The WH Revis Article 26 Scholarship
Guidance Notes 2024-25
Article 26 is a project of the Helena Kennedy Foundation to support access to higher education for applicants seeking asylum in the UK. In support of this project The University of Nottingham is offering one award consisting of the full international fee plus £500 per year towards living costs to the successful applicant. This award is funded through the generosity of the Revis Bequest Fund.
Who can apply for this scheme?
For this scheme you must meet the following criteria at the point your application is made. You must:
- Have submitted, or be a dependant* of someone who has submitted, an asylum application before you applied to the University through UCAS and you must be able to demonstrate that you applied for asylum in the UK and before an application to study was made to the University. OR you must be someone or a dependant* of someone who has been granted discretionary leave/immigration permission as a result of an asylum claim.
* Spouses/civil partners must have been the spouse/civil partner on the date which the asylum application was made. Children/step-children must have been aged under 18 on the date on which the asylum application was made.
- Provide documentation you have received from the Home Office in relation to your asylum or human rights claim with your scholarship award application.
- Attend or have attended a school, college, community or voluntary group or have a social worker in the UK who can provide a reference in support of your application.
- Not hold a previous undergraduate degree or degree equivalent qualification.
- Be unable to access Student Finance/government support for your course due to residency status.
- Hold a current offer from the University of Nottingham UK Campus to start year one of a full time three or four year undergraduate course with a maximum tuition fee in 2024/25 of £28,600. Courses for which NHS funding is available and courses with foundation years are not eligible.
- Have sufficient funds to support your living costs for the duration of your studies (supplemented by the £500 per year contribution this award would provide).
- Agree that you will contact the Funding and Financial Support team should your immigration/funding situation change and accept that should you access government support during your course all support from this fund will cease.
As only one award is available in 2024, should we have more than one eligible applicant the outcome will be determined by the information provided in your and your referee’s supporting statements (see information below).
Please see information below for details of the supporting evidence you will need to provide.
Personal statement
Please submit a short (around 500 words) personal statement which addresses the following areas:
- Your personal and family circumstances and any barriers you have had to overcome in order to pursue/continue your education. You should focus your statement on your current status within the UK, including the status of your application for asylum. You do not need to provide any details of events which led to your seeking asylum, unless you wish to.
- Why you have chosen to study at The University of Nottingham and why you have chosen your course of study. Describe your ambitions and how the award would help you achieve these.
- Your financial circumstances, including how you have funded your education so far and how you plan to fund your living costs while at University.
- What additional support you might need to succeed at University.
Referee’s statement
It is important that applicants provide a written reference (around 500 words) from someone who knows them in a professional capacity (such as a teacher, college lecturer or social worker). Details of the information required and in what format are found here. This statement may be provided with the application or sent separately. Both the completed application form and reference must be received by the fund deadline for the application to be considered.
Evidence of asylum status
You must provide evidence that you sought asylum in the UK and that your asylum application is under consideration by the Home Office, such as official documentation from the UK Home Office. However, if this isn’t available or if clarification of this information is necessary, a written statement from a referee will be considered. This referee must be someone who knows you in a relevant professional capacity and who is qualified to comment on your asylum case. This need not be the same person as your main supporting referee. Correspondence must be on headed paper and include your referee’s contact details.
When is the closing date and when will I know if I’ve been successful?
The closing date for submitting this form is 1st July 2024. Applications will be looked at once the closing date has passed and all applicants will be informed by email of the outcome of their application within 4 weeks of the closing date. Successful candidates will receive a provisional notice of an award on the condition that they receive an offer to study at the University, that they meet the conditions of that offer, that they register on the course in September 2024, and that they still meet the eligibility criteria at that time.
How will any award be paid?
The tuition fee award will be paid directly to your University fee in three, termly instalments. Your £500 award towards living costs can be paid in ‘cash’ directly to your bank account, or alternatively you can opt to receive a University meal card to the equivalent value. Please indicate on question 13 how you would prefer to receive the living cost award*.
Payments in future years of study are subject to satisfactory academic progression. Any years of repeat study will be supported only at the discretion of the Funding and Financial Support team.
(*you should ensure that ‘cash’ payments will not affect you eligibility to apply for other forms of government funding before choosing your preferred payment method)
Apply Now
How to appeal
All applications to funds administered by the Funding and Financial Support team are assessed according to agreed guidelines. If you are unsatisfied with the outcome your application you should initially contact the team to discuss your concerns (see contact details below).
If after an explanation of the assessment you believe there has been an error or procedural inconsistency you can ask for the outcome to be reviewed by emailing the Funding Manager, detailing the basis of your appeal. Please send your email to john.hudson@nottingham.ac.uk and copy in financialsupport@nottingham.ac.uk.
Appeals must be lodged within 2 weeks of the date of the email notifying you of the initial outcome. You will be contacted within 7 working days of receipt of the appeal with confirmation of the outcome.
Please note that this appeals process specifically relates to the outcome of a particular funding application. It provides a process by which to question that outcome in the context of the relevant criteria and assessment guidelines. The Funding and Financial Support Management’s decision on such appeals is final. Where wider issues or questions are raised, these will be dealt with in accordance with the appropriate University procedure or policy.
Funding & Financial Support Team Contact Details
If you have any questions about applying for this fund or want more information then please contact us.
Website: www.nottingham.ac.uk/financialsupport
Data Protection and Confidentiality:
All information and supporting documentation supplied by you with this application will be used for the sole purpose of assessing your application. Your application and some related information, including the outcome of the application, will be held and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The data will not be passed to any other third party without your consent, except when the University is required to do so by law. For our full Data Protection and Confidentiality Statement, please see: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/support/financialsupport/data-protection.aspx
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The University of Nottingham is focused on embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion in all that we do. As part of this, we seek to reward and recognise our diverse staff and student population, and therefore encourage applications from all communities, particularly those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please see our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion web pages:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/edi/equality-diversity-and-inclusion.aspx
If you have any questions about your application in relation to EDI issues, or you have any questions about completion of the application form, then please contact the Funding and Financial Support team.