Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme

The Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme is a scholarship program provided by the University of Oxford and the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust. It was started in 2015 to mark the 95th birthday of Lord Weidenfeld. It is offered to academically-excellent graduate students or professionals from developing and emerging countries to help them pursue fully-funded postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. Along with the scholarship, students are also offered a comprehensive leadership program that helps them become better equipped to take on leading positions in their chosen careers through leadership development, long-term mentoring and networking.

Application Process

For the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme, there is no separate application deadline. All you have to do is apply to a postgraduate course of your choice by the relevant December or January deadline. 

How to Apply?

In order to apply for the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme, first, you need to simply apply to a graduate program at the University of Oxford. While filling the application form for the course, you must select the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme under the University of Oxford Scholarships section. 

Documents Checklist 

You are required to submit a Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement along with your application form for the course. Other than that, there are no additional documents required for the scholarship. In the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement are required to provide the following details:

• Your personal data- Name, Surname, Date of Birth
• The course you’ve chosen and if you have any preference of specific college at the University of Oxford.
• Details regarding previous universities attended and degrees acquired along with the grades.
• 2 most significant recent professional experiences and your main responsibilities at the job.
• Details of any other scholarships you have applied to, both Oxford and non-Oxford.
• Lastly, you have to provide answers to 5 questions within 200 words per question. The questions are:
  • Why do you want to participate in the Weidenfeld Hoffmann Trust Leadership Programme? What value do you see in our Moral Philosophy Programme and Enterprise Challenge and other activities?
  • How can one individual make a difference?
  • Have you ever mobilized a group to achieve a common goal? How?
  • What is the challenge facing your country that you want to help resolve?
  • Outline your ideal career path over the next 5-10 years.

Eligibility Criteria 

To be eligible for this scholarship, it is necessary to meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must be applying to start a new graduate course at Oxford and apply to the course by the relevant December or January deadline depending upon the course. 
• Students that are successful in being offered a place on their course are further considered for the scholarship. 
• You must be applying to one of the following courses:
  • BCL Bachelor of Civil Law
  • MBA Master of Business Administration
  • MJur Magister Juris
  • MPP Master of Public Policy
  • MSc Advanced Computer Science
  • MSc African Studies
  • MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management
  • MSc Comparative Social Policy
  • MSc Contemporary Chinese Studies
  • MPhil in Development Studies
  • MSt Diplomatic Studies
  • MSc Economics for Development
  • MSc Education (Comparative and International Education)
  • MSc Education (Higher Education)
  • MSc Energy Systems
  • MSc Environmental Change and Management
  • MSc Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation
  • MSc Financial Economics
  • MSc Global Governance and Diplomacy
  • MSc Global Health Science and Epidemiology
  • MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine
  • MSt Islamic Studies and History
  • MSt Jewish Studies
  • MSt Korean Studies
  • MSc Latin American Studies
  • MSc Law and Finance
  • MSc Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing
  • MSc Migration Studies
  • MSc Modern Middle Eastern Studies
  • MSc Modern South Asian Studies
  • MSc Nature, Society and Environmental Governance
  • MSc Refugee and Forced Migration Studies
  • MSc Social Science of the Internet
  • MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment
  • MSc Water Science, Policy and Management
• Students from over 220 countries are eligible provided they are intending to return to their country of ordinary residence once the course is completed.

Who are not eligible for Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme

• Students currently enrolled at the University of Oxford are not eligible to apply unless they are already Weidenfeld-Hoffmann scholars. 
• Candidates who hold deferred offers to start in 2022-23 are not eligible. 
• Students whose applications are held over after the December or January deadline to be re-evaluated against applications received by the March deadline are not considered for the scholarship. 
• Students whose applications have been put on a waiting list are not eligible.  

Selection Process 

The selection process for the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme is overlooked by Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust and their respective partners and not by the University of Oxford. Candidates are assessed for qualities like how well they are able to demonstrate a connection between their course subject and their longer-term career goals and explain how their professional work can contribute to the improvement of public life in either their country or at a wider regional or international level. If shortlisted, the candidates may be required to be present for an online interview in April/May 2022. Final decisions are expected to be made by the end of May 2022. Applicants who don’t hear by this time should assume that the application has been unsuccessful.

Funding and Benefits of Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme

The scholarship covers 100% of the course fees for the full duration of the course. It also provides a grant of at least £15,609 to cover living costs.

The Scholarship was started due to the generous donations of multiple donors in 2015 on the occasion of the 95th birthday of Lord Weidenfeld. In 2017, the size of the scholarship programme doubled with the help of Chairman André Hoffmann who pledged an additional donation of £9m and Oxford University which provided funding of £6m.

The University of Oxford contributes 40% of the funds for these scholarships and 60% is provided by supporters of the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust, including Fondation Hoffmann.

Another benefit of applying to the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme is that applicants are automatically considered for Louis Dreyfus and Hualan Education Group partnership awards. This is due to the fact that the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust has a partnership with the Louis Dreyfus Foundation, the Hualan Education Group and Chevening. 

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