An asylum seeker or refugee is a person who has fled their country due to dangers such as war, political persecution or natural disaster. To gain refugee status in the UK a person must have a ‘well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion’ according to the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees. Asylum seekers are those waiting to see if they will get refugee status from the government, which can be a long and complex legal process.

Currently at Southampton University, refugees are classed as home students and pay home tuition fees, asylum seekers on the other hand are still required to pay international fees (£10,400 - £23,000 per year). This effectively excludes them from university, as asylum seekers are not permitted to work, cannot apply for grants and most bursaries and are not allowed to take out student loans. This contradicts the Convention Against Discrimination in Education, which states to "give foreign nationals resident within their territory the same access to education as that given to their own nationals".

The campaign only affects a small number of people, but it has a massive impact on those it does affect. Education has proven to be good for local communities and allows those asylum seekers that get refugee status to contribute to the British economy, whilst refused asylum seekers are put in a better position to contribute to economic development on return to their country of origin. Education gives individuals structure, purpose, helps integration into society and is important in tackling poverty.

Southampton Student Action for Refugees (STAR) is supporting the campaign for equal access to education for asylum seekers. It is a national campaign with branches in universities all over the UK lobbying for equal access. There have been some changes: London Metropolitan, Middlesex and Manchester Universities now accept asylum seekers as home students. Edgehill, Liverpool Hope and Liverpool University accept a fixed number of asylum seekers as home students. STAR hopes to work with Southampton University to reach a positive outcome.