The Alice Horsman Fund was established in 1953. Its purpose is (a) to provide alumni with opportunities to travel at such time in their careers as may be of most value to them, in order to either broaden their experience of other countries and their peoples or to carry out research and (b) to support alumni in a significant career change.
About the Alice Horsman Fund
Alice Horsman was a Classics student at Somerville College, Oxford. She matriculated in 1908 and was among the first women to be called to the English Bar. She practiced law for many years until deteriorating hearing forced her to end her career. Her law chambers were destroyed in the Blitz in 1940, and in 1943 she bought the Drimnin estate in Morvern, Argyll and took up farming. With her adventurous spirit she took up sailing at the age of 65, cruising across the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean and later across the North Sea to Norway, keeping a medicine cupboard of Scotch whisky on board and never once succumbing to seasickness! She died in 1978 at the age of 89, but her abiding interest in her College never waned in her lifetime.
Eligibility
All Somerville alumni are eligible with the exception of visiting and associate students. Alumni who are currently studying at Somerville are not eligible. Please note that it is not possible to use the fund to support course-related travel or research costs incurred by alumni studying at other universities or Oxford colleges, including Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students. Applicants should be in need of financial support, and be able to demonstrate that their proposed project meets at least one of the two aims of the Alice Horsman Fund:
- To support travel in order to either broaden experience or carry out research
- To support a significant career change
The planned travel or project must start after a certain date each term. In Michaelmas Term 2025, this is Wednesday 12th November. It is not possible to be considered for retrospective funding unless there are exceptional circumstances. There is limited funding available so priority will be given to those who have not previously received awards.
Award levels
Up to £1,000. In exceptional circumstances, it is possible to make awards of up to £2,000.
Application process
Please complete the application form and email it to student.funding@some.ox.ac.uk by 12 noon on Monday 20th October. You should also arrange for a reference to be emailed to student.funding@some.ox.ac.uk by 12 noon on Monday 3rd November.
Application and project deadlines
Applications are accepted each term.
| Term | Application deadline | Project must start after this date |
|---|---|---|
| Michaelmas Term 2025 | 12 noon on Monday 20th October (2nd week) | Wednesday 12th November (5th week) |
| Hilary Term 2026 | 12 noon on Monday 26th January (2nd week) | Wednesday 18th February (4th week) |
| Trinity Term 2026 | 12 noon on Monday 27th April (1st week) | Wednesday 20th May (4th week) |
Decisions
All applications will be acknowledged once the deadline has passed. Decisions will be made by Somerville College Travel and Special Project Grants Committee.
Reporting
Successful applicants will be expected to submit a report after the completion of their project.
Queries
If you have any queries, please email student.funding@some.ox.ac.uk
