UCL faces pressure to waive international fees for Gaza students

Five Palestinians who earned places at University College London are unable to enrol because their scholarships fall short of the international tuition, which can exceed £40,000. The Global Masters Scholarships they hold provide £15,000, but the UK government’s visa assistance is limited to fully funded offers, leaving these students to exit Gaza without official support. Gaza’s lack of an airport and a naval blockade force any departure to go through a third nation, adding bureaucratic delays.

Advocacy group UCL Action for Palestine has collected £50,000 and is calling on UCL to charge the students home-fee rates, a practice already applied to some groups such as Ukrainian students. The university declined to discuss individual circumstances while noting ongoing efforts to expand humanitarian scholarships and support for students affected by conflict. The five students—Mais, Reem, Amjad, Reham and Farah—are set to begin master’s programmes in fields ranging from public health nutrition to urban planning.