Oxford-Indira Gandhi Graduate Scholarship

Scholarships are awarded to applicants who have demonstrated excellent academic ability, who will contribute to the University’s ground-breaking research, and who will go on to contribute to the world as leaders in their field, pushing the frontiers of knowledge. The University contributes 40% of the funds for these scholarships, together with 60% from generous donations provided by numerous supporters of the University and its colleges.The Oxford Graduate Scholarships have been established through a groundbreaking new matched funding initiative to enable the creation of fully-funded scholarships for graduate students of the highest calibre from across the world. 2013-14 will see the very first Oxford Graduate Scholars begin their studies.

Somerville College and the University of Oxford have established the Indira Gandhi Scholarships with the generous support of the Government of India. The scholarships are available to candidates ordinarily resident in India or graduates of universities in India, who demonstrate exceptional academic merit and who have been accepted to study at the University of Oxford in areas broadly related to sustainable development. This is the first year that the scholarships have been awarded.

The Indira Gandhi Centre (IGC), currently being developed by Somerville College, aims to equip India’s future leaders in sustainable development with the skills and academic training they need to tackle the challenges that India and the world face in sustainable development. Indira Gandhi Scholars will be expected to return to India at the end of their studies to teach others in India and to play a leading role in tackling sustainable development problems. The IGC programme will be designed to translate leading-edge research into positive social impact in India.

Am I eligible?

You should be applying to start a DPhil, or one of the following taught courses: MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management; MSc in Contemporary India; Master of Public Policy; MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management; MSc in Environmental Change and Management; and the MPhil in Development Studies. Applications for Indira Gandhi DPhil scholarships are welcome from candidates whose proposed area of study is relevant to the Indira Gandhi Centre’s (IGC) agenda of inter-disciplinary research on sustainable development and India.  The IGC will focus on a series of impact themes.  The initial themes will be sustainable food and water and environmental conservation; future themes could include governance, medical research and healthcare and the role of culture and philosophy, including women’s issues. Independent proposals on any India-related theme that fits within the overall aims of the IGC are welcome.

Please ensure that you meet the selection criteria for your course (see theCourse Guide for more information). 

You must be ordinarily resident in India and should be intending to return to India once your course is completed.

The scholarship is only tenable at Somerville College. All eligible applicants will be considered for this scholarship, regardless of which college (if any) you state as your preference on the graduate application form. However, successful applicants will be transferred to Somerville College in order to take up the scholarship.

Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic merit, as well as on applicants’ understanding of the development challenges faced by India, and their leadership and entrepreneurial potential.

This scholarship is not open to students with deferred entry.

What does it cover?

100% of university and college fees and a grant for living costs (at least £13,726). Awards are made for the full duration of a student's fee liability for the agreed course. If your scholarship is offered for a course lasting more than one year, the continuation of your scholarship each year is subject to an annual renewal process based upon satisfactory academic progress.

How do I apply?

All eligible applicants, who have applied for admission to the University by the relevant January deadline for their course (10 January 2014 for Medical Sciences, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations and Computer Science; 24 January 2014 for all other subjects), will automatically be considered for this scholarship.

If you do not apply as detailed above by the deadline, you will not be considered for this scholarship.

Additional points to note when applying for this scholarship:

Eligible applicants who receive an offer of a place will be contacted in April and asked to submit a short statement detailing how they meet the selection criteria for this scholarship. Applicants will be shortlisted on the basis of academic merit and these statements, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to a Skype interview.

If, following the assessment of the January deadline applications, your department places your application on a waiting list or decides to re-evaluate it against the applications received for the next deadline (14 March 2014), then you will no longer be eligible for this scholarship.

If you are accepted onto a different course from the one you originally applied for, you should contact us as soon as you are notified of the change in order to ensure that your application for a scholarship is maintained on the new course. However, please note that such a change of course may mean that you are no longer eligible for this scholarship.

How will I know if I’ve been successful?

Decisions are expected to be made around May 2014.

Successful candidates will be notified via email and will receive an award letter. This webpage will be updated as soon as successful candidates have been notified. 

Further information 

If you have any questions about this scholarship which are not answered above, please email us through the Ask a Question facility, selecting the Funding category.

Further information is also available about the Indira Ghandi Centre.

Photo credit: Nat Ware (MBA)