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By Olami, AbroadPilot · Reviewed September 2026
The Reach Oxford Scholarship (formerly the Oxford Student Scholarship) is a fully funded undergraduate award from the University of Oxford for students from low-income developing countries who — for political, financial or infrastructural reasons — cannot study for a degree in their own country. It’s one of very few fully funded undergraduate routes to Oxford for international students.
It is also extremely limited: only about 2–3 scholarships are awarded each year, so it is among the most competitive undergraduate awards anywhere.
What the Reach Oxford Scholarship covers
- Full tuition and college fees for the duration of the degree (3 or 4 years)
- A grant for living expenses
- One return economy airfare to and from the UK each year
Continuation each year depends on satisfactory academic progress and an annual report.
Who is eligible?
- Nationality: be a national of a country on the OECD DAC list of official development assistance recipients (this includes Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and many others).
- Level: a new undergraduate (first degree) student — priority goes to those who have not previously studied at undergraduate level.
- Subject: any Oxford undergraduate course except Medicine.
- Need & commitment: demonstrate financial need, that you cannot study in your home country, and social commitment.
- Admission: you must already hold an Oxford offer — the scholarship cannot be considered without one.
Documents you’ll need
- An Oxford admissions offer (gained via UCAS)
- Proof of nationality / DAC-list eligibility
- Academic transcripts and record
- Supporting statements on financial need, social commitment and why you can’t study at home
- References
How to apply: step by step
- Apply to Oxford via UCAS for an undergraduate course by the 15 October deadline.
- Secure an offer. Only students offered a place can be considered for the scholarship.
- Complete the Undergraduate Scholarships application online once it opens (around mid-January), before the early-February noon (UK time) deadline.
- Selection takes place in March; outcomes are announced by the end of May.
How competitive is it?
Extremely. With only 2–3 awards per year against a large pool of high-achieving applicants from across the developing world, the effective success rate is very low. Selection weighs outstanding academic ability alongside financial need and social commitment — and the University has no extra funding for strong candidates who miss out, so the Oxford offer itself is the essential first hurdle.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for Reach Oxford before I have an Oxford offer?
No. You must first apply through UCAS and be offered a place. Oxford cannot consider scholarship applications from students who don’t hold an offer.
Which subjects are eligible?
All Oxford undergraduate courses except Medicine.
How many Reach Oxford Scholarships are awarded?
Typically only around 2–3 each year, making it highly competitive.
Free tools for this
- Scholarship Odds Estimator — real award-to-applicant ratios where funders publish them
- Scholarship Eligibility Checker — which of our tracked scholarships you can actually apply for
- Scholarship Deadlines Calendar — never shows a deadline that already passed
- How to Verify a Scholarship Is Real — the red flags that separate real funders from scams
Apply / verify on the official site: Reach Oxford Scholarship (ox.ac.uk). Dates and the eligible-country list change yearly — always confirm on the official page.
See also our guide to Oxford University Scholarships (Clarendon, for postgraduates) and the full Scholarships hub.
Olami is the founder and lead writer at AbroadPilot. He started the site after going through the visa process himself — a German student visa in 2019 and a Canadian work permit in 2023 — and learning first-hand how confusing official immigration language can be, how often rules change, and how easy it is to lose money to bad advice. He spent three years as an international education and travel consultant, helping people source and verify the information that landed their visas and planned their trips. Every guide on AbroadPilot is built from official sources — embassy pages, government immigration portals, and .gov fee schedules — and reviewed as requirements change. AbroadPilot does not sell visas or applications; it is a free resource to help readers apply with confidence.
