Join Exeter STAR (Student Action For Refugees) in campaigning to ensure equal access for asylum seekers to Exeter University!
Individuals who are waiting for a decision on their asylum application or who have been granted Discretionary Leave to Remain (DLR) in the UK as a result of an asylum claim do not have equal access to university.
- Though they may have gone through the British education system and earned a place to study, when it comes to funding they have no access to Student Finance, and must pay between £14,500 and £29,000 in fees. This is a ruling which effectively bars asylum seekers from access to the University of Exeter, since they are not allowed to work in the UK and are given only £36 per week to live on.
- How can you claim that someone who has fled their country of origin to avoid war, torture and persecution is the same as an international student who has chosen to study in Britain?
- What is the future going to look like if people seeking protection cannot learn the skills they need to build a future?
It can be done - STAR groups in Royal Holloway, Manchester, Middlesex and London Metropolitan Universities now accept asylum seekers as home students, and Birmingham, Oxford and Southampton Universities (to name but a few) are working to achieve the same.
Sign the petition to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Steve Smith, to ensure fair and equal access to Exeter University for individuals seeking asylum.
For more information, click http://www.star-network.org.uk/index.php/campaigns/equal_access
