Oxford University Scholarships for International Students in 2026

How to read this list of Oxford scholarships

Oxford funding is not one scheme. It is a set of separate awards run by the University, by colleges and by outside trusts, each with its own rules on nationality, level and subject. Some are open to every country, some only to a named list of countries, and some only to one course.

Read each entry for three things: the level it funds, who it is for, and whether you must submit anything beyond your course application. Most Oxford awards are automatic once you apply to a course by the right deadline, which means your course deadline is your scholarship deadline.

Our filtered list for this page shows the openings we currently hold. Where a listing describes a round that has already closed, treat it as background on the programme and check the official page for the current deadline and amounts.

Oxford scholarships open to students from any country

These are the awards with no nationality restriction. They are the ones most international applicants should look at first.

• Clarendon Fund Scholarships: around 140 new scholarships a year for master's and DPhil students in any subject. Tuition and college fees in full, plus a living-costs grant for full-time scholars and a study support grant for part-time scholars. You are considered automatically when you apply for your course by the December or January deadline. Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma courses are not eligible.
• Oxford Graduate Scholarships for International Students: a group of named awards funded by donors, around 60 in total, giving 100% of University and college fees plus a living-costs grant. No separate application, apart from the Pershing Square award.
• Oxford Pershing Square Graduate Scholarships: six awards for the Oxford 1+1 MBA, covering fees for both the master's and the MBA year plus a living-costs contribution. This one needs a scholarship essay uploaded with your application.

Scholarships tied to your country or region

Several Oxford awards are restricted by nationality, residence or where you studied. Check the country list before you spend time on the essay.

• Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford University for International Students: postgraduate study in any full-time degree, subject to limited restrictions, for candidates from a fixed list of countries and regions. A class of 95 Scholars is selected each year. The award covers University and College fees, a living stipend, settling in allowance, health insurance, visa costs and two economy flights. Each country has its own deadline and selection process.
• Oxford-Weidenfeld and Hoffmann Scholarship and Leadership Programme: master's study for students from transition and emerging economies in Africa, Asia and South America, on a defined list of eligible courses. It covers 100% of University and college fees plus a living-costs grant. You must select the programme in the Funding section and upload a separate statement.
• Eldred-Waverley Scholarship at Linacre College, Oxford: one award for students ordinarily resident in sub-Saharan Africa, for the MSc African Studies, covering fees in full, a living-costs grant and a return flight.
• Oppenheimer Fund Scholarships at University of Oxford: two awards for graduate applicants who have previously studied at a South African university, paid as a living-costs grant for full-time students or a study support grant for part-time students.
• St. Cross Worldwide Scholarships: six awards, one per continent, for one-year master's students at St Cross College who cannot secure full funding elsewhere.

Oxford undergraduate scholarships

Undergraduate funding at Oxford is much thinner than graduate funding, and the main route is a single scheme.

Reach Oxford Scholarships for Developing Country Students, previously called Oxford Student Scholarships, are offered by a number of Oxford colleges. They are for nationals of countries that receive official development assistance from the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, and for students who cannot study for a degree at home for political or financial reasons or because equivalent facilities are not available. The award covers tuition and college fees, a grant for living expenses and one return air fare per year, for three or four years depending on the course. Medicine is excluded. Two to three awards are made each year.

The sequence matters. You apply through UCAS by 15 October 2026, win a place, then complete the undergraduate scholarships application by 12 noon UK time on 26 January 2027. Priority goes to applicants who have not studied at undergraduate level before.

Oxford PhD and research scholarships

For doctoral study, the Clarendon Fund is the main University-wide route, and it covers DPhil courses as well as master's courses. Selection rests on academic excellence and potential, judged from the graduate application you already submit.

The Rhodes Scholarship also funds full-time postgraduate degrees, including doctoral study where the Conditions of Tenure allow it, but only for candidates from the listed constituencies. The Oppenheimer Fund covers graduate degrees, full-time or part-time, for applicants who studied at a South African university.

There is no separate Oxford PhD scholarship exam or interview round at University level. What decides your case is the strength of your research proposal, references and academic record, submitted by your course deadline.

What each Oxford scholarship actually pays

Amounts change each year. The official page for each award carries the current figure, so check it before you plan your budget.

How to apply for Oxford university scholarships, step by step

1. Choose your course on the University of Oxford site and note its exact application deadline. That date is also your scholarship deadline for most awards.
2. Check the country and level rules for each award you want. Rhodes and Weidenfeld-Hoffmann have fixed country lists, and Reach Oxford is undergraduate only.
3. Prepare your course application: transcripts, references, personal statement, and a research proposal if you are applying for a DPhil.
4. Check the English language requirement for your course and book any test early, since results must arrive before the deadline.
5. Tick the relevant scholarship in the Funding section of the graduate application. For Weidenfeld-Hoffmann, upload the separate scholarships statement. For Pershing Square, upload the essay.
6. Submit before the deadline rather than on the day, so you can fix any document that fails to upload.
7. For undergraduate study, apply through UCAS by 15 October 2026 and then complete the undergraduate scholarships form by 26 January 2027 if you hold an offer.

Documents and selection: what actually decides the outcome

Oxford scholarship selection is mostly academic. Clarendon states plainly that awards go to graduate students with outstanding academic merit and potential, and Oppenheimer and Eldred-Waverley are both awarded on academic merit. Reach Oxford adds financial need and social commitment, and Weidenfeld-Hoffmann looks for a clear link between your course and your plans to improve public life at home.

• Academic transcripts and degree certificates
• Two or more academic references
• Personal statement or statement of purpose
• Research proposal for doctoral applicants
• English language test evidence where required
• Scholarships statement for Weidenfeld-Hoffmann, essay for Pershing Square
• CV for the Recanati-Kaplan wildlife conservation diploma, sent to the course coordinator before you apply

Specialist and past-round Oxford awards

Two listings on this page describe rounds that have closed. Use them to understand the programme, then go to the official page for the current round, deadline and amounts.

Recanati-Kaplan Foundation Scholarships for PgDip in International Wildlife Conservation Practice at the University of Oxford support a full-time postgraduate diploma delivered in person at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. They are aimed at early-career field conservationists from developing countries working with government agencies or NGOs, and bursaries cover course fees, international travel, accommodation and living expenses for students without their own funding. The course is not suitable for people not currently working in an ecology or conservation research role.

St. Cross Worldwide Scholarships are the college-level award described above. Both entries are useful for judging fit, not for copying dates.

Who Oxford scholarships suit, and who should look elsewhere

These awards suit applicants with a strong academic record who are ready to apply to a specific Oxford course by its deadline, and who can show why that course fits their plans. They also suit students who will return home after the degree, since several awards, including Reach Oxford and Weidenfeld-Hoffmann, expect that.

Look elsewhere if you need funding decided before you apply to a course, if you want an award that covers living costs at full rate for a part-time course, or if you are applying for a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma and are counting on Clarendon, which excludes those. If your country is not on the Rhodes or Weidenfeld-Hoffmann list, focus on Clarendon and the donor-funded Oxford Graduate Scholarships instead.

Common mistakes with Oxford scholarship applications

• Missing the course deadline and assuming the scholarship has a later one. For most awards there is no later one.
• Applying for a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma and expecting Clarendon consideration.
• Skipping the Funding section of the graduate form, or forgetting the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann statement or the Pershing Square essay.
• Applying to Reach Oxford without a UCAS application and an offer in hand.
• Using an old deadline from a past round. Check the official page for the current date.
• Ignoring the English language requirement until after submission.

Alternatives if Oxford funding does not work out

Oxford is one destination, not the only one. If your country or level rules you out of the main awards, widen the search before you give up on studying abroad.

Our Scholarships in United Kingdom page covers other UK universities, and the scholarship finder lets you filter by level and country. Subject-specific lists are also worth a look, such as environmental management scholarships for conservation applicants or MBA scholarships for business candidates. For a wider view of how these awards compare, see our guides.