Funding your studies 

Applicants are expected to apply to appropriate external funding bodies for grants to cover their fees and maintenance. Besides subsistence, the main costs are the University fee. Fees differ between courses. Please visit the Student Funding/Fees Web page for the most up-to-date lists of University tuition fees, or use the Fees Calculator to determine your fee amounts. In addition to the University fee there is also an annual College fee which for Nuffield currently stands at £2,434.

The University fees for doctoral students are payable for a total of nine terms.

It is important that students are aware of the costs of their studies on application, and that they will be expected to prove to the College that they are able to fund fully the whole period of their course, up to a maximum of 4 years. The College will ask for funding guarantees at the point they offer a candidate a place.

Many students are successful in securing scholarships and funding awards. Students are advised to consult the University of Oxford Graduate Studies Prospectus and the Finance sections of the University Web site for details of funding sources and scholarships available. Some University departments also offer awards and their Web pages should be consulted for details. The Oxford Funding Search is a useful tool for finding funding options available within the University.

Students applying for research grants to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) or the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) should get in touch with the relevant University department at an early stage.

The College currently offers a small number of Nuffield Studentships to assist in the payment of fees and maintenance. Nuffield Studentships are open to both UK and overseas students who have not yet commenced their new course of study. They are only tenable at Nuffield College. All students who are offered a place at Nuffield will be considered automatically for a Studentship. There is no separate application process for a Studentship and no action is required on the part of the applicant. Decisions regarding College funding are usuall made in the summer for those taking up their place in October. As only a few of these Studentships are available, the College strongly recommends that all applicants approach other funding bodies for support in order to avoid disappointment, as students without funding for the full period of their course will not be admitted.

The length of the Studentship depends on which degree is taken, as follows:

M Sc: 1 year.

M Phil: 2 years.

D Phil: via M Phil - maximum 2 years; via M Sc - maximum 3 years; no previous Master’s - maximum 4 years.

However, the value and duration of a Studentship may vary. It is unlikely that a full Studentship will be offered for the complete duration of the course. The Studentship more commonly consists of a smaller award to assist with payment of fees or offers support towards maitenance costs.

Privately funded students must have access to funds adequate to support them for the duration of their studies in Oxford and must provide a bank guarantee of support or similar.

The College provides Graduate Scholarships in partnership with the University's Clarendon Fund Scholarship.

It also administers a Swire Scholarship available to students from Hong Kong and the PR of China. Again, there is no separate application process for this funding. All eligible students who are offered a place at Nuffield will be considered. The Scholarship covers University and College fees and provides living expenses.

Nuffield also has links with the Marshall Scholarship scheme, in the form of a Nuffield/Marshall Scholarship. The Scholarship provides full funding for students for a maximum of four years. Application should be made via the usual Marshall Scholarship application process.