King’s College London is a world-leading university at the heart of London with a truly global perspective. Since our foundation in 1829, our students and staff have dedicated themselves in the service of society. Our Strategic Vision, launched in January 2017 takes us to our 200th anniversary in 2029 and builds upon our history of making a full contribution to society. We will continue to focus on world-leading education, research and service and will have an increasingly proactive role to play in a more interconnected, complex world. We will continue to expand the huge contribution King’s makes to London and through that a national contribution within the UK, and beyond that to an international community that serves the world.
In line with this vision, The Sanctuary Programme was formed in 2015 in response to the global issue of forced displacement, which affects more than 60 million people worldwide. Building on King’s deep commitment to widening participation in higher education, the programme aims to initiate and lead on projects that create positive opportunities for young people whose education has been disrupted due to being displaced. The Sanctuary Programme includes a range of projects, including Partnership for Digital Learning and Increased Access (PADILEIA), Sanctuary Scholarships and the Refugee Community Sponsorship scheme. The programme also aims to enhance understanding of forced migration among staff and students at King’s and to develop opportunities for them to make a positive contribution. Since 2016, King’s has provided Sanctuary Scholarships for students who are asylum seekers or have been granted limited leave to remain and have no access to Student Finance. The scholarships comprise full tuition fee support and help with living costs per academic year of an undergraduate programme. To date, King’s has offered twenty scholarships – eleven in previous years and nine for September 2019. Through the Partnership for Digital Learning and Increased Access (PADILEIA) programme, we are increasing access to higher education for refugee and disadvantaged host communities in Jordan and Lebanon. PADILEIA’s education offering consists of blended academic programmes, including short online courses, targeted online learning and classroom-based learning. Its target learners are individuals impacted by the Syrian crisis living in Jordan and Lebanon; however, the project has seen thousands of online learners from around the world also benefit.
