Last updated: August 2026 by Study Tribune Team
Quick answer: The Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe Graduate Scholarship is a fully-funded award — up to two are offered each year — for Zimbabwean students admitted to a Social Sciences master’s course at the University of Oxford, with preference given to the Blavatnik School of Government. It covers 100% of course fees plus a living-cost grant. You apply through Oxford’s standard graduate admissions system, not through the British Council. Applications for 2027–28 entry are expected to open in September 2026.
Key Facts
| Scholarship name | Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe Graduate Scholarship |
| Number available | Up to 2 per year |
| Funder | The Oak Foundation, via the Graduate Endowment Matched Scholarships scheme |
| Host institution | University of Oxford, Social Sciences Division (preference to the Blavatnik School of Government) |
| Value | 100% of course fees + a grant for living costs |
| Eligible courses | Any master’s course in the Social Sciences Division; priority to Blavatnik School programmes (MPP, MSc in Public Policy Research) |
| Who applies | Zimbabwean nationals, or applicants ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe |
| How to apply | Via the standard Oxford graduate application — no separate scholarship form |
| Next cycle | Applications expected to open September 2026 for October 2027 entry |
What Is the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe Graduate Scholarship?
The Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe Graduate Scholarship funds up to two Zimbabwean students each year to pursue a master’s degree in the Social Sciences Division at the University of Oxford. It’s funded through the Oak Foundation, in partnership with Oxford’s Graduate Endowment Matched Scholarships scheme, and while it’s open to a range of Social Sciences master’s programmes, preference goes to students starting the Master of Public Policy (MPP) or other courses at the Blavatnik School of Government — Oxford’s school of public policy, founded in 2010 with a £75 million gift from industrialist Leonard Blavatnik.
The scholarship is built around public service: recipients are expected to return to Zimbabwe after their studies and contribute to the country’s development, whether through government, civil society, or policy work.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify, you need to be:
- Zimbabwean, either ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe or a Zimbabwean national who is ordinarily resident outside Great Britain
- Committed to returning to Zimbabwe after your studies to support the country through public service
- Holding (or on track for) an offer to a master’s course in Oxford’s Social Sciences Division — preference is given to applicants to Blavatnik School courses, particularly the MPP
Like most Oxford scholarships, this one has no separate eligibility form. You’re automatically considered once you have a qualifying offer and complete the relevant scholarship questionnaire (details below).
What Does the Scholarship Cover?
The award covers:
- 100% of course fees for the full duration of your course
- A grant toward living costs
For context on scale: annual MPP course fees for 2026–27 entry were £54,450 (the same for home and overseas students), with a £8,200 deposit due by 31 May for offer-holders who haven’t yet secured full funding. Fees for 2027–28 entry hadn’t been published as of this writing — Oxford typically confirms them when the new application cycle opens.
How to Apply — and the Mistake Most Articles Make
Here’s the correction this article needed: you don’t apply for the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe Graduate Scholarship through the British Council. Several older articles online (including earlier versions of this one) describe it as a British Council opportunity — that’s inaccurate. It’s administered entirely by the University of Oxford and the Blavatnik School of Government.
The real process is:
- Apply to a qualifying Oxford master’s course through the University’s central Graduate Admissions system — most commonly the MPP at the Blavatnik School of Government, but any Social Sciences master’s course qualifies, with Blavatnik courses prioritised.
- Meet the course’s own admissions requirements. For the MPP specifically, this includes a personal statement, a two-page CV, a reflective policy essay, a public-service essay, transcripts, and three references. Applicants must also disclose any use of AI tools in preparing their reflective policy essay — Oxford doesn’t penalise disclosed AI use, but expects transparency about how it was used.
- If you receive an offer, you’ll automatically be considered for university-wide scholarships, and — within about a week of your offer — you’ll receive the Blavatnik School of Government Scholarship Questionnaire. This questionnaire is how you’re considered for the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe award specifically, along with other Blavatnik-managed scholarships.
- No separate application, essay, or portal exists for the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe scholarship itself. If a site asks you to submit a standalone application for it outside the Oxford system, treat that as a red flag.
Application Timeline for 2027–28 Entry
Oxford’s MPP applications typically open in September and close in early December — for 2026–27 entry, the deadline was 2 December 2025. Applications for that cycle are now closed. Based on that pattern, expect the 2027–28 cycle to open around September 2026, with a deadline in early December 2026 — but confirm the exact date on the Blavatnik School’s official “How to Apply” page once it’s published, since Oxford sets it fresh each cycle.
Other Social Sciences master’s courses at Oxford commonly use a January deadline, so if you’re applying outside the MPP, check your specific course page.
Roughly, the cycle runs:
- September–early December 2026: Applications open
- By March 2027: Blavatnik School aims to complete initial assessments and notify applicants
- Within ~1 week of a conditional offer: Scholarship Questionnaire issued (this is your route to the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe scholarship)
- ~May 2027: Deposit deadline, if applicable
- October 2027: Michaelmas Term begins
Tips for a Competitive Application
- Lead with public-service commitment. This scholarship exists specifically to fund Zimbabweans who intend to return home and contribute — make that thread explicit and specific in your personal statement and public-service essay, not just implied.
- Be concrete about impact, not just credentials. Blavatnik’s admissions criteria weight leadership and demonstrated impact as heavily as academic record.
- Don’t wait for the scholarship questionnaire to think about funding. Blavatnik explicitly recommends exploring all funding routes — employer sponsorship, government support, external scholarships — in parallel with your application, since school-managed funding is limited and not guaranteed even with a strong offer.
- Submit early. Oxford recommends submitting about two weeks before the deadline so any missing documents can be flagged in time.
About the Blavatnik School of Government
The Blavatnik School of Government is Oxford’s school of public policy, established in 2010 and based in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. It runs the one-year MPP, the MSc in Public Policy Research, a DPhil in Public Policy, and executive programmes, drawing cohorts from more than 50 countries each year. In recent MPP cohorts, over 80% of students received full or partial scholarships from the School, the University, or external partners — the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe scholarship is one of dozens of country- and region-specific awards the School helps administer alongside partners like the Mastercard Foundation, Chevening, and the Rhodes Trust.
Related Opportunity: Careers with the British Council in Ghana
Earlier versions of this article paired the scholarship with a British Council “Director of Programmes” vacancy in Accra, Ghana. That specific listing closed on January 1, 2024, and is no longer live — it isn’t accurate to present it as an open role in 2026.
The British Council does regularly post programme-management and leadership roles across its Africa offices, including Ghana. If a role along those lines interests you, the reliable move is to check current openings directly on the British Council careers portal rather than relying on any specific job listing you find republished elsewhere, since these postings expire on a rolling basis.
FAQs
Is the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe Graduate Scholarship fully funded? Yes — it covers 100% of course fees plus a grant toward living costs, for up to two Zimbabwean students per year.
Do I apply for this scholarship through the British Council? No. It’s applied for entirely through the University of Oxford’s graduate admissions system and the Blavatnik School of Government’s Scholarship Questionnaire. There is no British Council application step.
Is the scholarship only available for the Master of Public Policy? No, but the MPP and other Blavatnik School courses get preference. The scholarship is technically open to any master’s course in Oxford’s Social Sciences Division.
What is the application deadline? There’s no separate scholarship deadline — you’re bound by your course’s application deadline. The MPP deadline for 2026–27 entry was 2 December 2025; expect a similar early-December date for 2027–28 entry once applications open in September 2026.
Do I need to submit a separate scholarship essay? No. You’ll complete the standard course application (personal statement, essays, references, transcripts), and if you receive an offer, a short Scholarship Questionnaire — there’s no additional essay specific to the Oxford-Oak Zimbabwe award.
What do I need to commit to if I receive the scholarship? A commitment to return to Zimbabwe after your studies and contribute to the country’s development through public service.
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