Scholarships

Oxford is at the forefront of humanities research internationally, and attracts outstanding academics, researchers and students from across the globe. Graduate students have the opportunity to undertake their studies and research in a stimulating, challenging and highly rewarding intellectual environment.

The Humanities Division offers taught graduate and research degrees in a wide range of subjects. Some of these subjects are relatively new and many cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Others are areas of academic research that have long been recognised as of central importance, and they include some that few other universities are still able to support. In every case our objective is to sustain and to teach the highest standards of scholarship.

Oxford is immensely proud to be able to offer the Ertegun Scholarships in the Humanities. The University has one goal in mind when selecting Ertegun Scholars: to choose the very best students who will realise Mica Ertegun’s Mission and one day become leaders in their chosen fields.

These are highly competitive scholarships with over 1,500 applicants for around 15 awards each year, with an average 1.5% success rate for Masters candidates and 1.3% for Doctoral candidates.

Applications to The Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme may be made by those in fields covered by the following Faculties: Asian and Middle Eastern Studies; Classics (including classical archaeology); English Language and Literature; Fine Art (DPhil in Contemporary Art History and Theory only), History (including History of Art and the History of Architecture); Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics; Medieval and Modern Languages (covering most European languages and their literature); Music; Philosophy; Theology and Religion; and the interdisciplinary courses of Celtic Studies, Comparative Literature & Critical Translation, Medieval Studies, Film Aesthetics, Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Digital Scholarship. The list of eligible courses is available here.

The University's application portal lists all scholarships and does not cover specific eligibility criteria. If your course is not on the list of eligible courses above, then it is not eligible to apply for the Ertegun scholarship. Only courses administered by the Humanities Division and its faculties are eligible (some exceptions apply to courses jointly administered by a faculty of the Humanities Division and the School of Archaeology or Global and Area Studies which are included in the eligible courses list).

You must ensure you meet the criteria for entry to your course, including English language requirements.

This scholarship may not be held in conjunction with any other awards. Awards may only be offered for students starting a new full-time graduate course. Current graduate students are not eligible to apply for funding for a second or third year of their course.

For more information on submitting a graduate application, please see the Graduate Admissions website.

You apply for the scholarship at the same time as you apply to Oxford by selecting ‘Ertegun Graduate Scholarships in the Humanities’ in the Funding Section of the University's Graduate Application Form. Please refer to the Graduate Admissions website for the most up to date information about deadlines.

You must also complete a supporting statement (Word doc) and upload it as a pdf document together with your Graduate Application Form by the application deadline in order for your application to be complete. The statement requires you to answer three questions that relate to the aims and mission of the Ertegun Scholarship programme. The Selection Committee will consider your supporting statement in conjunction with your course application. Further guidance is available. Please check that you have uploaded your supporting statement as your Ertegun scholarship application cannot be reviewed without it.

For more information on the application process, please watch our 2023 webinar. (Our 2022 webinar is also available.)

Ertegun Scholars are selected in a highly competitive process by an Ertegun Scholarships Selection Committee made up of the Head of Oxford’s Humanities Division and one representative from each of the eligible faculties, acting in consultation with the Board of Ertegun Overseers.

Shortlisted candidates will initially be identified by faculties, before being nominated to the Selection Committee for its consideration. As part of that initial process, they will be interviewed by a Faculty representative (usually via videoconference or telephone). The interview will provide them with an opportunity to expand on the topics covered in their supporting statement.

All successful candidates will be notified by email. If you do not hear from us, then your application to this scheme has been unsuccessful. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to contact unsuccessful applicants individually or provide feedback on applications.

All Ertegun Scholarships cover course fees in full. Scholars also receive a generous annual grant for living costs (the rate for 2023-24 is £18,622), which is normally sufficient to cover the living costs of a single student living in Oxford.

Ertegun Scholars also enjoy dedicated use of Ertegun House, which provides space for each Scholar for writing and research, as well as opportunities to participate in social occasions, lively lectures, performances and other activities developed expressly for the Scholars.

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 on satisfactory academic progress.

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I am applying to an eligible Social Sciences or Global and Area Studies course

The following courses in the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies and the Social Sciences Division are eligible to apply for an Ertegun Scholarship:

MPhil in Japanese Studies, MSc in Japanese Studies, MPhil Modern Chinese Studies, MSc Contemporary Chinese Studies, MPhil Modern South Asian Studies, MSc Modern South Asian Studies, MSc in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, MPhil in Classical Archaeology, MSt in Classical Archaeology, and DPhil in Classical Archaeology.

Please use this deadline for the submission of your application, making sure that you select the Ertegun Scholarship option and upload your supporting statement.

Are UK students eligible to apply?

Students from all countries and all backgrounds are welcome to apply for Ertegun Scholarships, including UK students.

I am a current Oxford student: can I apply for a scholarship?

Current Oxford students may apply for this scholarship only if they are applying to start a new course (rather than for funding to support their current course).

Is my course eligible?

A list of eligible courses is available here. Please note that the University's application portal lists all available scholarships and it is your responsibility to check if your course is eligible by consulting our list. Courses which are part-time or not administered by the Humanities Division and its faculties (with very few exceptions noted above) are not eligible to apply. If you have a query about your particular course you may contact the Ertegun Administrator for clarification.

When will the outcome of the selection process be known?

It is expected that the first round of Ertegun Scholarship offers will be issued by the end of March . Any further offers will follow in April. The selection process will be completed by the end of April.

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to contact unsuccessful applicants individually or provide feedback on applications.

I have submitted my application for courses with an early application deadline but want to submit the supporting statement at a later date. Is this possible?

It is preferable to submit all application material at once. However, exceptionally it is possible to submit the supporting statement at a later date. Please submit your course application for the earlier deadline, ticking the Ertegun Scholarship option and uploading a placeholder statement saying “I will provide my Ertegun statement for the January deadline”. Once you have completed your supporting statement send it to Graduate Admissions by the deadline. Please ensure that you state your full name, course details and student number.

If my course has a late deadline for the submission of my application can I still apply for an Ertegun Scholarship?

The Ertegun Scholarship adheres to the early January deadline (with the exception of those courses in the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies listed above). If your Humanities course uses another deadline and you wish to be considered for an Ertegun Scholarship, you must submit your application in time for the early January deadline.