The Open Society Foundations and the University of Oxford are offering scholarships to outstanding students to pursue one-year of postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in subjects relevant to the needs of their countries.
Applicants must be citizens of and residents in one of the following countries during the academic year in which they apply for the award: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Georgia, and Montenegro. Applicants who are temporarily out of the country (for a total period of less than three consecutive months) may be treated as residents.
Any scholarship awards are conditional upon the applicant being offered entrance to Oxford and meeting all the conditions of the offer. Applicants are required to pass an English proficiency test before being offered a scholarship. The minimum requirement for study on the eligible courses at Oxford is IELTS 7.5 (with minimum 7.0 in each component) or TOEFL - 630 (minimum Test of Written English score - 5) or Computer based TOEFL - 267 (minimum essay writing score - 5) or Internet based TOEFL – 109 or Cambridge Certificate of proficiency in English - B. Local representatives of the Open Society Foundations will arrange tests for short-listed candidates after the interviews, if applicants have not already successfully taken a test in the two years prior to the interview.
All applicants must have completed at least three years of BA study (in the Bologna system) or four years of university study and have obtained, or expect to obtain, the appropriate degree(s) not later than September 2013. Applicants should be planning to return to their home country at the end of the period of study.
Applicants should have a proven track record of success or excellence in their professional life distinguishing them from their peers and have a clear commitment to open society goals. Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously studied at Western universities.
Please note that if you have previously applied or are currently applying for other grants, fellowships, or scholarships with the Open Society Foundations you should alert your local coordinator. While you may apply for different forms of OSF support simultaneously, you can be awarded only one Open Society Foundations scholarship or grant for a given period.
Employees, employees’ relatives (or former employees who have left employment less than two years before) of the Educational Advising Centers or local Open Society Foundations representatives directly involved in the Open Society Foundations Scholarship Programs administration in the region and the participating universities are not eligible to apply for these awards.
On the university’s application form for graduate study, applicants must ensure they check the “Open Society Foundations Oxford Scholarships” box in the funding section.
Applicants can apply online or download an application. Applicants should check their eligibility with the local OSF scholarship coordinator and then submit the completed application to the University of Oxford. Please send a copy of the application to the local coordinator.
For step by step guidlines and contact details of local representatives of the Open Society Scholarship Programs, please download and read the complete Guidance Notes on the left.