University of Oxford Optiver Foundation Scholarships 2027 | Fully Funded
The University of Oxford Optiver Foundation Scholarships fund up to six women from low and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, to pursue a taught Master’s in STEM fields starting October 2027. This is the fifth cohort of a five-year, 30-scholar programme funded by the Optiver Foundation, built specifically to address the underrepresentation of women in Oxford’s science and mathematics postgraduate courses. The scholarship covers full course fees and a living costs grant, and there’s no separate scholarship deadline — you apply through your course’s own graduate application deadline, which falls in November, December, or January depending on which programme you choose.
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Scholarship Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | Optiver Foundation Scholarships |
| Host Country ⇒ | United Kingdom |
| Study Level ⇒ | Masters |
| Benefits ⇒ | Fully Funded — full course fees, a living costs grant, plus tailored induction, mentoring, and on-course support |
| Funded By ⇒ | Optiver Foundation, administered by the University of Oxford |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | A wide list of low and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and most of the African continent |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | No separate scholarship deadline — apply by your specific course’s graduate application deadline (November, December, or January) |
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About the Scholarship
This programme exists because Oxford identified a specific, compounding problem: financial barriers already limit postgraduate access for talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and in STEM subjects specifically — outside biomedical and life sciences — women remain underrepresented internationally and at Oxford alike. Rather than a generic financial aid scheme, the Optiver Foundation’s donation also funded something less common: Oxford piloted a new way of actually assessing the socio-economic background of international applicants, designed to target funding more precisely at offer-holders who genuinely need it. The findings from that pilot are now feeding into how Oxford designs future scholarship programmes more broadly, not just this one.
Eligible Courses for the Oxford Optiver Foundation Scholarships
- MSc Energy Systems (Engineering Science)
- MSc Advanced Computer Science
- MSc Mathematical and Theoretical Physics
- MSc Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing
- MSc Mathematical Sciences
- MSc Mathematics and Foundations of Computer Science
- MSc in Quantum Technologies
- MSc Statistical Science
- MSc Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
Eligible Countries
Nigeria is included, along with a substantial list of other African countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe — alongside a broad list of countries across Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Pacific. Check the full eligible countries list on Oxford’s official page to confirm your specific country if it isn’t named here.
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Eligibility Requirements
You must:
- Be female, as indicated on your postgraduate application form — this must match the sex shown on your identity documents, such as your passport or visa, though it doesn’t have to match your legal sex. Transgender applicants may be able to obtain a passport or visa reflecting a binary sex other than their legal one.
- Be ordinarily resident in one of the eligible countries listed below
- Be applying to start an eligible Master’s course at Oxford in October 2027
You’re not eligible if you’re currently studying at Oxford, or if you hold a deferred offer to start in 2027-28 rather than applying fresh for this specific cycle.
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What Oxford Optiver Foundation Scholarships Awards
- Full course fees
- A grant for living costs
- Tailored induction activities specific to scholars
- Mentoring throughout the programme
- On-course support for the duration of your Master’s
Application Process for the Oxford Optiver Foundation Scholarships
- Submit your graduate study application through Oxford’s standard process, by your specific course’s deadline — November, December, or January, depending on which of the nine eligible courses you’re applying to.
- Tick the relevant scholarship box on the graduate application form itself — this is how you flag yourself for consideration.
- Complete an additional scholarship application form, if you meet the eligibility criteria. This asks about your socio-economic situation and assesses potential disadvantage and underrepresentation — it’s separate from your graduate course application.
- Wait to hear back. If you’ve completed the additional form, meet the eligibility criteria, and receive an offer from an eligible course, a panel of academic staff assesses you for the scholarship based on academic merit and potential.
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Application Deadline
There’s no standalone scholarship deadline — it’s tied entirely to your specific course’s graduate application deadline, which falls in November, December, or January. Since scholarship consideration depends on first receiving a course offer, apply as early as your course allows rather than waiting until the final deadline, since the additional scholarship form and panel assessment both happen after your course application is already in motion.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nigeria on the list of eligible countries?
Yes. Nigeria is explicitly included, along with most other African countries.
Can I apply if I already hold a deferred offer to start at Oxford in 2027-28?
No. This scholarship is specifically closed to candidates with deferred offers — you need to be a fresh applicant for this specific October 2027 cohort.
Does my legal sex need to match what I put on the application form?
Not necessarily. The sex indicated on your postgraduate application form needs to match what’s shown on your identity documents, such as a passport or visa, but this doesn’t have to reflect your legal sex — Oxford notes that transgender applicants may hold identity documents reflecting a binary sex other than their legal one.
When will I find out if I’ve been offered the scholarship?
All successful applicants are contacted by email, with the majority of offers sent out in May.
Can current Oxford students apply for this scholarship?
No. Students currently studying at Oxford aren’t eligible — this scholarship is for new applicants starting their Master’s in October 2027.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of September 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official University of Oxford website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the University of Oxford or the Optiver Foundation.
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