Oxford Pershing Square Graduate Scholarships 2027 in the United Kingdom | Fully Funded — Pershing Square Foundation, University of Oxford

Up to five scholarships a year, full tuition for two separate degrees, and a living grant of at least £21,805 for each of them. The Oxford Pershing Square Graduate Scholarship is built around a specific, unusual degree structure: a one-year specialist master’s paired directly with a one-year Oxford MBA.

Funded by the Pershing Square Foundation, the scholarship backs students who can show real commitment to scalable, sustainable solutions for global social and cultural problems.

About the Scholarship

The scholarship supports Oxford’s 1+1 MBA programme, which combines one of nine partner master’s degrees, spanning public policy, computer science, education, law, health, environment, and area studies, with a subsequent year in the Saïd Business School MBA. Scholars receive full course fees for both years plus a living grant of at least £21,805 annually, making it one of the more comprehensive funding packages available for a combined degree at Oxford.

Because eligibility hinges on being admitted to both the master’s and the MBA, either together or as a current master’s student applying separately for the MBA, the scholarship functions differently from most single-degree funding. Applicants comparing large, fully funded UK graduate scholarships more broadly sometimes also look at the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Program, a similarly comprehensive fully funded scholarship though based at Stanford rather than Oxford and open to any graduate degree rather than a specific 1+1 structure.

Scholarship Benefits

• Full course fees covered for both the master’s degree and the MBA
• A living grant of at least £21,805 for each year of study
• Opportunity to study for free at one of the world’s leading universities
• International networking opportunities through the Pershing Square Foundation community
• Access to prestigious conferences and activities connected to the foundation
• Integration into the broader Saïd Business School scholar community

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must have a good command of English
• Must be new applicants to the Oxford 1+1 MBA programme, or current master’s students who received MBA admission but were not considered for the scholarship the previous year
• Must receive admission to both a 1+1 MBA partnering programme and the MBA before being considered
• Applicants admitted to a full-time one-year master’s course outside the official 1+1 partnering programmes, alongside separate MBA admission, may also be considered
• Must demonstrate leadership potential through experience and motivation
• Must show strong personal character, commitment, and integrity
• Must have genuine intention to work on social and cultural problems at a global scale
• Must be able to articulate ideas for scalable, sustainable solutions to global challenges
• Must have a clear vision of how the Oxford 1+1 MBA specifically would help fulfill these objectives

Fields of Study Covered

The scholarship spans nine partner master’s programmes combined with the MBA, including:

• Public policy and comparative social policy
• Advanced computer science
• Education, across several specializations including higher education and digital and social change
• Pharmacology
• Sociology and statistical science
• Economic and social history
• Law, including the Bachelor of Civil Law and Magister Juris
• Modern languages, music, and comparative literature
• International health, migration studies, and social data science
• Area studies, including African, Chinese, Japanese, Latin American, South Asian, and Russian and East European studies

Required Documents

• Complete applications for both the 1+1 MBA and the chosen master’s programme
• A scholarship essay uploaded to the Funding section of the 1+1 MBA application
• A response of up to 500 words to the question of how the applicant intends to change the world and what this reveals about them as a person

How to Apply (Step-by-Step)

1. Apply for your chosen master’s programme by its own specific deadline, in either December or January.
2. Apply for the Oxford 1+1 MBA by 6 January 2027.
3. Upload your scholarship essay in the Funding section of the 1+1 MBA application before the deadline.
4. Answer the required 500-word question on how you intend to change the world.
5. Submit both complete applications on time, since scholarship consideration depends on admission to both programmes.
6. Await shortlisting, expected in early April.
7. Attend an interview if shortlisted, typically held in late April or early May.

Selection Process

Because both programme admission and scholarship consideration happen through overlapping but separate processes, the scholarship essay and 500-word response carry significant weight in distinguishing strong candidates within an already-admitted applicant pool. Shortlisted candidates then move to interview, where reviewers assess leadership potential, personal character, and the specificity of a candidate’s vision for applying management principles to global social challenges.

Tips to Improve Your Chances

• Use the 500-word response to describe a specific plan or project, not a general aspiration to make a difference
• Make an explicit connection between your chosen master’s field and how the MBA year would extend that expertise into practical impact
• Highlight concrete past leadership experience rather than describing leadership potential in the abstract
• Applicants weighing this against other fully funded UK scholarships at the undergraduate level might also note the Gates Scholarship, which funds a four-year US bachelor’s degree rather than a combined Oxford graduate programme
• Apply to your master’s programme as early as possible within its window, since the January 2027 MBA deadline is fixed regardless of your master’s application timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to apply to the MBA and master’s programme separately?

Yes. You must apply for your chosen master’s programme by its own deadline and separately for the 1+1 MBA by 6 January 2027, since both applications and admissions are required for scholarship consideration.

Can current Oxford master’s students apply for this scholarship?

Yes, if they have received admission to the MBA and were not considered for the scholarship the previous year.

How many scholarships are awarded each year?

Up to five full scholarships are awarded annually by the Pershing Square Foundation.

Does the scholarship cover both years of the 1+1 MBA?

Yes. It covers course fees and a living grant of at least £21,805 for both the master’s year and the MBA year.

Is this scholarship restricted to a specific nationality?

No. It is open to international students from all over the world.

What kind of applicant does this scholarship favor?

Applicants who can clearly connect academic and leadership experience to a genuine, specific vision for scalable and sustainable solutions to global social or cultural challenges, rather than general academic excellence alone.