The Fund's purpose
The Clarendon Fund’s purpose is simple; to assist academically outstanding graduate students through their studies at the University of Oxford.
Originally established to support overseas students, the Clarendon Fund first welcomed scholars to Oxford in 2001. The scheme was expanded in 2012 to include students from the UK and EU, thereby providing funding for all fee statuses. Throughout, the Fund’s aim has remained unchanged; to assist academically outstanding graduate students through their studies at the University of Oxford.
Clarendon scholarships are competitive, prestigious and highly sought-after. The scholarships cover course fees and provide a grant for living expenses. This funding helps reduce the financial barriers that may stand in the way of the best students, from across the world, coming to study at Oxford.
I want to thank Clarendon for providing this amazing scholarship for students in Oxford. I have met interesting people with diverse backgrounds and the interdisciplinary discussions I have had with other students were truly intellectually stimulating. On top of that, the Clarendon community organises a lot of events which are simply a lot of fun to attend.
Felix Homma, DPhil Interdisciplinary Biosciences – Plant Sciences
Clarendon aims to offer an increasing number of new scholarships each year - with over 230 new scholars in 2025/26. Currently, there are about 700 on-course scholars, making Clarendon the University’s largest scholarship scheme. There are no quotas by nationality or degree. Every student who submits an application for a degree-bearing graduate course by the relevant December or January funding deadline for their course will automatically be considered. The majority of Clarendon scholars are working towards a DPhil, Oxford’s name for a PhD. Scholarships are also awarded for two-year graduate degrees, such as the MPhil or BPhil, and one-year degrees, such as the MSc, MSt, MBA or MFE. For more information please see our Full-time applicants and Part-time applicants pages.
To ensure the scholarship remains true to its purpose, the Fund is overseen by the Clarendon Fund Steering Group. The Steering Group is chaired by the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and consists of representatives from across the University. It acts as board of management and is designed to ensure the Fund's effective running and to provide consistency across the academic divisions and Department for Continuing Education.
When selecting Clarendon scholars, the University has only one goal in mind: to choose the best students worldwide, as decided by experts in each student’s field. Future potential is an essential part of the Oxford process. Oxford believes that by selecting and nurturing the brightest and best minds, it will pave the way for future leaders in any given field. Clarendon scholars are increasingly taking on leadership roles and applying their knowledge and skills to the wider environment outside Oxford.
Furthermore, the selection process means that the Clarendon community is composed of students from across the University. This diversity provides great opportunities for interdisciplinary interaction amongst the scholars. It also means that Oxford can attract and retain the highest achieving applicants, helping the University to maintain its position as a world-leading, research-intensive academic institution.
How the Fund operates
The Clarendon Fund scholarship scheme is managed by a small team within the University’s Student Fees and Funding Department consisting of the Student Funding Manager (Clarendon) and Student Funding Administrator (Clarendon), with support from the Deputy Head of Student Fees and Funding. In 2026 a Student Funding Officer (Clarendon) will join the team.
The Clarendon Administrative Team manages the annual award allocation round, liaising with funding partners, crafting funding packages and drafting funding letters. The administrative team also hosts a welcome event for new scholars and an annual reception for all scholars and friends of the Fund, ensures scholarships are paid in a timely manner, supports on-course scholars, provides guidance to the Scholars’ Association Council, services the Clarendon Fund Steering Group, maintains the Fund’s website, and much more.