Student funds & awards

SAME Fieldwork Skills Award

The School offers small grants to contribute to the costs of certain skills training for SAME-registered research students preparing to do major fieldwork (i.e. PRS/DPhil students and Year 2 MPhil students, but not undergraduates, MSc students or Year 1 MPhil students). Examples of eligible training include language-training at the University Language Centre (at 12 Woodstock Road) or (with good reason) elsewhere, and specialised training in the use of specific equipment or methods.

 Fieldwork skills awards are subject to the following conditions: 

·         The training is essential for the degree and research they are pursuing.

·         The costs involved are reasonable, up to a maximum of £750 per application.

·         Only one application per student is permitted across the duration of their programme, unless there are exceptional reasons justifying a further application in a subsequent year.

Application should be by letter, endorsed by the student’s supervisor and setting out the costs involved, to the Director of Graduate Studies, who will verify academic need. The financial case will then be assessed by the Head of Administration before final approval is given or withheld.

Please apply here.

The scheme is subject to a budget maximum in any given year. It is concessionary, not statutory, and therefore may be withdrawn at any time at the School’s sole discretion. Students have no automatic entitlement to these funds and have to apply for them in each case in the manner outlined above.

SAME Conference Presentation Award

Limited funds are available to support SAME-registered students wishing to accept an invitation to present a poster or paper at a conference.

Conference presentation awards are subject to the following conditions:

·         The applicant will be giving a paper at the conference.

·         A copy of the invitation to present is supplied.

·         The costs involved are reasonable, up to a maximum of £250 per application.

·         Only one application per student is permitted in any academic year.

Proof is presented that other funding options (e.g. college or conference funds) have been explored and are unavailable or insufficient.

Please apply here.

The scheme is subject to a budget maximum in any given year. It is concessionary, not statutory, and therefore may be withdrawn at any time at the School’s sole discretion. 

SAME Travel Award

Applications are invited for research-related travel expenses in the field of anthropology, broadly conceived. 

DPhil, MPhil and MSc students - up to a limit of £1000

Human Sciences students - up to a limit of £720

Please apply here. 

The deadline for the receipt of applications are Friday of 6th week of Michaelmas Term, Hilary Term and Trinity Term each year.

The Awards Committee reserves the right to offer awards for less than the sum requested in order that as many applicants as possible may benefit. Only one application per student is permitted in any academic year and priority will be given to first time applicants. 

SAME writing-up bursaries

The School wishes to offer a small number of writing-up bursaries to those writing up their DPhil theses in order to enable them to submit in a timely manner. The maximum amount available will be £2,500.

The Bursary will be payable in two instalments: £1000 on return from fieldwork and £1500 on the successful completion of the Confirmation assessment.

Whether your research involves a longer period of sustained fieldwork or is based on archival or lab work within Oxford, the first instalment of the award may not be applied for any earlier than your 4th term as a registered DPhil student (i.e. MPhil to DPhil: 4th term, PRS to DPhil: 7th term).

In order to qualify for the gathered field assessment, the student must:

•             be a SAME registered student;
•             not have been a previous recipient of a writing-up bursary;

Instalment 1:

•      have completed their fieldwork research or data collection;
•      present a written case outlining their economic need;
•      provide a budget justification (and details of any scholarships/grants received whilst on course);
•      obtained their supervisor's approval;

Instalment 2:

•      have been confirmed in the status of DPhil student;
•      obtained their supervisor's approval;
•      confirm to adhere to the final submission deadline as agreed with the University, which will be within 3 terms at most of application (should this not be the case, without good cause, the student maybe required       to repay the bursary).

Please apply here. 

The deadline for the receipt of applications is Friday of 1st week of MT, HT and TT each year. 

Anyone wishing to apply who does not meet the criteria for final submission should provide a brief explanation of their circumstances and, should funding allow, the statement will be considered in the Trinity Term round.

Radcliffe-Brown and Firth Trust Funds

The aim of the awards, which are jointly funded by the Association of Social Anthropologists (ASA) and the RAI, is to help young scholars in social anthropology who are handicapped by lack of funds to work towards the completion of research upon which they have already embarked.

Only students associated with British or Commonwealth universities are eligible, and only applicants who have nearly completed their theses are likely to be successful. Grants of up to £750 from the Fund are made at Trustees' meetings twice a year.

Full application details and forms.

Oriel College Graduate Scholarship in Science and Religion

This £10,000 scholarship will be awarded annually for up to three years to a postgraduate student whose research focuses on the intersection of theology and scientific thought. Students from all disciplines (including those outside of Theology) are eligible. Candidates from other colleges will be considered, provided that they migrate to Oriel when they accept the scholarship. New postgraduate students who have applied to Oriel are also eligible.

The successful candidate receives the following benefits:

• Financial award of £10,000 per year
• Guaranteed College accommodation for at least the first year of their course

The completed application and two references must be received no later than 15th April 2024. References may be enclosed with the application or sent separately. Further information and application form can be found here. 

The Boise Trust Fund invites Oxford University-based researchers and graduate students to apply for small research awards of up £3,000. 

The Boise Trust Fund was established by Charles Watson Boise to support research on the antiquity and evolutionary origin of modern Homo sapiens and other hominins, with particular emphasis on the continued exploration of appropriate sites in Africa, and on the early migration of Palaeolithic communities. All applications should be in this field of research.

Proposals may include support for: fieldwork, laboratory work and / or archival research. The awards are not intended to support conference attendance.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:

Friday, 26 January 2024

For further information including how to apply, please email: trustfunds@biology.ox.ac.uk with "Boise Trust Fund" written in the subject line.