellowship programme, which is a fully-funded two-year fellowship available to students at risk in their home countries.
Further efforts that contributed to the recognition are language classes, mentoring and counseling, along with systems aimed at supporting individuals beyond academics.
The university has also collaborated with Taras Shevchenko National University to develop research and opportunities as well as helping scholars from Gaza evacuate to begin their studies through fully-funded scholarships.
A Sanctuary Research Symposium has been planned for 2026 as a part of the university’s continued commitment to this effort.
Image by Ulia Makoveeva for The Student