An asylum seeker who believed she would be unable to afford her place at Oxford has had her fees waived by St John’s College.
Sholeem Griffin, whose family left Pakistan for the UK in 2003, initially thought that she would have to reject her offer from St John’s College to study biochemistry, because as an international student she would have had to pay £10,000 a year in tuition fees.
However, she was told by St John’s that she would be able to take up her place with financial help from the College and the JCR on the condition that she gained three ‘A’s at A-level. She went on to gain four ‘A’s and a ‘B’.
Describing how she felt when she learned that she would be able to come to Oxford, she said, "That was awesome really; I didn’t expect that. I was a bit disappointed at the time. I thought I wasn’t going to university until this whole thing got sorted out.
"I knew the fees were high for an international student and that it would be difficult. The alternative was sitting at home because I really couldn’t do much more with education as at every university it was the same problem."
Sholeem’s family came to the UK because they feared that they would not be able to practise Christianity in Pakistan, and were granted asylum in Wales. However, immigration law states that only those granted refugee status, which Sholeem did not have, can apply as home students to a British university.
She chose to apply to Oxford in 2006, after encouragement from her school, hoping that the long interval between sending off her UCAS form and starting her degree might have led to a change in her status as an asylum seeker.
St John’s JCR President Rhys Jones said, "I think it’s really good that she’s coming to study her chosen degree here. It’s encouraging to see the College using its funds to help those who would otherwise be unable to realise their ambitions." St John’s Equal Opportunities Officer Sophie Brockmann added, "The advantage of studying at a rich college like St John’s is that students do have help available to them." Sholeem hopes to study for a master’s degree after Oxford, and eventually go on to do research.
