Oxford University is marking a major milestone this academic year as the Clarendon Fund, its largest and most prestigious graduate scholarship programme, celebrates 25 years of impact.
Since its launch, the Clarendon Fund has helped shape Oxford’s global academic community by supporting exceptional graduate students from across the world. What began in 2001–02 with just 71 partially funded scholars has grown into one of the UK’s most significant graduate funding schemes. Today, Clarendon awards fully funded scholarships to more than 200 new students every year, covering course fees and living costs.
The programme is widely recognised as central to Oxford’s ability to attract outstanding talent.
“Such an initiative is crucial in enabling Oxford to attract and support the very best graduate students, says Professor Freya Johnston, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the University: ‘From its inception and throughout the past 25 years, the Clarendon Fund has played a vital role in bringing academically outstanding graduate students to Oxford. It sits right at the heart of the University’s teaching and research mission”.
A scholarship open to the best minds
Clarendon scholarships are among the most competitive awards at Oxford. They are open to all applicants to degree-bearing graduate courses, across every department and division of the University. Selection is based solely on academic excellence and potential, making Clarendon a powerful driver of merit-based access to world-class education.
From modest beginnings to global impact
The Clarendon Fund was established following a commitment from Oxford University Press (OUP), which pledged £2 million per year for three years to support outstanding overseas graduate students. Over the past quarter-century, the programme has expanded rapidly in scale and ambition.
By the 2025–26 academic year, Clarendon will have provided £94 million in funding to more than 3,500 scholars worldwide.
Christine Richardson, OUP Group Communications Director and a member of the Clarendon Fund steering group, says the partnership reflects OUP’s wider mission:
“Supporting the Clarendon Fund reflects our mission to further the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. It is a powerful example of how education and research can transform lives, and we at Oxford University Press are proud to support the very best minds through the programme”.
By its tenth anniversary, increased core funding and growing support from colleges, departments and divisions across the University meant that all Clarendon scholars received full awards. The scheme also expanded to include both Home and Overseas students, with around 100 scholarships awarded annually at that stage.
A thriving scholarly community
That momentum has continued. Today, more than 700 Clarendon scholars are studying at Oxford at any one time, spanning the humanities, social sciences, mathematical, physical and life sciences, and medical sciences. This year’s 233 recipients are researching subjects as diverse as AI ethics, medieval literature, environmental governance and biomedical innovation.
In Michaelmas term 2025, the University marked the anniversary with a reception at Oxford Town Hall, bringing together around 350 master’s, MPhil and DPhil scholars, along with supporters from across the collegiate University and OUP. The event highlighted one of Clarendon’s defining strengths: a vibrant, interdisciplinary and international community that extends far beyond individual fields of study.
For Anouar El Moumane, a DPhil student in Chemistry and President of the Clarendon Scholars’ Association, the programme has been transformative. Originally from Germany, he says Clarendon made it possible for him to study at Oxford as an international student.
After 25 years, the Clarendon Fund remains a cornerstone of Oxford’s commitment to academic excellence, global opportunity and the power of education to change lives. Photo by Diliff, Wikimedia commons.