Most scholarships ask you for a second set of essays, a separate portal login and another deadline to track. The Clarendon Fund at the University of Oxford asks for none of that. If you apply to an eligible Oxford graduate course by its standard deadline, you are considered for Clarendon funding automatically. For a Pakistani student aiming at a fully funded Master's or DPhil, that makes it one of the most efficient opportunities to know about, and also one of the easiest to get wrong, because everything rides on a single application.
This guide explains how the scheme works, what it pays for, and where applicants lose their chance. You can also see the full scholarship details on our scholarship page.
Oxford's own fund, with no separate form
The Clarendon Fund is Oxford University's own endowment-funded graduate scholarship program. It awards over 200 new scholarships each year across full-time and part-time Master's and DPhil courses, in any subject offered at the university. It is one of the largest graduate scholarship schemes at Oxford by number of awards.
The defining feature is the absence of a separate application process. There is no Clarendon essay, no eligibility form and no extra interview to request. Selection is based entirely on the strength of your standard Oxford graduate application. Your personal statement, references and transcripts do the same work for Clarendon consideration as they do for admission itself.
Who does this suit? Students with a strong academic record who are already serious about Oxford and can put together a polished graduate application. Who should look elsewhere first? Anyone whose grades are uneven or who is applying to Oxford as a long shot without much preparation. Clarendon does not reward effort spent on a separate funding pitch, because there is no separate pitch. It rewards the quality of the Oxford application, full stop.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | University of Oxford (Clarendon Fund) |
| Funding | Fully funded: full course fees plus a living expenses grant |
| Level | Master's and DPhil (PhD), full-time and part-time |
| Fields | Any subject offered at the University of Oxford |
| Nationality | No nationality restriction |
| Deadline | Automatic consideration when you apply to your Oxford course by its standard December or January deadline (varies by course) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Official site | ox.ac.uk/clarendon |
Full fees and a living grant for the length of your course
Clarendon is a fully funded award. It covers:
- Full Oxford course fees
- A living expenses grant for the duration of your course
The source information does not give a specific figure for the living expenses grant, so check the current amount on the official Clarendon Fund website before you build a budget around it. What matters for planning is that the grant runs for the duration of your course, so a DPhil scholar is supported across the whole programme, not just the first year.
Keep in mind that being fully funded on paper does not remove every cost before you arrive. Application fees, English test fees, document attestation and visa-related costs come before any scholarship money reaches you. Plan for those from your own pocket.
Open to Pakistani students in any subject
There is no nationality restriction on Clarendon Fund scholarships, so Pakistani applicants are eligible. There is also no field restriction. Whether you are applying for a Master's in economics or a DPhil in engineering, you are in the pool as long as the course is eligible and you meet the deadline.
The eligibility conditions are short:
- Academic excellence, assessed through the standard Oxford graduate application
- No nationality restriction
- No separate scholarship application, since consideration is automatic once you apply for your course
That first point carries all the weight. With no separate form, the selection is a judgement on how strong your academic profile looks inside the Oxford application. Competition is international, and Oxford graduate applicants are already a strong group, so treat academic excellence as the real bar rather than a box to tick.
One application file does double duty
The only document requirement is your standard Oxford graduate application. That normally means:
- Transcripts
- References
- A personal statement
- Proof of English proficiency
Because this single file is judged for both admission and funding, every part of it needs to be at its best. Transcripts should be complete and correctly issued. References should come from academics who know your work well and can speak to it in detail. Your personal statement should be specific to the course you are applying for, not a general essay reused across universities.
For Pakistani applicants, getting transcripts and degrees in order can take weeks, so start early. Our documents checklist for international scholarships covers what to prepare, and the IBCC and MOFA attestation guide explains the attestation steps if your documents need them.
Applying in two steps
The process is about as short as a scholarship process can be:
- Apply to your chosen Oxford graduate course by its standard deadline.
- That is it. No separate Clarendon application is needed, and you are automatically considered.
The simplicity is a trap for some applicants. Students sometimes spend days searching the Oxford site for a Clarendon form that does not exist, and push their course application closer to the deadline while they look. Do not do this. There is nothing extra to submit specifically for Clarendon.
Why the December or January course deadline decides everything
Clarendon consideration is tied to your course's standard graduate deadline, which falls around December or January depending on the course. Some courses may also have later deadlines, but automatic Clarendon consideration is tied to the earlier December or January dates. Apply by those, not by any later round.
Deadlines vary by course, so look up the exact date for your specific programme on the Oxford website rather than assuming one date applies to everyone. Then work backwards: English test results, references and transcripts all need to be ready before that date.
Results come in the following months, alongside your Oxford admission decision. You do not get a separate Clarendon timeline to watch, which makes things simpler but also means there is no second chance if your course application was weak or late.
Where strong applicants still lose out
Since there is only one application, the mistakes are concentrated in one place. These are the ones to avoid:
- Treating the Oxford application as admission-only and saving the best effort for some imagined funding step. Put your full effort into the standard application, because it is your only application for this funding.
- Applying in a later round. Missing the December or January deadline for your course can mean missing Clarendon consideration entirely.
- Delaying the course application while hunting for a separate Clarendon form.
- Ignoring the college choice. Oxford's collegiate structure means your experience will be shaped by the college you are admitted to as well as your academic department. Both are worth researching when you choose your course.
- Relying on Clarendon as your only plan. With over 200 awards a year across all subjects and nationalities, it is generous by Oxford standards but still selective. Apply for other funding in parallel.
If you are lining up several options, our all United Kingdom scholarships guide is a good place to find alternatives with different deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to fill out a separate Clarendon application?
No. You are automatically considered for Clarendon funding when you apply to an eligible Oxford graduate course by the standard deadline.
Can Pakistani students apply for the Clarendon Fund?
Yes. There is no nationality restriction on Clarendon Fund scholarships, so Pakistani applicants are considered on the same basis as everyone else.
Which courses and subjects are eligible?
Clarendon covers full-time and part-time Master's and DPhil courses in any subject offered at the University of Oxford. Check that your specific course is eligible on the official Clarendon site.
How much is the living expenses grant?
The award covers full course fees and a living expenses grant for the duration of your course. The exact grant amount is not stated in our source information, so confirm the current figure on the official Clarendon Fund website.
When will I find out if I have won?
Results come in the months after the December or January application deadline, alongside your Oxford admission decision.
Does applying late in a later round still count?
Automatic Clarendon consideration is tied to the standard December or January course deadlines, so apply by those dates rather than any later ones.
Before you apply, confirm your course deadline and current award details on the official Clarendon Fund website, and keep the full Clarendon Fund scholarship page handy for a quick summary.