Scholarships

Our advice is to start looking for funding as soon as you have decided to apply to Oxford, if not before. Before applying for scholarships, read the eligibility criteria thoroughly and make sure you submit your application by the correct deadline. It is important to note that most funding applications can only be made at the time you apply for your course at Oxford, and small hardship funds for continuing students are only granted in exceptional and unforeseen circumstances.

In all cases, scholarships vary greatly. You will need to find out:

Does the award have eligibility criteria e.g. by nationality, course of study?
What is the amount of the award? Does it cover fees and living expenses or a partial amount?
What level of study does it cover (e.g. Master’s, DPhil, full-time/part-time)?
What is the deadline for applying?

Scholarship opportunities at Oxford are divided into four categories:

Central

Scholarships available at more than one college/department and managed by the Graduate Admissions and Funding team. You can apply for most of these scholarships at the same time as you complete your application form, which must be no later than the January deadline for your programme of study.

College

Scholarships offered by the colleges of the University

Departmental

Scholarships offered by the departments and faculties of the University

External

Funding available from external organisations, trusts, and companies that provide support to graduate students

Oxford’s Graduate Admissions and Funding team can give you advice about all of these opportunities, and you can contact them using the details to the left.

Which scholarships am I eligible to apply for?

The best way to determine which Oxford-based scholarships you are eligible to apply for is to consult the Oxford Funding Search tool.

The Oxford Funding Search is a searchable online database of funding opportunities offered throughout the University, its departments and colleges. The results of the Search enable you to link directly to the relevant web page for each award listed.

Applications to some funds may be dependent on you applying to or accepting a place at a particular college, studying in a particular subject area or being from a particular country or region. Please note that many scholarships awarded for more than one year will be subject to renewal, and you will need to make satisfactory academic progress in order for your award to be renewed. Some one-year awards may only cover 9-months’ worth of expenses, for courses that run from October to June.

Applying for Scholarships

Quick Guide: How do I apply for scholarships? >>

Central Scholarships	Apply at the same time as you complete your graduate application by ticking the relevant scholarship box on the graduate application form, supplying additional materials if required
College scholarships	Refer to the relevant college website for more information on the application process, or contact the college directly
Departmental scholarships	Refer to the relevant departmental website for more information on the application process, or contact the department directly
External scholarships	Check our online list of external funding sources and/or contact the organisation directly

To apply for a central scholarship (i.e. one that is managed directly by the Graduate Admissions and Funding team), tick the relevant box in the scholarships section of the graduate application form. You will also need to read the relevant online scholarship profile for full details and to check your eligibility before completing this section of the application form. We will also use other information you provide in your application form to help determine your eligibility for these scholarships. Some scholarships require you to submit additional supporting material and these requirements are detailed in the online scholarship profiles. If you do not submit the required supporting material, or tick the relevant box, by the January deadline for your chosen programme of study, you will not be considered for the scholarship.

Application procedures for college scholarships vary widely: some colleges will automatically consider you for an award, whereas others will ask you to submit an application separate from your graduate admissions application. You should therefore check with the relevant college, by looking at their website or contacting them directly, to see how you can be considered for their awards. The same applies to departmental scholarships, which are handled directly by academic departments or faculties of the University.

All external scholarships are managed by external organisations and have their own application processes. You should therefore contact the relevant organisation directly to make enquiries about submitting an application for such awards. We provide a list of some of the major sources of funding provided by external organisations, which is available online via our website. You may also find the British Council’s Education UK website or HotCourses’ Scholarship Search useful in searching for external funding opportunities.

Application Deadlines

For all central scholarships, you will need to apply for admission to Oxford by the January deadline. Deadlines for college, departmental and external scholarships may vary, so please check the relevant websites for full information.

Maan Barua

DPhil in Geography

"I grew up in rural India, in an area famous for its wildlife. It was then that I developed a concern for issues regarding wildlife conservation and was determined to make a difference in the field. I studied zoology in our local college (a town that did not have a public library), and it was there that I became aware of pressing concerns in rural areas, including the access to education. I became aware of the fact that wildlife conservation had more to do with culture and economics then with science alone.

This spurred me on to do an MSc that dealt with cutting edge ideas in conservation. Oxford was the first choice as it had a department that was challenging the normative ideas in the discipline. I had visited Oxford before and liked the stimulating intellectual atmosphere. After completing my MSc with a distinction, with funding from the Felix Scholarship, I then successfully applied for a DPhil

My DPhil has been funded by the Clarendon, Wingate and Felix Scholarships. These scholarships have made my studies in Oxford possible - without them it would have been very difficult."

Student Funding