Dear friends,

Happy New Year!

Last year we saw more interest in Universities of Sanctuary than ever before. We currently have 34 awarded Universities of Sanctuary, 15 universities who have submitted an application, and many more either  working towards or applying for (re-)accreditation. That is a mind-boggling 29% of universities across the UK.

This has been an exciting time - but challenging.

Due to funding constraints, I alone oversee the Universities of Sanctuary network whilst also juggling another role at City of Sanctuary UK.

We remain committed to working with every university interested in promoting sanctuary values, but we need to change the way we work to ensure applying universities receive the support and communication they need and that our expectations and the awards process are clear. 

We have therefore closed submissions for any new University of Sanctuary applications until the new academic year, when we will be implementing application cohorts and a new staggered application process. This process will start in September 2024 - information about this will be circulated during the summer semester. Read our latest blog to learn more about this decision and how your university can continue to work with us over the coming months. 

In the meantime, we will be continuing to work with all the institutions who have already submitted an application (hoping to beat last year's record of more than 10 awards given!) and are already planning this year's Universities of Sanctuary conference. We will continue to work closely with our partners and moderate the Universities of Sanctuary JISC-list and will be working hard to more regularly share the newly remodelled Universities of Sanctuary newsletter seen here. We hope this will continue to support universities in their efforts to be a place of sanctuary for students seeking safety and further enhance the value of the Universities of Sanctuary Stream.

In the meantime, thank you all for your patience, understanding and ongoing support for the Universities of Sanctuary work. Now, read on for the latest news from the HE sector, new resources, job opportunities, scholarships and plenty more!

Kind regards,
Maryam, Universities of Sanctuary Lead & City of Sanctuary North West Regional Coordinator
[email protected]

Please note that I work only work 2.5 days a week on Universities of Sanctuary and juggle multiple roles. We are currently experiencing unprecedented numbers of enquiries - I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

We're delighted to welcome the University of Sheffield as our newest University of Sanctuary.

We warmly welcome Leeds Trinity University, The University of Kent and the University of Chester as the newest universities to sign the supporting organisation pledge and join our network.

Click here find out more about the awards process.

• Are you a Higher Education professional who wants to hear about updates, recourses and news from the HE and refugee sector? Sign up to the Universities of Sanctuary Jisc List.
• Are you someone seeking sanctuary and want to hear about latest updates about scholarships, training & funding to access university? Sign up to STAR'S Access to University Mailing List.
• Want to stay connected on the go? Follow Universities of Sanctuary on X (formerly Twitter).
• Do you have news, resources or an event to share in this list? Email me information at [email protected]

Together, we are building a culture of welcome. If you understand the vital importance of building sanctuary in universities and beyond, please dig deep and help City of Sanctuary UK to support the Universities of Sanctuary network during these very challenging times. Click here to donate. Thank you.