University Sponsorship Model

The University Sponsorship Model is a cross-sector collaborative widening participation initiative that provides a safe route to the UK, and access to Higher Education and support to thrive for forcibly displaced students and academics. King’s College London piloted university sponsorship in 2021 and expanded the initiative in response to the war in Ukraine.

Working in partnership with The Open University, Newcastle University and the University of Leicester, King’s developed a model that enables the higher education sector to help displaced students and academics to find safety and continue their academic journeys. The wider ambition is to develop a model and policy that supports forced migrants worldwide.

By shaping policy and providing forced migrants with unrivalled opportunities to access higher education, the University Sponsorship Model actively contributes to the UNHCR’s goal to increase enrolment of refugees in higher education to 15% by 2030 and creates safe and legal higher education pathways.