Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme: Eligibility, Deadline & How to Apply

The Oxford-Weidenfeld and Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme was established in 2015 thanks to generous donations from multiple donors to mark the 95th birthday of Lord Weidenfeld. In June 2017, Trustee and Chairman André Hoffmann made an additional donation of £9m to the Trust which, thanks to matched funding of £6m from Oxford University, doubled the size of the Oxford-Weidenfeld and Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme.

This scholarship is part of the Oxford Graduate Scholarships, which were established through a ground-breaking matched funding initiative to create fully-funded scholarships for graduate students of the highest calibre from across the world. The University contributes 40% of the funds for these scholarships, together with 60% from generous donations provided by supporters of the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust, including Fondation Hoffmann. 

The Leadership Programme is a unique part of these scholarships, and over the course of a year scholars take part in philosophical discussions, learn business skills and receive communication training within a supportive community. More information on this can be found on the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust website. 

Number of Scholarships Available: Typically four, including one Hope scholar.

The scholarship will cover 100% of course fees and a grant for living costs (of at least £20,780). Awards are made to cover the full duration of your fee liability for the agreed course.

To be considered for the scholarship you must meet all of the criteria below. These will be assessed during the selection process, including using your graduate application form, your Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement and (if relevant) your interview.

• You must be applying to start a new full-time graduate course at Oxford.
• You should be intending to return to your country of ordinary residence once your course is completed. 
• You must be able to demonstrate a connection between your subject of study and your longer-term career objectives, explaining how you see your professional work contributing to the improvement of public life in your country of origin or at a wider regional or international level. 
• This scholarship is not open to applications from candidates who hold deferred offers to start in 2026-27.
• Students currently at Oxford are not eligible to apply unless they are already Weidenfeld-Hoffmann scholars.

Leadership potential

• You should be able to describe your leadership skills with particular relevance to communication and interpersonal skills as well as an aptitude for strategic thinking, enterprise and teamwork alongside leadership qualities such as initiative, commitment, responsibility, originality, creativity and risk-taking.

Commitment to the Programme

• Scholars must commit to all core requirements of the Leadership Programme. Participation is a compulsory requirement of the Scholarships and Leadership Programme Award and is written into the University of Oxford Scholarship offer letter which successful applicants receive in May/June. The Leadership Programme includes key events which require scholars to be in Oxford prior to the start of the academic year and leave Oxford after the official end of Trinity Term. The Programme is intensive and applicants will need to demonstrate that they are able to manage these additional commitments to their academic studies.

You must select the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme in the University of Oxford Scholarships section of the University's graduate application form by the relevant January (or earlier) deadline for your course. You must submit your Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust application form at the same time via the University of Oxford website. 

University will use the details you insert in the ‘Nationality and ordinary residence’ section of the graduate application form to assess your country of ordinary residence.

Two Professional/Academic References

• School require two professional or academic references.
• Using the online application form you will need to submit two references, preferably from professional referees. Once your referee details are input into the form, your referee will receive an automatic email from the School with details on how to complete the online reference form. Please note they can only accept references from a valid work/professional/institutional email address and not from Gmail/Hotmail accounts.

Supporting Statement 

• As part of your application, you will need to submit a supporting statement.
• Tell university something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)

Resume/CV: A one-page CV containing relevant professional experience.

Online Assessment:

• You will need to complete three questions via the online assessment platform.
• • To virtually meet you, get a sense of your personality and see how you think on your feet, you will need to complete an online assessment as part of your application. You will be asked to answer three competency-based questions - this will be randomised.
  • The competency-based question lets you demonstrate certain leadership the skills and qualities they look for, such as integrity, vision, self-awareness, decisiveness and collaboration. 
  • Once you have submitted your application for either the Oxford MBA or Oxford 1+1 MBA you will see a link in your application status portal. This will enable you to register with Kira Talent, the online assessment platform, and complete your assessment. 
  • This link will appear up to 24 hours after you have uploaded your CV and added the details of your two referees. They therefore strongly encourage you to leave yourself enough time to practice and complete the online assessment by the deadline in which you are applying.
  • You will be provided with preparation time and practice sessions before going live with your real responses. The whole online assessment should only take up to 30 minutes for you to complete. All you need is a desktop or laptop computer with a functioning webcam, microphone and internet connection.

Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement 

• Please answer the following questions in no more than 200 words per question:
  • How will the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust Leadership Programme help you to develop as a leader?
  • Tell university about a moral issue that you think is important at the moment. What makes it morally complicated?
  • What do you think makes someone suitable for the Business Challenge and what attributes are you hoping to develop that can help you with your future career?
  • To what extent should people prioritise the needs of their own countries over the needs of the world as a whole? 
  • Outline how you anticipate your career progressing for the next five years after completing your studies in Oxford.

The scholarships aim to support outstanding university graduates and professionals, mainly from developing and emerging economies, and who would not otherwise be able to support themselves to study at Oxford.  

• Online Application 
• Application Fee
• Academic Transcripts
• GRE/GMAT Test Scores
• Two Professional/Academic References
• Supporting Statement 
• Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships Statement
• Online Assessment
• CV/Resume
• English Language Proficiency