Clarendon Scholarships 2026

Clarendon Scholarships are a major graduate scholarship programme at the University of Oxford, funded through the Clarendon Fund. The scheme supports outstanding students from across the world who are applying for eligible graduate degrees at Oxford. It is one of the university's flagship scholarship programmes and is awarded on the basis of academic excellence and potential.

Clarendon typically funds master's and PhD-level study at Oxford. In most cases, the award covers full course fees and provides a living-cost stipend for scholars on fee-liable courses. Because the scholarship is attached to graduate admission, applicants are generally considered automatically when they apply for an eligible Oxford graduate programme by the relevant deadline; a separate scholarship application is not usually required.

The programme is open to applicants of all nationalities, and there is no restriction to a single academic discipline. Students from a very wide range of subject areas may be considered, provided their chosen course is eligible under Oxford's graduate admissions system. Selection is highly competitive and focuses primarily on academic record, future promise, and fit for advanced study at Oxford.

To be competitive, applicants usually need an excellent prior degree, strong references, and a complete graduate application to Oxford that includes the documents required by their course. English-language requirements depend on the Oxford course and the applicant's background. The scholarship is hosted in the United Kingdom and can be taken only at the University of Oxford.

Students interested in Clarendon should review their chosen Oxford graduate course page carefully, prepare their application materials early, and submit their graduate admission application in time for scholarship consideration. The programme is widely associated with deadlines around December for many courses, though exact dates vary by programme.