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Bonnart Trust Sanctuary Scholarship

Award overview

  • Level: Postgraduate
  • Mode of study: Part-time
  • Tuition fee status: Home
  • Value: Full fee remission and a bursary of £18,000
  • Number of awards: One
  • Deadline: 31 May 2026 (programme application),15 June 2026 (Bonnart application)

Thanks to a generous donation from the Bonnart Trust , we are able to offer a scholarship to support a forced migrant to complete a part-time master’s course. The scholarship will support an individual whose work involves them in the major themes of concern to the Trust: diversity, minorities and social justice.

The purpose of the Bonnart Trust is to 'establish and maintain scholarships at universities in the United Kingdom for research at the postgraduate level into the nature of racial, religious and cultural intolerance with a view to finding a means to combat it.'

The Bonnart Trust wishes to support students who:

  • have an excellent academic record
  • are working in an organisation where the issues that concern the Bonnart Trust are a significant focus of activity, or who aspire to work in such an organisation
  • demonstrate how undertaking a master’s course will enhance their effectiveness in their work
  • show an understanding of the importance that research can play in their field, and a desire to increase that understanding
  • show enthusiasm for contributing to the wider network of Bonnart Trust scholars.

Bonnart Trust master’s students will join a network of Bonnart scholars. The Trust not only supports its scholars financially, but also through networking, sponsoring and mentoring activities and encourages them to engage with a wide range of audiences inside as well as outside academia. Bonnart master’s students are expected to play a part in these wider activities.

In addition to this scholarship, the Trust also funds other master’s scholarships and the Bonnart Trust PhD Scholarship scheme for research students.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Bonnart Scholars are required to report the following during their studies:

  1. Year 1: a short biography/article for the Bonnart website and newsletter about their study and/or work and research interests (200 words).
  2. Year 2: a short article on the subject of their master’s dissertation for the Bonnart website/newsletter (200 words).
  3. On completion: provide a confidential report to the Trust (up to 300 words) about their experiences of being a Bonnart scholar. This should be submitted within three months of the end of funding.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • be a forced migrant, with an immigration status of Refugee or Humanitarian Protection, or in the UK under either the Ukraine or Afghanistan sponsorship visa scheme
  • be eligible for Home fees as a result of their immigration status
  • have a household income below £42,875 per year
  • be a new student i.e. not already enrolled on the master’s course
  • have received an offer for one of the eligible courses by the closing date
  • be applying to study on a Birkbeck programme that is based at our Bloomsbury campus in London (this includes programmes delivered online).

The eligible courses are:

Value

The scholarship will cover the cost of Home fees and provide a maintenance bursary of £18,000 per year for both years of a part-time master’s course.

Funding in the second year depends on satisfactory progress in the first year.

In addition to the financial support, the scholarship recipient will benefit from the assistance of a dedicated academic mentor and our student advice team, who have training and expertise in supporting refugees and other forced migrant students.

Deadline

Birkbeck programme application: 31 May 2026
Bonnart Sanctuary Scholarship application: 15 June 2026

How to apply

Please complete the online application form and submit a CV of no more than two pages to Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences finance team with the subject line: Bonnart Sanctuary Scholarship followed by your name.