City of Sanctuary

12 Sanctuary Scholarships are available annually for sanctuary seekers (people with refugee, humanitarian protected or asylum seeker status) in recognition of the disruption to education that displaced people may experience. 

The scholarships provide opportunities for those taking pre-sessional, undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses, helping to ensure equal access to higher education for sanctuary seekers.  

The University of Reading has long been a supporter of the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara).

• For many years, the University has hosted fellows through Cara’s Fellowship Programme, which helps academics in danger escape to a safe place where they can continue their work.
• The University gives an ongoing annual donation to the Council and each year we make a significant contribution to the fees, research expenses, and living costs for a student or postdoctoral scholar at our institution.
• We have also provided ongoing support for the Council for At-Risk Academics Syria Programme since 2016. University staff regularly lead workshops in Istanbul for Syrian academics from a range of different academic fields who have been forced into exile in Turkey by the Syrian crisis, as well as providing them with online tutoring.

We hold community engagement, sporting and arts activities to raise awareness about people’s lived experiences of sanctuary seeking, fundraise for local refugee organisations, and welcome sanctuary seekers on campus. We are currently establishing Sanctuary Café Walk ‘n’ Talk groups for local sanctuary seekers, staff and students to meet informally on campus and activities for Refugee Week.