A full scholarship for Japanese graduate students has been announced by New College, University of Oxford and Aso Group Japan. The endowment from the Aso Group, the President of which is Yutaka Aso, an old member of New College, will provide full funding for a Japanese national or an individual who speaks Japanese as a first language undertaking graduate study in any subject area where New College accepts applications.
The Aso-New College Oxford Scholarship scheme has been established with a view to deepening the link between Japan, particularly Fukuoka Prefecture, and the University of Oxford. Applicants should have been born, brought up, or partly schooled in Fukuoka Prefecture, and must speak Japanese as a first language.
The scholarship will cover University and college fees, maintenance and return air travel to the UK. New College will also offer suitable holiday-period housing for the recipient of a scholarship. There will be funding for one graduate student per year, and it is hoped the Aso-New College Oxford Scholarship will become the most prestigious available for a Japanese studying in Oxford.
Yutaka Aso studied for a Diploma in Social and Political Studies at New College from 1969 to 1971. Professor Alan Ryan, Warden and Tutor in Political Philosophy at New College, newly appointed tutor when Mr Aso was a student, has 'the happiest memories of teaching him the mysteries of political theory as understood in the Oxford syllabuses of the day. His creation of the scholarship brings our relationship full circle in the happiest possible way.'
The Vice-Chancellor Dr John Hood said: ‘The University is very grateful for Mr Aso’s generosity, and we hope the scholarship will help to strengthen our ties with Japan, and Japanese students, in particular.’The Aso group was founded in 1872, and today spans 66 corporations, with over 5,000 employees. Cement sales are a core of the group, which also includes medical business development, hospital consulting, real estate, and environmental consulting.
For more information please contact the Press Office, University of Oxford, on (01865) 280528 or at press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk
Notes to Editors
*To be eligible for the award of a scholarship a
candidate must: (a) speak Japanese as a first language; (b) have been
born, brought up, or partly schooled (at least one year in elementary,
junior high, high school, or university) in Fukuoka prefecture*; (c)
have obtained, or expect to obtain before October 2008, a Bachelor's
degree with a first or upper second-class honours or the international
equivalent; (d) be accepted for a postgraduate degree at the University
of Oxford, having stated New College as the preferred college on the
Graduate Application form; (e) be adequately proficient in English. *If
no suitable candidate presents him/herself, geographical eligibility
will be extended to Kyushu, in the first case, and then the rest of
Japan.
*Candidates for the scholarship must apply both for admission to
the University and for the scholarship. Applications for postgraduate
study may be made electronically or on paper; a link to the online
application form and a PDF version of the paper form are both available
at the Graduate Admissions website:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/.Information about the
scholarship, eligibility, and other relevant details are available at
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/colleges/newc.shtml, or contact the
College Admission at admissions@new.ox.ac.uk.
*Applications for the
scholarship should be submitted by 12 January 2008 at the latest.The
closing date for the Oxford University Graduate Studies application
form is the 18 January 2008.
*The average cost for most graduate degrees
at Oxford, including all expenses, is £24,000. (An MBA is £40,000).
*Despite its name, New College is one of the oldest of the Oxford
colleges, having originally been founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham,
Bishop of Winchester and High Chancellor of England. As well as being
the first Oxford college for undergraduates and the first to have
Senior Members of the college give tutorials, New College was the first
college in Oxford to centre on a main quadrangle, with student rooms, a
dining hall, a library, and study rooms within the square ring of
buildings and gates. The New College grounds are among the largest and
most beautiful in Oxford. The Cloisters and the Chapel are of
particular note, as is the Old City Wall (around which the College is
built). The gardens are equally impressive. Old members of the college
include Charles Powell (private secretary to Prime Minister Thatcher),
Neil Rudenstine (President of Harvard University), and Hugh Grant (film
star). See www.new.ox.ac.uk
*The University of Oxford is the oldest
university in the English-speaking world, laying claim to 900 years of
continuous existence. Its collegiate system, unique to Oxford and
Cambridge, groups students together in communities of undergraduates,
graduates and researchers all studying different subjects. See
www.ox.ac.uk.
ENDS
Graduate Admissions
