: Apply for Oxford Clarendon Scholarships 2027-2028: 200+ Fully Funded Master’s and DPhil Places
Oxford Clarendon Scholarships 2027-2028 cover your fees and give a living grant. No separate form. Check the Nigerian grade needed, deadlines and how to apply oxford-clarendon-scholarships-2027-2028
If you apply for a Master’s or DPhil at the University of Oxford by the December or January deadline of your course, you are considered for a Clarendon scholarship automatically. Oxford gives out over 200 new Clarendon scholarships every year, and each one pays your course fees plus a grant for living costs.
There is no scholarship form to fill. Your Oxford course application is your Clarendon application.
Quick facts about the Clarendon scholarship 2027-2028
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | University of Oxford, United Kingdom |
| Level | Master’s and DPhil (full-time and part-time) |
| Number of awards | Over 200 new scholarships every year |
| Who can apply | All nationalities, all subjects (Nigerians included) |
| What it pays | Full course fees plus living grant (full-time) |
| Separate scholarship form | None |
| Deadline | December 2026 or January 2027, depends on your course |
| Start date | October 2027 |
| Official page | ox.ac.uk Clarendon Fund |
About this Clarendon scholarship at Oxford
The Clarendon Fund is Oxford’s own money for graduate students. It started in 2001 and it’s named after the Clarendon Building, which was built for Oxford University Press. Today it supports over 700 scholars at Oxford from around 70 countries, and Oxford says the scholars include people from Nigeria.
Scholars are picked for how strong their academic record is and how much potential they show. Nationality, country of residence and subject don’t count for or against you.
Benefits you can get from the Clarendon scholarship
- Your course fees paid in full. This works for both Home and Overseas fee students.
- A yearly living grant if you are on a full-time course. It is at least the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend rate. For 2025-26 that was at least £20,780. Oxford hasn’t put a 2027-28 figure on its Clarendon page yet, so expect it to be at least that or a bit higher, but wait for your offer letter to see the real number.
- Funding for the whole period you are liable to pay fees, so a one-year Master’s gets one year and a DPhil gets the full DPhil fee period.
- A small study support grant if you are on a part-time course. Oxford says it can be a sixth, a third or half of the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend, depending on the course.
- Membership of the Clarendon scholars community inside Oxford.
Some divisions pay a living grant for extra time after fee liability ends, but only for the living grant. Continuation charges are not covered by Clarendon.
Who is eligible to apply for the Clarendon scholarship
You can be considered if you:
- apply for a new full-time or part-time Master’s or DPhil at Oxford
- send in your course application by the December or January deadline of that course
- have an outstanding academic record and the potential to do well in the course
Any nationality works. Any subject works. A current Oxford Master’s student who is applying for a DPhil, or for a second Master’s, is also eligible.
You are not eligible if you hold a deferred Oxford graduate offer, or if you are a current Oxford student continuing the same degree next year.
Grades Oxford expects from Nigerian applicants
This is the part many people get wrong, so read it slowly. Oxford has a grade guide for Nigeria. It says what counts as a “strong upper second” and a “first class” for courses that ask for those.
| What your Oxford course asks for | Nigerian degree Oxford usually wants |
|---|---|
| Strong upper second-class degree | 2:1, or 65%, or GPA 4.0 out of 5.0 |
| First class degree | First class, or 70%, or GPA 4.5 out of 5.0 |
| Master’s degree with merit | 65% or 4.0 out of 5.0 |
| Master’s degree with distinction | 70% or 4.5 out of 5.0 |
Now the honest part. Meeting the course minimum does not mean you will get the Clarendon. Oxford says most successful Clarendon scholars have at least a first class degree or the equivalent, and a lot score above that. For a Nigerian student, that means aim for a first class (4.5 out of 5.0).
A 2:1 is not the end of the road. Oxford says a very strong Master’s degree can make up for a moderate first degree. So if you finished with a high second class upper and then did a Master’s with a distinction, you still have a real case.
Marks on single courses, prizes, your position in your class and publications can also help, according to Oxford.
Deadline for the Clarendon scholarship 2027-2028
There is no one date for everybody. Your deadline is the deadline on your own course page at Oxford, and it will be in December 2026 or January 2027.
Some courses close very early. For example, Oxford’s Department of International Development lists 2 December 2026 for one group of applicants, 7 January 2027 for its two DPhil degrees, and 26 January 2027 for the rest. Last year’s Oxford course deadlines closed at 12:00 midday UK time, so don’t plan to submit in the evening of the last day. Check the exact time on your course page.
If you apply after the December or January deadline, even when your course is still taking applications, you will not be considered for Clarendon.
How to apply for the Clarendon scholarship at Oxford
- Open the Oxford graduate course finder and pick your course. Read the entry requirements, the English language level and the deadline on that page.
- Get your documents together: transcripts, references, personal statement, and a research proposal if your course asks for one. The course page lists what is needed.
- Submit the online graduate application before the December or January deadline of your course. That’s it. You do not send anything extra for Clarendon.
- Upload an English test score if you already have one. If you don’t have it yet, you can still apply (more on this below).
- Wait. The academic department reads your application, decides on your place, and in parallel nominates people for Clarendon.
You can start your application on the Oxford graduate application portal. Don’t wait for the last week. Referees from Nigerian universities can be slow, so ask them early.
[LOCAL TIP: add a real detail from your own experience, e.g. how long it takes to get transcripts or reference letters from a Nigerian university]
English language test for Oxford: what Nigerian applicants should know
Your course page shows if the English level is “Standard” or “Higher”. You need at least the minimum score in each part and overall, all in a single test.
- Oxford accepts IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English and the Oxford Test of English Advanced. For TOEFL iBT, it only accepts tests taken before 21 January 2026, so TOEFL iBT is not a good choice for new applicants now.
- You can apply without a test score. If you get an offer, you may then be asked to meet the score to take up your place.
- Test seats can be hard to get, so book early.
- A waiver is possible if you did a full-time degree-level course of at least nine months, taught and assessed fully in English at a recognised institution, and finished it within 2 years of your Oxford start date. Many older graduates will not meet that last condition.
How Oxford picks Clarendon scholars and when you will hear back
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| December 2026 or January 2027 | Your course deadline. Submit before it. |
| After the deadline | Your department reads your application and nominates students for Clarendon. |
| February or March 2027 | Each academic division meets to review nominations and shortlist the top ones. |
| By end of April 2027 | Most first scholarship offers (called CB1) are emailed. |
| April to summer 2027 | Oxford puts together each scholar’s funding package, matching partnership awards, then sends the CB2 letter. |
| Mid-June 2027 | No email by now means you did not get Clarendon. |
Oxford does not write to unsuccessful students because of the number of applicants. A few late nominations can happen in summer if someone withdraws, so there is a small chance after June.
Accepting a Clarendon offer means your funding is secure, as long as you still meet the conditions of your Oxford place.
Mistakes that can cost you the Clarendon scholarship
- Missing your course deadline. Not the university’s last deadline, your own course’s one.
- Thinking Clarendon has its own form. It doesn’t, so don’t wait for one to open.
- Applying with a deferred offer in hand.
- Sending a weak personal statement or research proposal. Oxford looks at these, and at your referees’ reports, to judge your motivation and potential.
- Leaving the English test till after the offer, then failing to get a seat in time.
- Taking the £20,780 figure as the exact 2027-28 grant. It’s the 2025-26 minimum.
- Over 200 new fully funded Clarendon scholarships for Master’s and DPhil at Oxford, October 2027 start.
- Covers full course fees plus a living grant (at least £20,780 in 2025-26 for full-time).
- No separate form. Apply to your Oxford course by its December 2026 or January 2027 deadline.
- Nigerian applicants: Oxford’s guide says first class is 70% or 4.5 out of 5.0. Most winners have a first class or equal.
- Offers go out mostly by end of April 2027. No email by mid-June 2027 means no award.
- Official page: ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/fees-and-funding/funding/clarendon
