Cardiff Metropolitan University is a very diverse and inclusive institution with its students coming from almost 140 different countries over the last five years. We strive to provide equal opportunities to all, regardless of background and promote a culturally cohesive community, bringing people together, physically or virtually, to promote tolerance and understanding and a sense of belonging for all communities.
Universities of Sanctuary is an initiative of the
City of Sanctuary movement which encourages local communities and organisations to work together to make the city a welcoming place for forced migrants. Cardiff Met was proudly recognised as a
University of Sanctuary in 2018 because its efforts to create a safe and welcoming environment for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants fleeing violence and persecution and supporting them to reach their potential.
In order to make higher education a more realistic option for people seeking sanctuary in the UK, annually Cardiff Met is pleased to offer a number of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarship opportunities. For the selected scholarship recipients, all tuition fees are waived for the entire length of the course. In addition, all other asylum seeker applicants will be offered places with the same standard fee as local students rather than the higher international fee.
For more information about the Cardiff Met Sanctuary Scholarship can be found
here or email
sanctuary@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
Applicants may also be interested in a range of
FREE taster courses available at the university. Information can be found
here.
Support for Cardiff Met Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Welfare support and advice is available to all Cardiff Met students who are forced migrants or students with irregular immigration permission eg. leave as an asylum seeker, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave, refugee. To talk to someone in confidence, please contact the University Multi-faith Chaplain Ameira Bahadur-Kutkut
ABahadur-Kutkut@cardiffmet.ac.uk or
intstudentadvice@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
For students who are unfamiliar with the British higher education system and would like to build their confidence in areas such as academic writing, critical thinking, presentation skills etc,there are International Academic Advisors who can help. Visit
this webpage for more information.
Cardiff Met is proud to be a member of the
Council for At Risk Academics (CARA) UK Universities network, offer its support to help CARA with its outstanding efforts to bring at-risk academics to safety.
If you would like to work with us to raise awareness of the issues that forced migrants in the UK face or if you would like to join a support group, please contact us at
sanctuary@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
University of Sanctuary News
Global Games: Fairplay, Fairtrade
On Monday 28th February 2022, we hosted the Global Games event on Cyncoed campus which was supported by Global Engagement, Sport Cardiff and the Students Union.
The Global Games was a multi-sport competition where participants were able to take part in both a football and basketball competition, whose aim was to connect and promote integration in the community through sport. The football was a 6 a side competition that took place on the 3G pitch at Cyncoed campus and the basketball competition followed the 3x3 format and rules in Archers Arena.
In preparation for the Global Games event, community sports sessions were hosted in the community (YHA hostel and YMCA Plas) where participants were able to practice their basketball skills in the month leading up to the event. The competition day saw participants taking part from a variety of places such as the local community, namely from Oasis Cardiff, Cardiff Met students and staff from the Students Union.
The Global Games event epitomised Oasis’ main aim and vision, which is to help refugees and asylum seekers integrate within their local community as we were able to use sport as a vehicle for integration. As a University of Sanctuary, we are committed to creating and maintaining links between the University and the local community whilst also working to make our University a place of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary.
An enjoyable and wholesome day was shared by all (despite the morning rain!) which culminated in an awards ceremony where five participants were awarded medals for their competitiveness, character and fair-play throughout the day.
Owing to the success of the day, preparations are underway to host another edition of Global Games with some additional sports in the summer term at Cardiff Met. Keep an eye out for this and we look forward to receiving your team entries for the summer edition!
And finally a big thank you to Jo Penrose, an MSc Sports Broadcasting student who recorded the day’s events and has produced a promotional video that captures the spirit of the day!
Sanctuary in Wales Project
In order to mark
Refugee Week 2024, Cardiff Metropolitan University has collaborated with our colleagues in Cardiff University, University of South Wales, University of Wales Trinity St David and Wrexham University on the Sanctuary in Wales project.
As part of this project, student case studies and testimonials have been collated from students from these institutions who are also asylum seekers, refugees, or forced migrants, in order to raise awareness and promote understanding of the experiences of forced migrants in Wales and within our institutions. The students have shared their stories, experiences and their hopes for the future.
We invite you to read and reflect on the personal testimonials below, written by students from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff University, University of South Wales, University of Wales Trinity St David and Wrexham University.
