Mansfield College: A College of Sanctuary

One of the first University Colleges of Sanctuary

In 2021, Mansfield College was recognised, alongside Somerville College, as one of the UK’s first University Colleges of Sanctuary by the UK charity City of Sanctuary. As a College of Sanctuary, our community demonstrates an ongoing commitment to nurturing a culture of inclusivity and awareness on campus for those seeking sanctuary (which includes refugees and asylum seekers), as well as in the wider community.

As a result of Mansfield and Somerville leading the way, the University of Oxford recently achieved full Sanctuary Status.

We’ve always been proud to include the excluded

From our foundations as a College for non-conformists, we enabled non-members of the Church of England to study at Oxford University. Fast forward to the present – we’ve become one of the most progressive and diverse of all of the Oxford colleges. We widen access to Oxford for those with talent and potential, who – due to circumstance, ill-luck, oversight, or prejudice – may otherwise have been excluded.

Helen Mountfield KC, Principal, Mansfield College

Our College of Sanctuary Coordinator

Our Chaplain, Nathan Eddy, is our appointed College of Sanctuary coordinator. Don’t hesitate to contact Nathan at chaplain@mansfield.ox.ac.uk about any events, news, or questions you may have.

Mansfield College runs a variety of annual events to raise awareness about sanctuary seekers. You can watch some on YouTube – Voices for Sanctuary: We Cannot Walk Alone and Refugee Week: Audience with Bishop Munib Younan and Bishop Tor Jørgensen.

Applying to be a CLC Sanctuary Scholar

If you fulfil the eligibility criteria and apply for your course by the relevant December or January deadline for your course, you will automatically be considered for the Oxford Refugee Scholarship. For more information, visit the University of Oxford Graduate Scholarship website.

Meet our Sanctuary Scholars

Alina Kravchuk

Magister Juris, 2024-2025

Alina pursued Magister Juris programme at the University of Oxford supported by the Scholarship for Ukraine.

Her legal journey began at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (Ukraine), where she graduated with an Honours Bachelor’s degree consistently ranked among the top students in cohort. Alina is a holder of multiple governmental prizes and scholarships awarded for outstanding academic results.

Following the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Alina continued her education abroad. Passionate about business law, she completed legal courses at Vilnius University (Lithuania) and gained practical experience working on international matters at a Baltic law firm. She was later awarded a scholarship to pursue an LLM in Business Law at Central European University (Austria), graduating with distinction.

Alina’s greatest aspiration is to contribute to the rebuilding efforts of Ukraine by advising foreign investors and local sponsors on securing funding for renewable energy projects.

Yasir Eisa Abdalla Mohamed

MPhil in Water Science, Policy, and Management (2023-24)

Yasir pursued the MSc in Water Science, Policy, and Management at the University of Oxford, based at Mansfield College, with support from the AfOx Scholarship Programme in the 2022/3 academic year.

A Civil Engineer with a keen interest in water science and management, Yasir has worked as a teaching and research assistant with the University of Khartoum, Sudan International University, and the University of Bahri.

Yasir completed his undergraduate studies in civil engineering at the University of Khartoum, graduating with first-class honors and receiving the award for the best graduation project in the civil engineering department, presented by the senate of the University of Khartoum.

Erick Moreno Superlano

MSc Migration Studies 2022-23

Erick was forced to flee from Venezuela to Argentina, aged 21, after multiple attacks on his mother’s life and family over her political views. He embarked on a graduate degree in Migration Studies, in the hope of understanding his own journey and the experience of millions of others like him who are forced to leave their homes.

Erick says he has found an intellectually stimulating environment at Oxford, where thinking freely and differently is encouraged and nourished rather than repressed. It’s an experience that he has been yearning for.

In 2023, Erick was awarded a highly competitive Clarendon Scholarship – one of the most prestigious at Oxford – to pursue a DPhil in the field of Migration Studies.

Ilham Abdalla Tagelsir Ali

MPhil Socio-Legal Research, 2021-22

Ilham Abdalla Tagelsir Ali is a graduate of Harvard College, with a Bachelor of Arts in History & Science and a secondary in Government.

Born and raised in Sudan, she draws upon much of her experience in Sudan for inspiration in all her pursuits: advocacy, academia and artistry.

Ilham is deeply invested in constitutional reform in Sudan, social justice across the globe, and neuroscience that is relevant to law. Ilham pursued an MPhil in Socio-Legal Research at Oxford.

Our Values and Ethos

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