The Oxford Qatar Thatcher Graduate Scholarship is jointly funded by the University of Oxford and the Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust. It was created following a generous donation by the Qatar Fund for Development, which supports international education, health and economic development causes. The Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust (MTST) was established at Somerville College in 2013 to fund and administer the Thatcher Scholarship Programme in the University of Oxford, thereby creating a living legacy to one of the leading global icons of the modern political age.

Eligibility

DPhils offered by the Humanities Division. Candidates must be ordinarily resident in the following countries:

Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Award levels

The scholarship covers course fees, a grant for living costs and a travel allowance. Awards are made for the duration of fee liability for the course.

Number of awards

One scholarship is available for 2026 entry.

Selection process

This scholarship is only tenable at Somerville and there is no separate application process. All eligible candidates who have applied for graduate study by the relevant funding deadline will be considered, regardless of which college preference is included in the graduate application. Successful candidates will be transferred to Somerville in order to take up the scholarship. Unfortunately, it is not possible to notify unsuccessful candidates. 

Useful links

Standard Scholarship Selection Terms

Applying to Oxford

Fees, Funding and Scholarship Search

Queries

If you have any queries, please email student.funding@some.ox.ac.uk