Oxford Indira Gandhi Graduate Scholarship (DPhil)

This scholarship has been established by Somerville College and the University of Oxford with the generous support of the Government of India.

Eligibility

Candidates must be ordinarily resident in India or have previously studied at an Indian higher education institution. All full-time DPhils are eligible, but the proposed area of study must be relevant to the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development’s agenda of interdisciplinary research on sustainable development and India. The core research areas are:

Sustainable cities
Climate change and clean energy
Healthcare innovation
Environmental sustainability
Food and water security
Law, governance and Human Rights

Law, governance and human rights are cross-cutting themes. Independent proposals on any India-related theme which fits within the overall aims of the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development will be considered.

Other criteria

Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic merit, relevance of studies to the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development’s interdisciplinary aims, understanding of the development challenges faced by India, and leadership and entrepreneurial potential.

Award levels

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

Number of awards

One scholarship is available for 2025 entry.

Selection process

This scholarship is only tenable at Somerville. 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. Shortlisting and interviews are anticipated to take place in April 2025.

All DPhil candidates who meet the residency criteria will be emailed at the end of February 2025. They will be invited to complete a short online form to confirm they would like to be considered for the scholarship and that their studies are relevant to the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development.