WE HAVE been invited to share an advertisement for a number of funded studentships at Queen Mary University of London. It states that to apply:
‘You must be a UK permanent resident from an underrepresented group in research, e.g., Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (with the priority for this round given to those from Black origin)’.
Here is the full advertisement:
For the record, according to Grok, ‘the most recent publicly available data from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) indicates that 77 per cent of domestic (home) undergraduate students are from BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds. This is stated on their official facts and figures page, which appears to draw from relatively current profiles (referenced in guides like the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide around 2024-2025).’
Birkbeck University of London offers Diversity100 PhD studentships to students who self-identify as BAME applicants, as does the University of York.
It is worth noting that under the Equality Act 2010 (Sections 158-159) universities must demonstrate under-representation to justify ring-fencing. Based on QMUL’s Student Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual Data Report of 2020, 42 per cent of home fee-paying postgraduate students were BAME. The figure for the Faculty of Science and Engineering, for which these posts are advertised, is likely higher since STEM subjects attract proportionally more BAME students than non-STEM subjects, according to the Royal Society. By comparison, to determine if BAME students are under-represented, according to the most recent census data, between 20-25 per cent of young adults (18–24 age group) in England and Wales are BAME.
Fee waivers for Chinese nationals
Each year Queen Mary offers 60 joint PhD scholarships with the China Scholarship Council whereby Queen Mary cover full tuition fees for four years and the Chinese authorities fund a cost of living stipend. The annual PhD tuition fee for international students is £23,200 for non-lab-based subjects and £28,950 for lab-based students. Based on an average £25,000, this is equivalent to a total of £1.5million each year underwritten by the university. Only Chinese nationals quality to apply for funding.
Around 40 UK universities participate in China Scholarship Council (CSC) funding schemes, waiving tuition fees for more than 650 CSC‑funded scholars each year. Assuming the same level of fee waivers as applied by Queen Mary, this is equivalent to over £16million per year on a rolling basis.
Fee concessions for asylum seekers
Queen Mary also offers ‘Asylum Seekers Fee Concession’ to all asylum seekers or children of asylum seekers ‘who meet the eligibility criteria’. They are entitled to pay the domestic rate of tuition fees instead of the fees charged to overseas students.
Home undergraduate tuition fees at Queen Mary are roughly £9,250-£9,535 per year, while overseas (international) undergraduate fees typically range from about £18,000 to £40,000+ per year depending on the course.
According to Student Action for Refugees (STAR), more than 80 UK universities provide scholarships, bursaries or fee waivers for asylum seekers. These schemes vary widely. Some offer full fee waivers, others provide home‑fee concessions (like QMUL and Brunel) and many include living‑cost bursaries, accommodation support, or both.
You can access the full STAR network full list here. STAR is funded by the UK national lottery community fund, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, which is one of the UK’s social justice charities and had a budget of approximately £53million in 2025, and the Garfield Weston Foundation, which distributes over £100million a year in grants.
There is also quite an industry catering to the ‘educational needs’ of asylum seekers, including Displaced Student Opportunities UK. They, and STAR, are supported by ‘Universities of Sanctuary’, a network of universities committed to making ‘Higher Education institutions places of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary’.
This article appeared in Where are the numbers?on January 23, 2026, and is republished by kind permission.
