Crankstart - Current Scholars

The Scholarship

The Crankstart Scholarship Programme was established through a generous donation from Sir Michael Moritz and Ms Harriet Heyman, and combines financial support with tailored on-course assistance provided by the Crankstart Scholarship Team, Oxford Hub, and the University’s Careers Service. From 2019 the Programme has also provided additional support for Care-Experienced and estranged students.

Scholars are encouraged to take advantage of the full breadth of the Programme’s additional benefits: funded internships, volunteering opportunities, social events, and being part of a unique community at Oxford.

Each year all Crankstart Scholars are asked to complete 25 hours of volunteering. This can either be in the form of access and outreach work, encouraging others from similar backgrounds to apply to University, or community volunteering.

The Scholarship is an absolutely fantastic programme. Being a scholar extended my horizons and allowed me to really make the most of my time at Oxford without financial worries.

Scholar studying Archaeology and Anthropology, Keble College 

Support

In 2021/22, UK resident students commencing their first undergraduate degree in 2021 with a household income of £27,500 or less will be offered a Crankstart Scholarship and will be eligible to receive an annual bursary of either £5,000 if your household income is below £5,000 or £4,200 if your household income is between £5,000 and £27,500.

As an on course scholar, full details of the type and level of financial support available to you each year will be set out in your Scholarship letter.

If your annual household income increases above £32,500 for those who started in or after 2020 or £25,000 for pre-2020 entrants, your bursary amount will align with the household income criteria used for the Oxford Bursary. You will remain a Crankstart Scholar and retain access to the internship and volunteering support and to all events for scholars.

In 2022/23, to help with the rising cost of living, Oxford has approved an increase to its bursary levels by £500 for all students who are eligible for a Crankstart bursary. If your household income has risen such that the bursary you are receiving instead aligns with the Oxford Bursary level, as described above, then the increase will be between £300 and £500 in line with published Oxford Bursary amounts. 

Care experienced and estranged undergraduates without family support

If you have been in care for more than three months, or are estranged from your family, you will be eligible to apply for a non-repayable annual bursary of up to £3,000 for those who started in or after 2020 or £1,500 for those who started before 2020 to help towards financial shortfalls identified in your application and relating to your circumstances. You can apply for this support for each year of your course.

Further details about additional financial support for care experienced and estranged students is available on the targeted support webpage.

Extra financial assistance

Crankstart Scholars who started in or after 2020 are also eligible to access additional funding including:

• an Oxford Travel Supplement if you live more than 80 miles from Oxford, to help cover costs of travel between your stated home address and Oxford
• the opportunity to apply for financial assistance from Oxford’s Student Support Fund if you have a funding shortfall once on course

Further details about these additional areas of support are available on the Oxford bursaries and scholarships page.

Contact

If you require further information on the Crankstart Scholarship Programme you can contact the Crankstart Scholarship Administrator at crankstartoxford@admin.ox.ac.uk.