Global conflict

This page will be regularly updated. Last updated April 2026.

Introduction

At the University of Sheffield, we recognise the deep and distressing impact that global conflict has on our community. Whether you are directly affected by events overseas or you are feeling the weight of these crises here in Sheffield, you are not alone. 

If you have any questions about this page or feel that any information is missing, please email internalcommunications@sheffield.ac.uk

Support for staff and students

At Sheffield, our community is made up of students and staff from many different cultures and backgrounds – and we are committed to ensuring that everyone feels included and safe. We offer a range of wellbeing and emotional support and resources, including:

Support for students

Please find below the main sources of support available to you as a student at the University. We encourage you to seek support from whichever service or services you feel are most appropriate. 

If you have any practical concerns or questions, you can contact our Student Welfare team by emailing via the safeguarding and welfare enquiry form.

If conflict is having an impact on your ability to engage with your studies, please reach out to your academic department who can advise and support you.

For welfare, wellbeing and mental health support, the following services are available to you:

• The Belief, No Belief and Religious (BNBR) Life Centre – chaplains/advisors from many Faith or Belief Communities, and a Listening Ear Service.
• Faculty Wellbeing Advisors* – wellbeing advisors provide emotional support to help you thrive and make the most of your University experience. Their support is confidential and non-judgemental and will offer you space to feel heard, validated and to reflect on any concerns and distress that you might have.
• Student Mental Health, Counselling and Therapies Service – if conflict is impacting your mental health, the University can support you.

*University login required

Support for staff

Please find below the main sources of support available to you as a member of staff at the University. 

For general advice and to talk through the support options available, please speak to your line manager. You can also contact our HR teams* who are available to speak with you about any concerns you may have. 

You may also want to explore the wellbeing resources on the Staff Hub*. 

The Belief, No Belief and Religious (BNBR) Life Centre is available to staff and provides a listening ear and pastoral support to all people whatever their identity, religion, belief or no belief. 

For colleagues with line management responsibilities, please offer support to colleagues who may be affected. As well as the wellbeing resources on the Staff Hub*, you might find it helpful to refer to the looking after the wellbeing of others section on our supporting staff in times of change page, also on the Staff Hub*. There is also some general advice on wellbeing support in response to conflict, crisis or natural disaster.

If you are not sure which service to access or to refer others to, please contact staffwellbeing@sheffield.ac.uk for advice and guidance.

Guidance for staff supporting students

If you are a member of staff who is supporting students with concerns associated with conflict, you may find it helpful to talk through the support options listed in the University support for students section above. The Support Hub tool is also available to help you direct students to different services depending upon their specific needs.

You can also look at our How to Help web pages on the Staff Hub*, which are designed to support and empower you to make effective and informed decisions when interacting with students in distress.

*University login required

Travel advice

If you are planning to travel to, or within, a region involved in conflict, check the latest travel advice from the UK Government.

If you are a student and you are in a region involved in conflict, please reach out to the University for support should you need to via the safeguarding and welfare enquiry form.

If you are a member of staff and are currently in a region involved in conflict, please contact your line manager or head of department.

University principles, partnerships and investments

Freedom of speech and academic freedom

Freedom of speech and academic freedom - and by extension freedom of association - are fundamental to our research, teaching and other academic activities, and sense of community. 

These principles enable our staff and students to test the truth of the ideas that shape society, to explain important social and natural phenomena, to challenge how the world around us is understood, and to deliver our charitable objects to advance education and research. 

We are committed to promoting and protecting freedom of speech within the law. We will continue to foster an environment that encourages the free exchange of ideas, including those with the capacity to cause discomfort. This means that as part of their work, studies, and membership of a diverse community that promotes free speech within the law, our staff and students should expect from time to time to confront ideas that they may find challenging, and perhaps even shocking or disturbing. 

Guide to freedom of speech and academic freedom

We believe our campus should be a place to discuss and explore conflicting views. Debates on divisive and sensitive topics should be respectful and we expect protesting students to be mindful of the experiences and positions of others, and consider the impact of their language and actions to ensure our University remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone. 

Freedom of speech is never an excuse for bullying, and the University will not tolerate any instances of harassment, discrimination, or any unlawful activity.

Our work with external partners

As a research-led university, we conduct research in collaboration with a variety of different partners from a wide range of industries. With us working with such a range of partners, we appreciate not all will agree with everyone we work with, so we feel it's important that we are open and transparent about the research we do to provide the context.

We make sure that our research collaborations are appropriately conducted within the law and in line with our values. We have many partnerships with hundreds of companies, agencies, charities, campaigning organisations and academic institutions around the world. We uphold academic freedom, and empower staff and students to identify and initiate collaborations with partners across the globe that further research, innovation and international understanding. 

These partnerships can be on any subject within the law, and in collaboration with partners in any country that is not the subject of UK sanctions. Some concerns have been raised around the University’s partnerships with aerospace, engineering and manufacturing companies that work in or with the defence sector. The majority of our research with industrial partners in these areas focuses on improving manufacturing processes that boost productivity and sustainability and  support our regional and national economy. Our research and partnerships also help support UK security and sovereign capabilities. 

We recognise that some of our research projects with partners could have a dual use for civilian and military purposes. However, all of our research partnerships undergo stringent due-diligence processes. Individual research projects are subject to scrutiny and oversight which assesses legal status, credit checks, links to sanctioned countries, corporate governance, legislative requirements and checks on key individuals. 

Defence and security

Our investments 

We are committed to investing our funds on a socially responsible basis and have an ethical investment policy, with an annual compliance statement and impact report. 

Annual publication of Endowment Investment Funds 2024-25

Supporting students and academics in conflict areas

University of Sanctuary

We have a long history of welcoming people seeking sanctuary. We are, and always will be, a place that is open and welcoming to students and scholars from all over the world.

We are a University of Sanctuary. This means we are part of a national network of universities in the UK that are committed to helping students and academics who are fleeing war, persecution or other disasters in their home country. 

We have a range of scholarships, schemes and support and we welcome those seeking sanctuary to join our Sheffield community.

We regularly review how best we can support people seeking sanctuary and work with partner organisations throughout Sheffield, the UK and all over the world.

Supporting prospective students affected by the conflict in Gaza

As a University of Sanctuary, we have been doing all we can to support students in Gaza who have an offer to study at our University.

Support includes:

• Agreeing to waive the fee deposit for all applicants from Gaza who have reached the appropriate point in the admissions process and provided the required information to allow a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies number to be issued.
• Applying flexibility to the evidence required for academic study by exploring alternative ways to meet their conditions of offer for applicants who are unable to provide scans or photographs of certificates.
• Where an applicant does not have an English language qualification that is valid and meets our requirements, we are exploring alternative methods that best suit individual applicants' circumstances. However, all methods of assessment must meet UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) student visa requirements and UKVI policy does not allow for universities to waive the English language requirement. 

We are aware of the challenges facing applicants in Gaza, for example, in completing the biometric and financial checks required by the Home Office to obtain a student visa, as well as completing English language assessments. We have raised these challenges with the government to ask for its support in finding a solution.

We understand the immense challenges faced by prospective students impacted by war in Gaza and remain committed to doing everything in our power to support them. 

Internet shutdown in Iran

Following the internet shutdown in Iran, we received queries from applicants based in Iran about extensions to existing deadlines, or about having extra time to meet conditions of offer. 

We extended the deadline for requests for information, which are usually emailed directly to the email address provided on the application. Applicants currently based in Iran who are affected by the internet blackout will not be expected to provide information until access to the internet is restored. 

Applicants to undergraduate programmes are still expected to meet all UCAS deadlines, and applicants to postgraduate study must meet our postgraduate deadlines. These deadlines cannot be extended.

All processes relating to Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and the issuing of Visas remain the same, and we will still require a tuition fee deposit for postgraduate programmes and applicants to hold an unconditional accepted offer before we will begin the CAS process. 

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) FAQs