Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's press release entitled Foreign Secretary announces support for Gaza with new child medical evacuations and assistance to Palestinians going to top UK universities, published on 24 June 2026, how many students are expected to be supported to travel to the United Kingdom under the arrangements announced.

This response has been coordinated by the department in collaboration with the Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Criteria for 2026 support are still being finalised and will be published in a policy statement in due course.

In 2025, eligible students secured a range of fully funded scholarships to study at UK universities. Standard departure costs, including flights, accommodation and insurance, were met through a combination of scholarship and university funding.

Additionally, Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding may be used to support transport costs associated with the initial journey from Gaza. The proportion of costs met through ODA funding for the 2026 cohort will depend on the number of students travelling.

No separate estimate of costs has been made. Unit costs for visa applications are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-data.

The number of students supported will depend on operational considerations, and is highly dependent on factors outside the UK government’s control. In 2025, the government supported more than 100 fully funded scholarship students to arrive and study in the UK.

Students come to the UK on standard student visas, which allow them to stay for the duration of their course and a short period afterwards. Any further stay in the UK would be subject to the Immigration Rules.