The University of Oxford Scholarships 2027 provide international and UK students with opportunities to pursue undergraduate and graduate studies at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
For the 2027–28 academic year, Oxford expects to offer more than 1,200 full or partial graduate scholarships for new students. Among the university’s most prominent fully funded opportunities is the Clarendon Fund, which offers more than 200 new fully funded graduate scholarships each year.
Oxford also offers undergraduate scholarships for eligible international students, including the Reach Oxford Scholarship, which can cover course fees, living costs and one return airfare per year.
Oxford scholarships are a collection of funding programmes rather than one single “Oxford fully funded scholarship.”
The university offers funding through colleges, departments, faculties and centrally administered scholarship schemes. Eligibility, funding amounts and application procedures vary depending on the scholarship and level of study.
For graduate applicants, many Oxford scholarships are linked directly to the standard graduate admissions application. In fact, Oxford states that for more than two-thirds of its scholarships, applicants only need to submit their graduate application by the relevant funding deadline to be automatically considered.
This makes applying early and meeting the relevant course funding deadline extremely important.
Clarendon Scholarship 2027
The Clarendon Fund is one of the leading fully funded scholarship opportunities at Oxford.
Clarendon scholarships are open to applicants from all nationalities and subject areas who apply for an eligible new Master’s or DPhil course by the relevant December or January deadline.
For full-time students, the scholarship covers:
- Full course fees
- An annual grant for living expenses
- Funding for the period of fee liability
For reference, Clarendon scholars received at least £20,780 for living expenses in 2025–26, although future amounts can change.
Clarendon selection is highly competitive and focuses on outstanding academic merit and potential.
Importantly, applicants do not submit a separate Clarendon application. They are automatically considered when they apply for an eligible Oxford graduate course by the relevant funding deadline.
Oxford Reach Scholarship 2027
International undergraduate applicants from eligible low-income countries can also explore the Reach Oxford Scholarship.
The scholarship is designed for students who cannot study for a degree in their own country because of political or financial circumstances or a lack of suitable educational facilities.
The Reach Oxford Scholarship provides:
- Course fees
- A grant for living costs
- One return air fare per year
The award lasts three or four years, depending on the length of the student’s course. Oxford expects around two to three Reach Oxford awards per year, making the competition extremely strong.
Zimbabwe is included among the eligible countries listed by Oxford.
Applicants must first apply to Oxford and receive an offer before they can be considered for the Reach Oxford Scholarship.
Who Can Apply for Oxford Scholarships?
Eligibility depends on the specific scholarship.
Graduate applicants can find funding opportunities across numerous academic disciplines, with some scholarships open to virtually all new graduate students and others restricted according to factors such as nationality, country of residence or field of study.
Strong candidates should generally demonstrate:
- Excellent academic performance
- Strong academic or research potential
- A clear reason for choosing their programme
- Commitment to their proposed field
- Evidence of leadership, achievement or wider impact where relevant
For Clarendon, Oxford particularly emphasises academic excellence, academic potential, motivation and the potential contribution of the candidate to their field.
How to Apply for Oxford Scholarships 2027
The first step is to identify an Oxford undergraduate or graduate course that matches the applicant’s academic background and career goals.
For Graduate Applicants
Applicants should:
- Search for a suitable Master’s or DPhil programme.
- Review the course-specific admission requirements.
- Prepare academic transcripts and supporting documents.
- Prepare a strong personal statement or research proposal where required.
- Submit the Oxford graduate application by the relevant funding deadline.
- Indicate the Oxford scholarships for which they wish to be considered where applicable.
For many Oxford scholarships, submitting the course application by the relevant deadline is sufficient for automatic scholarship consideration.
Applicants should not assume that every scholarship operates this way, however. Some awards require an additional application.
For Undergraduate Applicants
Students applying for undergraduate scholarships generally need to apply for their chosen Oxford course first.
For the Reach Oxford Scholarship, applicants must have received an Oxford offer before they can be considered. Oxford states that details for 2027 entry will be made available in January 2027. For applicants who meet the 2027 scholarship deadline, the selection process is expected in April, with outcomes by the end of May 2027.
Important Oxford Scholarship Deadlines for 2027
Graduate applicants should pay close attention to their course-specific December or January funding deadline, as these dates determine eligibility for many Oxford scholarships.
For undergraduate applicants, several centrally administered scholarships for 2027 entry have a deadline of 12 noon UK time on 26 January 2027, including the Reach Oxford Scholarship.
Applicants should always check their specific course and scholarship page because deadlines can differ.
How Competitive Are Oxford Scholarships?
Oxford scholarships are highly competitive.
The university reports that graduate funding is competitive, although a significant proportion of new graduate students receive full or partial funding from Oxford or other funders. In 2025–26, 47% of new graduate students received full or partial funding from the university or other funders.
Applicants should therefore avoid relying on a single scholarship and should investigate departmental, college and external funding opportunities as well.
Final Thoughts
The Oxford University Scholarships 2027 offer ambitious students an opportunity to pursue world-class education with substantial financial support.
For graduate students, the Clarendon Fund is particularly attractive because it provides full course-fee coverage and a living-cost grant, while eligible international undergraduate students can explore opportunities such as the Reach Oxford Scholarship.
The most important strategy is to begin early, choose the right Oxford programme and submit a strong admission application before the relevant funding deadline.
Students should also remember that admission and scholarship selection are highly competitive, and not every applicant will receive funding.
For the 2027 intake, prospective students should monitor Oxford’s official scholarship pages closely as additional application information and deadlines are released.
