Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Oxford-Weidenfeld and Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme pays for a one-year master’s degree at the University of Oxford and adds a year-long leadership course on top of the degree. The Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust (WHT), a UK charity, runs it with the university. It is aimed at graduates and early-career professionals, mainly from low- and middle-income countries, who plan to return home and work on public problems there. South Africa is on the list of eligible countries. For study starting in October 2027, candidates apply through Oxford’s graduate application, which is open now; each course sets its own closing date.

What the scholarship pays

The award covers 100% of Oxford course fees, a living-costs grant (stipend) and the full cost of the scholar’s Leadership Programme place. The WHT’s FAQ puts the stipend at £21,805 for 2026-27, and the University of Oxford’s scholarship page for the 2027-28 round says the living grant will be at least £21,805. Funding runs for the full period of fee liability for the course, usually nine to twelve months, and for the Leadership Programme, which runs from mid-September to early July.

Oxford puts 40% of the money into these scholarships and WHT donors, including Fondation Hoffmann, supply the other 60%. Several Oxford colleges also contribute, so a successful candidate may be moved to a partner college to take up the award. There is one cost to plan for: under UK visa rules in force since January 2024, family members cannot join a scholar as student dependants on a taught master’s unless the scholar holds a government award.

The 40 Oxford master’s courses it funds

The scholarship does not fund doctorates (DPhil). It covers a fixed list of one-year taught degrees, and the 2027-28 list on Oxford’s website has 40 of them. They lean towards policy, development, law, health and the environment:

• Law and policy: BCL, MJur, Master of Public Policy, MSc Law and Finance, MSc Global Governance and Diplomacy, MSt Diplomatic Studies, MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice.
• Economics and business: MBA, MSc Economics for Development, MSc Financial Economics, MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment.
• Health: MSc Global Health Science and Epidemiology, MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine, MSc Health Service Improvement and Evaluation, MSc Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience.
• Environment and energy: MSc Energy Systems, MSc Environmental Change and Policy, MSc Water Science, Policy and Management, MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Nature Recovery.
• Computing and data: MSc Advanced Computer Science, MSc Social Data Science, MSc Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing, MSc Social Science of the Internet.

The rest are in education, migration and refugee studies, social policy and area studies, including MSc African Studies. Check the University of Oxford scholarship page for the full, current list before choosing a course.

Roughly 200 hours of leadership training

The Leadership Programme is compulsory, and the condition is written into the Oxford scholarship offer letter. Over the academic year scholars take part in about 200 hours of seminars on political and moral philosophy and ethical leadership, a business and enterprise challenge, communication training and networking. Scholars must be in Oxford before term starts in September for an introductory residential, and stay until July after Trinity Term ends. The stipend is expected to cover those costs. The WHT tells applicants to show they can manage this load on top of a demanding master’s.

What the selection panel looks for

The WHT assesses applicants on three points: motivation and purpose, leadership potential, and commitment to the programme. Applicants must show a real commitment to social, economic or political change in their country or community, give evidence of impact they have already had, and explain how the chosen course fits their career plans. There is no age limit, and work experience is not required. However, the WHT says most of its scholars are early-career professionals with five or more years of employment. Applicants must intend to return to their country of ordinary residence after the course. People already studying at Oxford, and applicants holding deferred offers for 2027-28, are not eligible.

Applying with your Oxford course application

Do not send anything to the Trust itself. The steps are:

1. Apply for an eligible course on Oxford’s graduate application form, and in the University of Oxford Scholarships section select the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme.
2. Download the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement 2027/28 from the Oxford scholarship page, complete it and upload it with the course application.
3. Submit by your course’s December or January deadline. Applications held over to Oxford’s March round, and applicants placed on a waiting list, are not considered for the scholarship. Deadlines differ by course. For example, MSc African Studies has an early deadline of 13 November 2026 and a final deadline of 26 January 2027, both at midday UK time.

Shortlisted candidates are interviewed online, probably in April 2027, by a panel of academics, WHT staff and alumni. Oxford expects to make decisions by the end of May 2027 and does not contact unsuccessful applicants. The same application also puts candidates in the running for WHT’s partnership awards. The WHT-Chevening award needs a separate application to Chevening with Oxford as first choice; the Chevening Scholarship page explains that scheme. For other routes to Oxford, see the Rhodes Scholarship, and for funding at home, the postgraduate bursaries list. Questions can go to the Trust at info@whtrust.org. The WHT application page sets out the yearly cycle.

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