Scholarships, Prizes and Awards

The College awards nearly 150 scholarships, awards and prizes each year, plus additional bursaries and grants. Some of these are awarded on the basis of academic merit after consideration of a highly competitive field. Others are aimed more at students who have financial needs, or who wish to undertake a particular intellectual or cultural project.

College Grants are available throughout the year to meet costs relating to a student's academic course (e.g. travel to conferences, purchase of resources not available in Oxford, English language tuition). A maximum of £300 will be awarded to any one student in an academic year. Download the College Grant Application Form from here or WebLearn.

Students who find themselves experiencing unexpected financial difficulties should consult the hardship page.

The remainder of this page gives details of the Awards that are available to students at various stages throughout the academic year.

Michaelmas Term

Hilary Term

Trinity Term

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Organ Scholarships

The College aims to have two Organ Scholars in residence each year, who between them will coordinate the conducting of the Chapel Choir and the playing of the Organ for services. They receive £200 per year, and are entitled to wear a Scholar's gown. Applications can be made through the University of Oxford Organ Scholarship scheme.

Choral Scholarships

The College aims to have six Choral Scholars in residence each year. Choral Scholars are required to sing in the Chapel Choir for services each Sunday evening, and occasionally at other times. They receive £150 per year, and are entitled to wear a Scholar's gown. Applications are welcome through the University of Oxford Choral Scholarship scheme and any places remaining unfilled are advertised in the College in October. 

College Scholarships

Scholarships of £250 are awarded each year to the most outstanding students, on the recommendation of the subject tutors. Award of a Scholarship is an indication that the tutors are confident that the student in question will achieve a First Class degree. Students who are not awarded a scholarship in their final year but who go on to achieve a first will have the scholarships awarded retrospectively. College Scholars are entitled to wear a Scholars' Gown, and are invited to attend an Award Holders' Dinner in Hilary Term.

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College Exhibitions

Exhibitions of £100 are awarded each year, on the recommendation of the subject tutors, to highly performing students who do not quite meet the criteria for a College Scholarship. Award of an Exhibition is an indication that the tutors are confident that the student in question is capable of achieving a First Class degree. College Exhibitioners are invited to attend an Award Holders' Dinner in Hilary Term.

Instrumental Awards

Students are invited to audition for Instrumental Awards in October each year. Awards do not exceed £100 and are given on condition that students perform in musical events which take place in the College.

Mingos Charter Scholarship

This is a full scholarship covering all fees and a maintenance award for the duration of a course. It is given to an undergraduate student from the United States who would not otherwise be able to afford to study at the University of Oxford. Only one Scholarship holder will be in residence at any one time, and the award will next be available for a student commencing study in October 2013.

St Edmund Hall will offer one Mingos Charter Scholarship for 2013 entry. This Scholarship, funded by American alumni, will be awarded to an American citizen domiciled in the United States who has been accepted to study on an undergraduate degree course starting in October 2013, and who can demonstrate that, without its support, they would be unable to take up their place in Oxford. FAFSA documentation would need to be provided in support of an application for the Mingos Charter Scholarship.

For full details, please visit our Mingos Charter Scholarship page.

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St Edmund Hall Masterclass

The Masterclass Fund is open to all SEH students and will support individuals or groups who have already reached a high level of achievement in an extra-curricular activity and are now seeking funding for additional coaching to develop and hone their skills. This may include, but is not exclusive to, the areas of writing, drama, music, art and sport.

Individual students and groups are eligible for up to £1,000 support in any one academic year.  The fund will only pay for advanced coaching and will not fund equipment, travel or accommodation costs.

Successful applicants will demonstrate that they have already attained a high level of achievement in their field, and will show how they wish to receive this coaching to further this talent, in a clear and structured plan.

Applications can be made in any term. Applicants should read the Guidelines and complete an application form (either for Individuals or Groups) and send it to development.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the Monday of 5th week.

Lynn Gilbert Bursary

This bursary is for students who are in financial need, with preference given to those reading for a course including one of Materials, Economics, and Management, or failing that to a student reading for a science degree. The bursary was founded in memory of Miss Lynn Debra Gilbert (1981) who read Materials, Economics and Management at St Edmund Hall.  The application process is now linked to the application for College Hardship funds.

Peel Award for Professional Practice in Fine Art

This annual award of £500 is given to a second year Fine Art student to enable them to take part in the Professional Practice Programme. This award is made on the basis of financial need.

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Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Fellowship

A one-year award to a student who has just completed their undergraduate degree at Columbia College and who wishes to pursue a Masters degree in the Social Sciences at St Edmund Hall. Applications are handled by Columbia College.

Besse Scholarship

Available every five years, the next Besse Scholarship will be for the 2015-16 academic year.

Christopher Mead Armitage and Pauline Brooks Armitage Scholarship for Visiting Students

This scholarship is available for a student from UNC-Chapel Hill to study at St Edmund Hall as a Visiting Student for Michaelmas Term (October to December) and covers all tuition fees, accommodation and food. Travel and entertainment costs are not included. Students may wish to extend their studies for the whole year (i.e. pay for the second and third terms). The scholarship is restricted to students studying any Arts/Humanities discipline, and preference may be given to English majors. Applications are handled by the Year Abroad Office at UNC.

This scholarship was established in recognition of Christopher Armitage (1950, English) and the work he has done to foster links between the Hall and UNC-Chapel Hill yearly since 1980.

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Mrs Brown Bursary

This bursary was set up in memory of Mrs Brown, who was the MCR Butler for over 25 years. Awards in the region of £300 are available for MCR members who face financial difficulties which will make it hard to complete their course of study. Application forms will be available on WebLearn in January, and the deadline is in mid-February.

Graduate Writing-Up Bursary

Two bursaries of £1000 each are available to postgraduate students to provide financial support during the final write-up of their thesis. Applications are open to St Edmund Hall students who do not hold other scholarships or awards worth more than £15,000 per annum, and who are at the final stage of writing up. Application forms will be available from WebLearn in January and the deadline is in February.

Philip Geddes Memorial Prize

This prize of £1000 is awarded to the most promising student journalist at the University of Oxford. A further award of £500 is open to St Edmund Hall students only. The prizes are given in memory of Philip Geddes, an old member of the College who was killed in the IRA bombing of Harrods in 1983. More details can be found on the Philip Geddes Memorial Prize webpages.

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Clive Taylor Prize

This prize of £1000 is awarded to a student journalist who specialises in sports writing. The prize is given in memory of Clive Taylor, the distinguished cricket writer. Further details are available on the Clive Taylor Prize webpages.

Peel Awards

Two awards of £1000 are made to second year Fine Art students, and two awards of £1000 to students reading Mathematics & Philosophy (with preference given to second year students). All eligible students will be considered for the awards, which will be made on the basis of academic merit (although financial hardship may be taken into consideration). Tom and Eva Peel (both 1994) established these awards in their own subject areas.

Graham Midgley Memorial Prize for Poetry

This annual prize of £100 is awarded for a single outstanding poem in English, of no more than 25 lines, written by an undergraduate student. Application details are circulated in January each year, and the deadline is in mid-March.

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Bendhem Fine Art Bursary

A small grant (currently about £350) is made to each Fine Art student in their final year to help with the costs of the Degree Show.

Aularian Prize

The St Edmund Hall Association has established this annual prize of £300 for innovation and enterprise in achieving or initiating a project or activity which falls outside of established college or university pursuits. All current students, including visiting students, are eligible to apply for this award. The application form must be emailed to development.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the end of first week of Trinity Term.

Simon & Arpi Simonian Award for Excellence in Leadership

This annual award of £200 is open to both undergraduates and postgraduates. The prize is awarded to an individual who has shown significant leadership qualities during their time at the Hall in any area, e.g. sport, charity work, journalism, theatre/drama, music, potential future academic leadership, or other outside interests. Students may nominate themselves or someone else.

Candidates should submit a written report (around 500 words) supporting their nomination to the Deputy Development Director, sally.smith@seh.ox.ac.uk by Monday of 3rd week of Trinity Term (6 May 2013). The Principal will decide who receives the award. Note that presidency of the JCR or MCR is not in itself sufficient cause for application.

The prize was established by Aularian Simon Simonian (1962, Physiology) who is now a leader in the treatment of vascular disease in the United States.

George Barner Prize for Contribution to Theatre

George Barner (1935, Law), an American Aularian, founded this prize in 2007 to be awarded annually to the undergraduate deemed to have contributed most significantly to theatre at the Hall either through acting, directing and/or other behind-the-scenes work. The prize is worth £150.

Students should submit a written report (around 500 words) of their theatre related activities by Monday of 3rd week of Trinity Term (7 May 2012). Reports should be submitted to Dr Wes Williams, Chair of the judging panel (wes.williams@seh.ox.ac.uk). The judging panel, consisting of Dr Wes Williams, Professor Keith Gull and Dr Aileen Kavanagh, will decide on the winner by fifth week of Trinity Term.

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Richard Fargher Bursaries

One or two awards to a total value of £4500 awarded to students reading for any undergraduate degree, who wish to undertake a programme of study and travel abroad which has among its objectives the improvement of their linguistic skill. First year students (except for Senior Status students) or those who will complete their course in the current academic year are not eligible. Students on a year abroad may apply. Application forms will be available on WebLearn around Easter, and the deadline for applications is early in Trinity Term.

Muriel Radford Prize

The Muriel Radford Prize is an annual award to the value of £200 for undergraduates wishing to undertake a vacation project. It is awarded on the usefulness (practical, cultural or otherwise) to the community at large, and the academic worthiness of the applicant. Application forms will be available on WebLearn around Easter, and the deadline for applications is early in Trinity Term.

Cochrane Scholarship

One or more awards to the total value of £600 for foreign travel is available to undergraduates reading for Arts subjects. Application forms will be available on WebLearn around Easter, and the deadline for applications is early in Trinity Term.

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Michael Pike Award

This £150 award will be given to students who propose to engage in some outdoor activity for which a spirit of enterprise and physical endeavour are required. Application forms will be available on WebLearn around Easter, and the deadline for applications is early in Trinity Term. The award is contributed by old members in memory of Michael Pike (1948). 

Graham Hamilton Travel Award

A sum of approximately £1200 will be split amongst a number of students who need financial assistance to undertake a holiday in the UK or abroad abroad which calls for some measure of initiative, enterprise or endurance. Application forms are made available on WebLearn around Easter, and the deadline for applications is early in Trinity Term.

Chevron Award

Money received from Chevron is used to increase the Academic Grant awarded to Earth Sciences students to assist with the costs of their mapping project. Application is via the College Grant for Academic Purposes.

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William R Miller Postgraduate Awards

Three awards of a one-year rent-free College room are made annually to postgraduate research students (DPhil or MSc by research).  Renewal for one further year is not automatic but will be considered on reapplication . Successful applicants will be required to transfer to St Edmund Hall if they are not already students here. Applicants should submit a completed application form to college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the deadline of 19 April 2013. They should also arrange for two referees to complete and submit the reference form to college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the same deadline. 

Emden-Doctorow Postgraduate Award

One award of £4800 will be made to a postgraduate research student, with preference given to a DPhil in the Social Sciences.  The successful applicant will be required to transfer to St Edmund Hall if he or she is not already a student here. The award is for one year only. Applicants should submit a completed application form to college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the deadline of 19 April 2013. They should also arrange for two referees to complete and submit the reference form to college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the same deadline. 

E.P.A. Cephalosporin Scholarship

One award of £3,500 p.a. will be made to a DPhil student undertaking research in the biological, chemical or medical sciences. The successful applicant will be required to transfer to St Edmund Hall if he or she is not already a student here. Applicants should submit a completed application form to college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the deadline of 19 April 2013. They should also arrange for two referees to complete and submit the reference form to college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk by the same deadline. 

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Ogilvie-Thompson English Prize

One award of £50 and a runner-up prize of £25 is awarded in Trinity Term for outstanding work in Old and Middle English. All English students are automatically considered for this award.

David J Cox Award

This annual award, currently around £200, is given to the Geography student with the most worthwhile dissertation proposal, as judged by the College's Geography tutors. The intention is that the money be used towards the expenses involved in researching and writing the dissertation.

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J R Hughes Book Prize

This prize is given each year to the best-performing Geography student over the course of the year.

Tony Doyle Science Bursaries

Tony Doyle (1959, Chemistry) established these bursaries to assist undergraduates studying any science subject who are in financial need and performing well academically. There are four £400 or two £800 awards available each year, awarded in June. All eligible students will be considered without application, and awards are based on tutors’ decisions.

Luddington Prize

A prize of £500 is given to each St Edmund Hall student who manages to achieve both a First Class degree and a University blue.

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