Oxford and Canada
Oxford’s relationship with Canada
Canada is a great source of talent for Oxford, providing both high-quality students and distinguished academic staff. Canadian students make up the 4th largest group of international graduate students at Oxford. We have over 400 Canadian nationals studying here, more than 360 of whom are graduate students.
Popular programmes among Canadian graduate students are primarily in the areas of Social Sciences, Finance and Economics, and Humanities:
Popular Programmes
Social Sciences
- BCL (Law)
- DPhil Geography & the Environment
- DPhil Law
- MPhil Development Studies
- DPhil Politics
- MPhil International Relations
- MSt International Human Rights Law
- MSc Environmental Change & Management
- MSc Refugee & Forced Migration Studies
Finance and Economics
Humanities
Science
Medical Sciences
For a full list of courses and related details, please visit our Course Guide.
Rhodes and Canada
The first Canadian Rhodes Scholars came to Oxford in 1904 and since then, over a thousand Canadians have been awarded the prestigious scholarship. They have pursued a variety of careers in public service, academia, business, law, and medicine, amongst others. Many have achieved notable distinction, including:
- Bob Rae, recent leader of the Liberal party
- Professor David Naylor, President of the University of Toronto since 2005
- Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland from 2003 to 2010
- Justice Eileen Gillese, of the Court of Appeal for Ontario since 2002
- John Turner, former Prime Minister, 1984
- Allen Blakeney, Premier of Saskatchewan from 1971 to 1982
- David Lewis, former leader of the federal New Democratic Party and one of its original architects
- Roland Michener, former Governor-General of Canada from 1967-1974, Canadian High Commissioner to India and Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
- Marc Kielburger, Co-founder of Free the Children
The Canadian Rhodes Scholars’ Foundation is the only organisation in the world to offer a reciprocal award for Oxford graduates to study in Canada. Up to three scholarships for two years of graduate study are offered each year, funded by the Canadian Rhodes Scholars Foundation. The Scholarships provide an allowance of CA$15,000 per year, plus tuition fees, airfare and travel allowances. The awards are open to all disciplines and tenable at any Canadian university.
“I worked for a few years to save money to do a Master’s degree, and I decided that if I was going to spend all that money and a year of my life on it, I may as well aim for the best. I chose Oxford for its reputation and prestige.”
Whitney Dickson (Burgessville)
MSt Archaeology, Kellogg College
Main photograph by Joseph Caruana, DPhil Astrophysics (Christ Church College)