In 2021, Somerville College became one of the UK’s first University Colleges of Sanctuary.
Our commitment to supporting students and academics displaced by war, persecution and crisis is the continuation of a historic commitment to support sanctuary-seeking students and academics that dates back to the 1930s. At that time, Somerville was among several institutions that welcomed Jewish academics fleeing Nazi Germany.
Today, many parts of the world remain a brutally inhospitable place for tens of millions of people who find themselves displaced or endangered by conflict and crisis. Tragically, only 7% of those affected by these issues enter higher education, compared to the global average of 45%.
Since 2021, our work as a College of Sanctuary has tackled head-on the issue of education for displaced young people. We have brought exceptional students and academics to Oxford from some of the most troubled regions in the world, offering both a warm welcome and a chance to build new lives and opportunities. In turn, their extraordinary achievements and their quiet yet unshakeable belief in learning add a vital dimension to our community, updating our promise to include the excluded for the needs of a rapidly changing world.
Sanctuary Scholarships
In a world divided by conflict and instability, Somerville College’s Sanctuary Scholarships offer an alternative path. By providing talented students with the opportunity not only to continue their studies, but rebuild their lives in dignity and opportunity, Somerville is helping to rewrite the narrative for displaced young people.
The Sanctuary Scholarship programme continues to expand through the transformative support of donors and alumni who see the great value of this work. Under the scheme, Somerville offers fully-funded places for both undergraduate and postgraduate study, pending a valid application to the University of Oxford, with all living costs covered by the college and further financial support from Oxford University through the waiving of tuition fees.
Please note: In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must first apply for and be offered a place at Somerville. Please visit applying to Oxford for more information about the application process.
A History of Sanctuary
To secure accreditation as a College of Sanctuary, we brought together all our previous work supporting asylum seekers and refugees to help develop further support for those seeking sanctuary. This is outlined in our College of Sanctuary submission, which provides an overview of existing activity and sets out our commitments to further develop our support.
Lotte Labowsky
Our commitment to nurturing a culture of inclusivity and awareness for those seeking sanctuary dates back the 1930s, when Jewish academics such as the Classicist Lotte Labowsky fled to Somerville from Nazi Germany. Labowsky went on to make Oxford her home, serving as a Fellow of Somerville until her death in 1991.
Somerville is also proud to remember the work of Eleanor Rathbone, the first Somervillian to enter Parliament and the Founding Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees, which she established following the Munich settlement and Kristallnacht. The committee became the vehicle for challenging officials and ministers to ‘break with the fatal policy’ of quotas and voluntary financial support and was instrumental in moving the British government to welcome Jewish and political refugees from Czechoslovakia, and subsequently all of Nazi occupied Europe.
New Sanctuary Scholars – Welcome Pack
If you’re a new Sanctuary Scholar, our welcome pack will help you to get your bearings and make sure you have everything you need for your life in Oxford. You can download it using the link below:
