Full Program Details
Most scholarships pay for a degree. The Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme at Oxford tries to build a public leader as well. Alongside full funding for a master's degree, scholars spend a year in philosophical discussions, business skills sessions and communication training, followed by long-term mentoring. The scholarship is aimed at graduates and professionals from developing and emerging economies, and the first course deadlines for 2027-28 fall on 1 December 2026.
The scholarship covers 100% of your Oxford course fees and a living grant of at least £21,805, for the full length of your course.
Details at a glance:
- Host: University of Oxford, with the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust
- Award: full course fees plus a living grant of at least £21,805
- Level: 40 eligible graduate courses, mostly one-year master's degrees, plus the BCL, MJur and MBA
- Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
- Deadline: your course's December or January deadline. The earliest are 1 December 2026.
- Interviews: likely online in April 2027
- Decisions: by the end of May 2027
Eligibility note: you must be ordinarily resident in one of Oxford's listed eligible countries. The list includes Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt and most other African countries, along with many countries in Asia, Latin America and parts of Europe. The United States and the United Kingdom are not on it.
What the Scholarship Covers
- 100% of your course fees
- A grant for living costs of at least £21,805
- Funding for the full duration of your fee liability for the agreed course
- A year-long leadership programme with training, mentoring and networking run by the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust
Which Courses Are Eligible
The scholarship covers 40 courses. Among them:
- Policy and law: Master of Public Policy, BCL, MJur, MSc Law and Finance, MSc Global Governance and Diplomacy
- Economics and business: MSc Economics for Development, MSc Financial Economics, MBA
- Tech and data: MSc Advanced Computer Science, MSc Social Data Science, MSc Social Science of the Internet, MSc Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing
- Health: MSc Global Health Science and Epidemiology, MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine
- Environment and energy: MSc Energy Systems, MSc Environmental Change and Policy, MSc Water Science, Policy and Management
- Regional studies: MSc African Studies and several other area studies degrees
Check the full list on the official page before you apply. DPhil (PhD) study is not on it.
Deadlines for Some Popular Courses
All deadlines are at 12:00 midday UK time.
| Course | Deadline for scholarship consideration |
|---|---|
| MSc Global Health Science and Epidemiology | 1 December 2026 |
| MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine | 1 December 2026 |
| Master of Public Policy | 2 December 2026 |
| MSc Advanced Computer Science | 6 January 2027 |
| MSc Social Data Science | 7 January 2027 |
| MSc Economics for Development | 26 January 2027 |
| MSc Energy Systems | 27 January 2027 |
| Bachelor of Civil Law | 27 January 2027 |
Applications held over to the March deadline, or placed on a waiting list, are not considered for the scholarship.
Who Can Apply
- You are applying to start a new full-time graduate course at Oxford in 2027-28
- You are ordinarily resident in an eligible country. Refugees and displaced applicants are considered if their nationality is on the list.
- You intend to return to your country of ordinary residence after your course
- You can link your course to a career that improves public life in your country, your region or internationally
- You would not otherwise be able to afford to study at Oxford
Current Oxford students cannot apply unless they are already Weidenfeld-Hoffmann scholars, and applicants with offers deferred to 2027-28 are not eligible.
How to Apply
- Pick an eligible course and note its December or January deadline on the Oxford course page.
- Complete the Oxford graduate application form for that course.
- In the University of Oxford Scholarships section of the form, select the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme.
- Download the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement 2027/28 from the official page, complete it, and upload it with your application.
- Submit everything before your course deadline. If you are shortlisted, prepare for an online interview, likely in April 2027.
If you also want a Chevening award, the Chevening-Weidenfeld-Hoffmann route is applied for separately through Chevening, with Oxford as your first choice university.
GizPulse Verdict
Who this is for: Early and mid-career professionals from Africa and other eligible countries who want a one-year Oxford master's in policy, law, health, data or development, and plan to take that training home.
Who should pause: PhD applicants, residents of the US or UK, and anyone who plans to build a long-term career abroad. The return-home intention is part of the assessment.
One tip to stand out: Like Gates Cambridge, this award looks for a clear public purpose. In the statement, describe one problem in your country's public life, what you have already done about it, and exactly how your chosen course fills the gap.
Read the full rules, the course list and the country list on the official Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships page.
