Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Eligibility 2027–28: Courses, Countries and the Rules in Between
You need an offer on one of 40 one-year Oxford master’s courses, ordinary residence in a listed country, and a plan to go home and use what you learn. Here is every gate, with a country search.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
6 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
Quick eligibility checker
Seven published gates from the Oxford scholarship page and the WHT FAQ. Answer honestly; this is a planning tool, not a decision.
0 of 7 answered
- 1Are you applying to start a new, full-time graduate course at Oxford in 2027–28 (not a deferred offer)?
- 2Is your course one of the 40 eligible one-year master’s courses listed below (not a DPhil)?
- 3Are you ordinarily resident in a listed country — or, if you declared refugee or displaced status, is your nationality on the list?
- 4Will you submit the course application by its December or January deadline, with the WH box ticked and the WH Statement uploaded?
- 5Do you intend to return to your country of ordinary residence after the course?
- 6Can you be in Oxford for the full Leadership Programme, from mid-September 2027 to early July 2028?
- 7Are you either not a current Oxford student, or already a Weidenfeld-Hoffmann scholar?
You clear the published gates. Next: the application steps and the WH Statement.
At least one published gate is not met. Read the rules below, and compare other Oxford funding.
The official criteria
Oxford says you must meet all of these, assessed from your graduate application form, your Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement and, if shortlisted, your interview:
- You must be applying to start a new full-time graduate course at Oxford.
- You should intend to return to your country of ordinary residence once the course ends.
- You must show a connection between your subject and your longer-term career, and how your work will contribute to the improvement of public life in your country, region or internationally.
- Candidates holding deferred offers to start in 2027–28 cannot apply.
- Current Oxford students are not eligible unless they are already Weidenfeld-Hoffmann scholars.
On top of that you must be offered a place on an eligible course and be ordinarily resident in an eligible country.
The 40 eligible courses
The Trust funds only one-year, master’s-level courses; its FAQ says plainly that DPhil applications are not supported. Grouping below is ours; the course names are Oxford’s.
| Area | Eligible courses |
|---|---|
| Law | BCL Bachelor of Civil Law; MJur Magister Juris; MSc Law and Finance; MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice |
| Business, policy & economics | MBA; MPP Master of Public Policy; MSc Financial Economics; MSc Economics for Development; MSc Comparative Social Policy; MSc Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation; MSc Global Governance and Diplomacy; MSt Diplomatic Studies |
| Area, migration & regional studies | MSc African Studies; MSt Asian and Middle Eastern Studies; MSc Contemporary Chinese Studies; MSt Islamic Studies and History; MSt Jewish Studies; MSc Latin American Studies; MSc Migration Studies; MSc Modern Middle Eastern Studies; MSc Modern South Asian Studies; MSc Refugee and Forced Migration Studies; MSc Russian and East European Studies |
| Environment & energy | MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Nature Recovery; MSc Energy Systems; MSc Environmental Change and Policy; MSc Nature, Society and Environmental Governance; MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment; MSc Water Science, Policy and Management |
| Health | MSc Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience; MSc Global Health Science and Epidemiology; MSc Health Service Improvement and Evaluation; MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine |
| Education | MSc Education (Comparative and International Education); MSc Education (Digital and Social Change); MSc Education (Higher Education) |
| Computing, data & maths | MSc Advanced Computer Science; MSc Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing; MSc Social Data Science; MSc Social Science of the Internet |
The list changes from year to year. A course you saw on an old blog may have gone; recheck the live list before you choose.
Country of ordinary residence
Oxford uses the “Nationality and ordinary residence” section of your application to decide your country. That means where you normally live, not the passport you hold. A Ghanaian citizen living and working in Canada is assessed on Canada, which is not on the list. If you declared refugee or displaced status in your application, Oxford considers you eligible when your nationality meets the country criteria.
No match on the 2027–28 list. Check the spelling against Oxford’s list below (for example “Korea (South)”, “Lao PDR”, “Turkey”).
Matches the 188 entries on Oxford’s list as checked on 6 October 2026. A planning tool, not an official decision.
Full 2027–28 list (188 entries): Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Bahamas · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belarus · Belgium · Belize · Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei Darussalam · Bulgaria · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cambodia · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · China Tibet · China, Hong Kong SAR · China, Macau SAR · Colombia · Comoros · Congo, Dem. Rep. · Congo, Rep. · Costa Rica · Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Croatia · Cuba · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Estonia · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Fiji · Finland · France · French Guiana · Gabon · Gambia, The · Georgia · Germany · Ghana · Greece · Grenada · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Hungary · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Jamaica · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Korea (North) · Korea (South) · Kosovo · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Lao PDR · Latvia · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Marshall Islands · Malta · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Micronesia · Moldova · Mongolia · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar (Burma) · Namibia · Nauru · Nepal · Netherlands · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · North Macedonia · Oman · Pakistan · Palau · Palestinian territories · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Réunion · Romania · Russian Federation · Rwanda · Saint Helena · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Serbia · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Slovakia · Slovenia · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Spain · Sri Lanka · St Kitts and Nevis · St Lucia · St Vincent and the Grenadines · Sudan · Suriname · Sweden · Syria · Taiwan (Republic of China) · Tajikistan · Tanzania · Thailand · Timor-Leste (East Timor) · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Turkey · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · Ukraine · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Western Sahara · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe.
Notable absences include the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Several high-income countries are listed, including France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The Trust itself describes its scholars as coming from “mainly low and middle income countries”.
You must win a course place in the right round
Only applicants offered a place after the December or January gathered field count. Oxford is explicit: applications held over to be re-evaluated against the March field, or placed on a waiting list, are not eligible for the scholarship. English matters here too. Each course sets its own English level — the MSc in Economics for Development, for example, asks for Oxford’s higher level, IELTS 7.5 overall with 7.0 in each part — and the WHT FAQ says you must pass the required test to be accepted onto the programme.
Things that are not rules
Age: the Trust says there is no age limit. Work experience: not required, but most scholars have five or more years. Family: under UK visa rules in force since January 2024, most taught master’s students cannot bring dependants unless government-funded; the WHT eligibility page flags this for all scholars, so plan for a year on your own.
Sources: Oxford: Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships (eligibility, courses and countries, checked 6 October 2026) and WHT FAQs.