King’s College London Earns University of Sanctuary Status for Commitment to Refugee Support

King’s has been awarded University of Sanctuary status in recognition its ongoing work to ensure that the University is a place of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people who have been forcibly displaced from their home countries.

Universities of Sanctuary is a national network that collectively aims to develop a culture and a practice of welcome within institutions, the wider community, and across the Higher Education sector in the UK. In being assessed against an extensive set of criteria and awarded this status, King’s has successfully demonstrated its clear commitment to welcoming and supporting staff and students seeking sanctuary.

Reflecting on the award, Maryam Taher, Universities of Sanctuary coordinator, said “King’s application to become a University of Sanctuary was impressive and inspiring, with sanctuary practices embedded in the educational provision and in broader strategic priorities, linked to King’s civic aim for Vision 2029. It is also positive that King’s is reflective about its policies and receptive to feedback about how these policies affect forced migrants.”

The University of Sanctuary award application was led by the King’s Sanctuary Programme. Founded in 2015, the programme is a sector-leading initiative that brings together education, research and impact to tackle the pressing global challenge of forced displacement.

Over the past nine years, King’s has harnessed its expertise in education and remote learning, as well as research and existing partnerships, to initiate and lead on projects that create positive opportunities for forcibly displaced students and academics.

The Sanctuary Programme has achieved this by translating research into tangible social and political change, widening access to higher education for forcibly displaced students and academics, and harnessing the power of education to support students to make their own meaningful contributions.

I am incredibly proud of what King’s has achieved so far in supporting sanctuary seekers from around the world find pathways to sanctuary. However, our journey in this space has only just begun. We are committed to developing collaborative and innovative responses to this ongoing global issue. With our extensive research expertise and strong partnerships, including our new connections with the Universities of Sanctuary network, we are well-placed to be ambitious in this vital work.

Dr Leonie Ansems de Vries, Academic Director of the Sanctuary Programme

Since 2016, King’s has:

• Enrolled over fifty Sanctuary Scholars who might otherwise not have access to student funding.
• Partnered with the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) to offer safe pathways to the UK via Academic Fellowships.
• Supported more than 1 million learners worldwide through PADILEIA online learning programmes designed to support forced migrants affected by war or disadvantaged youth, helping more than 100 of them to enrol at university.
• Developed a University Sponsorship Model through two pilot sponsorship initiatives that offer forcibly displaced students and academics a safe route to the UK and an opportunity to continue their studies or research
• Supported 11 at-risk academics to continue their research at King’s through existing schemes and a new fellowship programme.
• Launched the Sanctuary Hub, bringing together academics, civil society, government and sanctuary seekers to co-produce research and shape global migration policy and practice, including the development of an inclusive and sustainable safe pathways policy.
• Co-founded the UK Higher Education Humanitarian Group (HEHG), which builds coordinated, sustainable frameworks across the UK sector to support displaced students and academics.
• Committed to provide up to an additional £500,000 per year for at least the next three years to support students through fee waivers and stipends at Foundation, Undergraduate and Postgraduate level, as well as offer academic Fellowships for Doctoral and Postdoctoral researchers via CARA.
• Co-hosted ‘Academic Sanctuaries Symposium: Ukraine and Beyond’ to bring together leading voices across UK higher education to understand the holistic and integrated support they are providing to people whose studies or research has been disrupted due to forced displacement, and improve the frameworks and initiatives currently available.