FAQs

 

FAQs

About the Scholarship and the MBA

The Scholarship is intended to cover the Oxford Saïd MBA course fees. Additional funds are provided as a contribution towards living expenses. In rare cases partial scholarships may be offered.

The Skoll Centre typically awards up to four Scholarships every year.

The Skoll Scholarship is funded by a generous grant from the Skoll Foundation, and is administered by the Skoll Centre, which is based at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Upon being offered a Skoll Scholarship, the candidate will receive a letter of agreement which outlines what is expected during and after the MBA. Examples may include acting as ambassadors for the Skoll Centre, supporting classmates with entrepreneurship projects, recruiting future Skoll Scholars, serving on the Skoll Scholar Alumni Board, and responding to media enquiries amongst others.

Of course! Typically only four students receive Scholarships, but countless students are interested in pursuing careers that bring together business and social goals. The Skoll Centre offers opportunities to engage with activities for those who are eager to start or grow their own ventures, or work in the growing ecosystem of organisations supporting entrepreneurial ventures/initiatives. The only difference between the Skoll Scholars’ opportunities and other MBA opportunities will be the funding and access to the Skoll Scholar alumni network.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Skoll Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Have started a new social venture or an initiative within an existing organisation, or pursued positive change as an impact career professional (i.e. someone who has used entrepreneurial approaches to address the same social/environmental issue with a clear core thread that unites their work) for preferably 3 years or longer by the time you apply for the MBA;
  • Have demonstrated evidence of personal qualities strongly resonating with entrepreneurial leadership;
  • Have demonstrated how a business education will help further your career goals;
  • Have demonstrated need for financial support.

To further assess if you are a candidate, please see the Eligibility Criteria.

We define a social venture or initiative as one that combines innovation, resourcefulness, and opportunity to address a critical social and/or environmental challenge. You may have set up a venture as a for-profit or not-for-profit organisation, or you may have initiated and led a programme/project within a larger organisation – in either case, your primary objective is to create sustainable systems change, and you have measured your success towards that objective.

An impact career professional is someone who has used entrepreneurial approaches to address the same social or environmental issue and can demonstrate they have a clear core thread that unites their work throughout their career. These professionals are able to demonstrate a commitment to social change in a particular area through this thread of work.

To be eligible for the Scholarship, we prefer candidates to have a minimum of 3 years’ experience by the time they apply for the MBA.

You need to have started and grown a single social venture/initiative or pursued an impact career focusing on one social/environmental issue for a period of at least 3 years. You can, of course, have worked on other social initiatives in addition to this experience.

Yes! We welcome applicants who are intending to join the 1+1 programme (which consists of a one year Masters degree followed by an MBA). However, please note the Skoll Scholarship only covers funding for the MBA year of the programme. You may want to consider other scholarships specifically designed for 1+1 students, such as the Pershing Square Scholarship.

Yes, candidates are required to take the GMAT/GRE test for entry to Oxford Saïd’s MBA programme.

The MBA Admissions Team recommends candidates apply with a GMAT score of 650 or above. The recommendation for GRE scores is a verbal score of 160 and a quantitative score of 161. However, all scores will be considered, and a high score does not guarantee a place, nor does a low score disqualify you. It is important to remember that GMAT/GRE test scores are only one element of your application. Please visit Oxford Saïd’s MBA programme website for more information.

Candidates whose first language is not English or who have not studied at an English speaking university are required to take either the TOEFL or IELTS tests.

No, there are no age restrictions to apply for the Scholarship.

Application process

Please check the timeline on the 'How to Apply' page to know when to expect to receive the link to complete the Logistics and Reference Form. If the date has passed and you haven’t heard from us, please first check your junk mail folder. If you haven’t received anything please contact us.

If you have any further questions which are not addressed here, please contact us at skollscholarship@sbs.ox.ac.uk.