Record funding for Commonwealth scholars at Oxford

The University has been awarded over £200k of partnership funding to support up to 10 graduate students on Commonwealth Shared Scholarships. Following a highly competitive bidding process, Oxford was successful in securing the maximum level of partnership funding available for a single institution, receiving approval for all courses for which funding was requested.

The scholarships have been made possible due to the generous support of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), alongside contributions from a number of Oxford academic departments and colleges. Since 2010, 39 scholars have been supported through the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships at Oxford.

This new agreement for the 2020-21 academic year marks the highest level of partnership funding awarded to the University in the last decade.

The Commonwealth Shared Scholarships allow talented students from a range of developing Commonwealth countries, including Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya and Nigeria, to take up fully funded places at UK institutions. The scholarships are designed to provide high-quality development-related training for individuals, as well as opportunities for collaboration between the UK and Commonwealth countries.
From October 2020, up to 10 students applying to one-year masters’ courses will be supported through the scheme. The fully funded scholarships cover 100% of course fees, a stipend for living costs, and other costs such as a return flight, study-related travel, thesis costs, and a warm clothing allowance.

A number of eligible masters’ courses will be supported through this scholarship, each linking to one of the CSC’s development themes – from strengthening health systems and capacity through the MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine, to promoting global prosperity through the MSc Economics for Development. Full eligibility criteria and details of how to apply for this funding opportunity are available from the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.

Former Commonwealth Scholarship Commissioner and Principal of Linacre College Dr Nick Brown said: ‘The University is delighted to have been awarded this record level of funding by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission to support talented students through Commonwealth Shared Scholarships.

This ongoing, increasingly successful partnership demonstrates Oxford’s commitment to promoting graduate access globally, enabling students from developing economies to gain highly specialised skills through completing an intensive one-year master’s course at Oxford. The outstanding students who have been supported through this scheme to date are making a significant and tangible impact on the development of their home countries, and we look forward to seeing the continued success of these students in the future.’