Oxford University Skoll MBA Scholarships for International Student Entrepreneurs

The Skoll Scholarships

Course(s) Offered: Business, Management 
Course Level: Postgraduate (MBA)
Provider: Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
Country to Study in: UK

Scholarship Description
The Skoll Scholarship is a competitive scholarship for incoming MBA students to the University of Oxford who pursue entrepreneurial solutions for urgent social and environmental challenges. The Scholarship provides funding and exclusive opportunities to meet with world-renowned entrepreneurs, thought-leaders and investors.

The Skoll Scholarship provides tuition for entrepreneurs who have set up or have been working in entrepreneurial initiatives with a social purpose, and who wish to improve their knowledge of market-oriented practices so they can be more effective in their subsequent social change pursuits.

The Scholarship is given in recognition that the MBA may represent a significant financial burden, particularly for those who have chosen to work in social ventures rather than the purely commercial or public sectors.

Eligibility
To be considered, you need to meet the following criteria:

1). Candidates must have started and grown a social venture that has been running for at least 3 years by the time they apply for the MBA, OR they have been responsible for leading a major expansion of an existing social venture or programme within a venture for 3 years by the time they apply for the MBA.

2). Candidates must demonstrate evidence of personal qualities strongly resonating with entrepreneurial leadership, and illustrate how these have influenced their career path thus far. These qualities include:

• Single-mindedness and persistence in pursuit of a social/environmental benefit goal, including a willingness to face failure and start again
• A bias towards action rather than reflection
• A tendency to explore the environment for opportunities and resources
• A willingness to take personal, and sometimes financial, risks
• A propensity to develop networks and draw upon their members to pursue mutual goals.

3). Candidates must demonstrate how a business education can contribute to the wider development of the community within which they work. They will need to illustrate why a business degree at this stage of their career trajectory can help them amplify their impact.

4). Candidates must demonstrate some evidence of their need for the Scholarship. This may be exhibited, for example, in previous work experiences or personal backgrounds which make self-funding the MBA a significant financial burden.

Eligible groups
Citizens of ALL countries and nationalities

Participating Institution(s)
Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Said Business School (SBS), Oxford University, UK

Fields of study
The Oxford MBA programme. Find out more about the Oxford MBA programme

Sponsorship duration
The scholarship will cover the whole length of the program

Number of awards
Typically up to five scholarships are awarded in any year

Scholarship benefits
The Skoll Scholarship covers the full costs of tuition and college fees for the MBA programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. The Scholarship also covers partial living expenses based on need, up to an additional £8,000.

In addition to financial support, the Scholarship provides access to the Skoll Scholar community, a group of leaders who are positively impacting the world through innovation and systems change, as well as exclusive opportunities to meet with world-renowned entrepreneurs, thought-leaders and investors.

Method of Application
To apply for the Skoll Scholarship you first need to apply and be accepted onto the Saïd Business School’s MBA programme. The Skoll Center cannot consider candidates who have not been accepted by the School for the MBA. Tick the “Skoll Scholarship” box when you submit your MBA application! Then, if you are accepted onto the MBA programme, you will be eligible to apply for the Skoll Scholarship. The Skoll Centre will then send you a link to the Scholarship online application.

Complete the Skoll Scholarship online application. This consists of a series of short essay questions asking about your experience as an entrepreneur, your social impact, and why you believe you are a strong candidate for the scholarship.

It is important to visit the official website (link to it is below) for complete information on how to apply, and also to access the MBA Application form.

DEADLINES:
Candidates must apply to the Oxford MBA programme during specific stages of the School’s application rounds to be considered for the Skoll Scholarship. For the 2018-19 academic year, you’ll need to apply during stages 1-2 of the MBA admissions process. The MBA admissions application deadline for Stage 1 is 29 September 2017, for Stage 2 is 5 January 2018, for Stage 3 is 16 March 2018 AND for Stage 4 is 11 May 2018.

Skoll Scholarships online application sent to candidates 12 March 2018. Deadline to apply is 25 March 2018.

PLEASE NOTE:
Saïd Business School (SBS) is the business school of the University of Oxford. SBS is the University of Oxford's centre of learning for undergraduate and graduate students in business, management and finance, serving students together with their membership in the traditional colleges of Oxford. While business and management courses have been taught at Oxford since 1965, the school of management was re-branded as Saïd Business School in 1996, after its chief benefactor Wafic Saïd, a Syrian-Saudi Arabian billionaire financier, businessman and philanthropist.

Application Deadlines: 25 March 2018
Open to International students: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: List of UK Scholarships for International Students