Application Guidance Notes - Pre-sessional English Refugee Scholarship

If you answer "no" to Questions 1, 2 or 3, you are not eligible for this scholarship.

We will use the information provided in Section 2 to contact you about your application. Please ensure that the information provided is accurate.

Family Name(s): Please give this at it appears on your passport or ID documents

Given Name(s): Please give these at they appear on your passport or ID documents

Date of Birth: Please give this as dd/mm/yyyy (Example: 31/01/1990)

Nationality: Please give your nationality as it appears on your passport or ID documents. If you hold dual nationality, please give both nationalities.

Passport: If you have a passport, please enter the details. If you do not have a passport, select “no”.

Contact Phone Number:  Please give us the best phone number to contact you on. 

Email Address: This should be an email address you check regularly.

Address: This should be the address you currently live at.

Select your preferred course.

You can see the English language entry requirements for each course on our website. There are minimum English language entry requirements for each course and you will be offered a place only if you meet the required entry requirement.

If you do not have an IELTS or other English language test but your application is otherwise complete and suggests eligibility, we will offer you the Aberystwyth Password English Language Test if you submit your application by the deadline.

Applicants for the Pre-sessional English Refugee Scholarship should normally hold either an undergraduate or postgraduate offer from Aberystwyth University or another university. The Pre-sessional Courses are specifically aimed at preparing students for university. They are not general English courses.

We can only award the Pre-sessional Refugee Scholarship to applicants who hold an offer for a degree at either Aberystwyth or another UK university. 

If you have not applied for an undergraduate degree at Aberystwyth University or another university, please email tesol@aber.ac.uk to explain your circumstances before completing this form.

Every university sets its own entry requirements. If you have applied for a degree at another university and English language is condition of your undergraduate or postgraduate offer, you must check that your chosen university will accept the Aberystwyth University Pre-sessional Course as evidence that you have met their English language entry requirement. You must send your conditional or unconditional offer letter from your chosen university as part of this scholarship application.

We can only award the Pre-sessional Refugee Scholarship to applicants who hold an offer for a degree at either Aberystwyth or another UK university. 

If you do not have an English language test, you can still apply. If you have applied on time and your application is shortlisted, we will contact you and offer you the opportunity to take the Aberystwyth Password English Test.

What is your first language?

Please enter the language you consider to be your first language or mother tongue. If you speak two or more languages equally well, you can enter two or more languages.

Does your degree offer letter ask for proof of English language as a condition of the offer?

Check your undergraduate or postgraduate offer. Remember, you must send this offer when you submit your Pre-sessional Refugee Scholarship application.

Have you taken an IELTS or other English language test?

If you have taken IELTS, IELTS for UKVI, Pearson Academic or another English language test, please enter the test name, test date and results.

You must submit your test certificate with your Pre-sessional Refugee Scholarship application.

We will use this section to help us assess whether you are eligible for the Pre-sessional Refugee Scholarship in relation to your current immigration status.

• Please complete all sections.
• For Question 41, please tick one box only from A to I.
• If there is information about your immigration status that you think may be relevant to this application please give brief details in the box provided.
• If you are uncertain about which box to check or how your immigration status relates to the categories in Section 3, please contact immigrationadvice@aber.ac.uk

This section will help us understand how we can support you to have the best possible experience on your Pre-sessional Course.

Will you require University accommodation to take up the Scholarship if awarded?

This scholarship includes free accommodation on a single, self-catering basis. Rooms are single occupancy only and family accommodation is not available.

Is there any additional support you may require during your studies?

If you need disability support, mental health support, counselling etc., please tell us so we can ensure appropriate support is available. Telling us about a disability or mental health problem will not have a negative effect on your application. This information will help us provide the support you need to succeed on your Pre-sessional Course, if your application is successful.

Have you applied for or have you been awarded any other form of loan, funding or scholarship?
Please give details.

How will you fund your undergraduate / postgraduate studies?

The Pre-sessional Refugee Scholarship only provides funding and accommodation for your Pre-sessional Course. As part of your scholarship application, you need to show that your immigration status entitles you to Student Finance or that you have other means of funding your undergraduate or postgraduate studies.

Please look at our Aberystwyth University Sanctuary Scholarship pages if you are not entitled to Student Finance for your undergraduate/ postgraduate studies and are seeking a scholarship for both your Pre-sessional course and your degree.

• Write the personal statement yourself. Please do not worry if your English contains mistakes.
• When assessing your application, the selection panel will consider the information you give in your personal statement so please cover all the areas noted in Section 9 on the form.
• The Selection Panel can only consider information provided as part of your application, so if there is information that you think will help your application, it is important that you provide it here. The information provided in your application will be treated in accordance with GDPR.

The reference letter is an important part of your application.

Please attach a completed reference letter from your personal referee along with your application. The Reference Letter should be signed, dated and on letter headed paper or emailed to tesol@aber.ac.uk from a verifiable email account.

The referee should be someone in the UK who knows you well. The referee could be from a refugee support group, volunteer organisation, caseworker, support adviser, or education or health professional. If you have any difficulties finding a personal referee please contact us for further guidance by emailing tesol@aber.ac.uk  

The Reference Letter should be no more than 500 words long and should cover the following:

• For how long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
• In your view, how well-suited is the applicant to higher education and how realistic are their ambitions?
• What are the applicant’s personal and financial circumstances and what barriers have they overcome to continue their education?
• What contribution or impact, to your knowledge, has the applicant made to their community / school / college / voluntary group etc?
• Can you verify, to your knowledge, the content of this application?
• Is there any other information that you believe is relevant to this application?

Before we can fully assess your application we will need:

1. Your passport or ID and evidence of your immigration status in the UK 
2. Your degree offer letter 
3. Evidence of your English language 
4. Your reference letter

Please email these to tesol@aber.ac.uk 
 
If you don’t have evidence of your English language, we will be able to offer you a test if you are shortlisted (and have submitted your completed application by April 16th).

By checking the statements in this section, you are confirming that to the best of your knowledge all the information and supporting documentation you have provided is accurate.  

If the University discovers that you have made a false statement or omitted significant information from this application form the University may reject your application, or remove any scholarship you have been awarded.