The Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme is one of the strongest fully funded routes to Oxford for African students, and it is built around a specific conviction: that funding a degree is only half the job. It covers 100 per cent of your course fees and pays a living grant of at least 21,805 pounds, then wraps a year-long leadership programme around your studies. The Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust supports around 30 young leaders a year, which tells you how selective it is.
It exists for outstanding university graduates and professionals mainly from developing and emerging economies who could not otherwise afford to study at Oxford. The eligible country list runs to roughly 190 countries and covers Africa comprehensively, while deliberately excluding the UK, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The programme was established as a tribute to Lord Weidenfeld on his 95th birthday, and its scholars come mainly from low and middle income countries.
Understand the central condition before you invest time in this, because it shapes the whole application. You must intend to return to your country of ordinary residence after your course, and you must show a clear link between what you study and how your career will contribute to public life at home. This is not a scholarship for someone hoping to emigrate. It funds people who plan to go back and lead.
Scholarship benefits
- 100 percent of your course fees covered, for the full duration of your fee liability on the agreed course.
- A grant for living costs of at least 21,805 pounds.
- A year long Leadership Programme running alongside your degree, covering philosophical discussion, business skills and communication training within a supportive community.
- Long term mentoring and networking, which continues beyond the scholarship year.
- Structured components the Trust runs under the programme include ethical leadership, an Enterprise Challenge and communication training.
- Membership of a deliberately small cohort, since the Trust funds around 30 young leaders a year drawn mainly from low and middle income countries.
- Successful candidates are transferred to a partner college at Oxford.
Eligibility checklist
✔ You are ordinarily resident in an eligible country. Around 190 countries qualify, covering Africa broadly, while the UK, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are excluded.
✔ You are an outstanding university graduate or professional who could not otherwise fund study at Oxford, so financial need forms part of the assessment.
✔ You are applying to one of the roughly 40 to 45 eligible graduate courses, which include the BCL, MBA, MJur, MPP and a range of MSc and MSt programmes. Check the official list, because courses outside it do not qualify.
✔ You intend to return to your country of ordinary residence after completing your course.
✔ You can demonstrate a link between your subject and your career goals, including how your work would contribute to public life in your country or region.
✔ You will receive an offer through the December or January deadline. Applications held over to the March deadline or placed on a waiting list cannot be considered.
✔ You do not hold a deferred offer for 2027-28, and you are not a current Oxford student unless you are already a Weidenfeld-Hoffmann scholar.
✔ If you are a refugee or displaced applicant, you remain eligible provided your nationality meets the country criteria.
Application tips for African students
- Find your course deadline immediately, because there is no single scholarship date. You must apply by the December or January deadline that applies to your specific course, and these vary. More importantly, an application rolled over to the March deadline or put on a waiting list is automatically out of scholarship contention, so the December or January window is not merely preferred, it is mandatory.
- Confirm your course is on the eligible list before anything else. Only around 40 to 45 named graduate courses qualify. Oxford offers hundreds, so the odds of your preferred course being outside the list are real. Check first and save yourself weeks.
- Write the Scholarships Statement as a separate, serious document. You must complete the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement 2027/28, a downloadable Word document, and upload it with your application. It is assessed alongside your graduate application form and is where you make the case that a general admissions essay cannot.
- Make your return commitment concrete rather than declarative. Saying you intend to go home is not enough. Describe the sector you will return to, the problem you intend to work on, and why your chosen Oxford course is the training that makes that possible. Selectors are looking for a credible plan, not a promise.
- Be straightforward about financial need. The scholarship explicitly targets people who could not otherwise fund Oxford study, and financial need is among the key assessment areas. This is not something to minimise or hide.
- Enter your country of ordinary residence carefully on the form. Eligibility turns on ordinary residence, not just nationality, and you provide this in the Nationality and ordinary residence section of the application. Get it right, because it determines whether you are considered at all.
- Prepare for an online interview around April 2027. Shortlisted candidates may be interviewed online, likely in April, with decisions expected by the end of May 2027. Be ready to speak fluently about your return plan and your sector.
- Know that you will not get feedback. Unsuccessful applicants are not contacted individually and receive no feedback, so build a parallel funding plan rather than waiting on this one outcome.
How to apply
There is no separate scholarship portal. You are considered through your Oxford graduate application, with one additional document. Follow these steps:
- Step 1. Check that your intended course is among the roughly 40 to 45 eligible graduate courses, and find that course’s December or January application deadline.
- Step 2. Complete the University of Oxford graduate application form, entering your country of ordinary residence in the Nationality and ordinary residence section.
- Step 3. In the University of Oxford Scholarships section of the form, select the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme.
- Step 4. Download and complete the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement 2027/28, then upload it with your application.
- Step 5. Submit by your course’s December or January deadline. An application deferred to the March deadline or placed on a waiting list will not be considered for the scholarship.
- Step 6. Attend an online interview if shortlisted, likely in April 2027, and await decisions expected by the end of May 2027.
The eligible country list, the eligible course list and the Scholarships Statement are all on the official Oxford Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships page, with further detail on the Leadership Programme available from the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarship fully funded?
Yes. It covers 100 percent of your course fees for the duration of your fee liability, plus a grant for living costs of at least 21,805 pounds, and includes a year long Leadership Programme with long term mentoring.
Who can apply?
Outstanding university graduates and professionals, mainly from developing and emerging economies, who are ordinarily resident in one of roughly 190 eligible countries and could not otherwise fund Oxford study. African applicants are covered broadly. The UK, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are excluded, and refugees or displaced applicants qualify if their nationality meets the country criteria.
When is the deadline?
There is no single date. You must apply by the December or January deadline for your specific course, so check your course page. Interviews for shortlisted candidates are likely in April 2027, with decisions expected by the end of May 2027.
Can I study any course at Oxford?
No. Only around 40 to 45 named graduate courses are eligible, including the BCL, MBA, MJur, MPP and various MSc and MSt programmes. Confirm your course appears on the official list before applying.
Do I have to return to my home country?
Yes, that commitment is central. You must intend to return to your country of ordinary residence after your course, and show how your studies connect to a career contributing to public life in your country or region.
Is there a separate application form?
Not a separate portal, but there is an extra document. You select the scholarship in the University of Oxford Scholarships section of the graduate application form, then complete and upload the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement 2027/28.
What if my application is moved to the March deadline?
You would no longer be eligible. Applicants must receive an offer through the December or January deadline, and applications held over to March or placed on a waiting list are not considered for the scholarship.
Am I automatically considered for other schemes?
Applicants consent to be considered for partner schemes including the Oxford Pakistan Programme and Chevening. Note that Chevening requires its own separate application through the Chevening website, listing Oxford as your first choice university.