The Poler Family Oxford Scholarship is a postgraduate award administered by the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford for an MPP applicant ordinarily resident in Africa. The Poler Family Foundation funds the award.
The recipient undertakes Oxford’s full-time, one-year Master of Public Policy in Oxford, including taught work and a policy report placement. Selection focuses on service to others, learning, contribution to Africa through public service, leadership potential, ethics, efficiency, integrity and vision.
The 2026–27 MPP application cycle is closed. Oxford expects most graduate courses to reopen for 2027–28 entry on 16 September 2026, but the MPP page does not confirm that as this course’s exact reopening date.
Benefits & funding
- The scholarship covers the recipient’s course fees.
- It also provides a grant or contribution toward living costs for the full period of fee liability.
- The funded MPP is a full-time, one-year course based in Oxford.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be ordinarily resident in Africa; nationality itself is not stated as a restriction.
- Applicants must apply for the University of Oxford Master of Public Policy.
- MPP applicants normally need a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours, or an equivalent qualification, in any discipline.
- No age limit or minimum professional-experience requirement is stated; experience is viewed favourably but is not mandatory.
- The scholarship seeks an outstanding candidate with commitment to serving others, learning and contributing to Africa through public service, plus strong leadership potential and high ethical standards.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Residence required
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · DR Congo
+ 43 more
Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Western Sahara · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Education required
Bachelor
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Application process
- 1When the MPP application cycle is open, submit the Oxford graduate application by the deadline published on the MPP course page; there is no separate application for this scholarship.
- 2Prepare three referees, official transcripts, a CV, an 800-word statement of purpose, a reflective policy essay of up to 1,500 words and a public service essay of up to 400 words.
- 3Oxford assesses MPP admission first, then considers eligible applicants for the scholarship; scholarship selection for 2027–28 entry is expected in June 2027.
Program timeline
2 December 2025
Application deadline for the closed 2026–27 MPP intake.
16 September 2026
Oxford expects most graduate courses to reopen for 2027–28 entry; applicants should verify the MPP’s live status.
28 September 2026
Michaelmas term begins for the 2026–27 MPP cohort.
2 December 2026
Published final MPP application deadline for 2027–28 entry.
June 2027
Scholarship selection for 2027–28 entry is expected.
31 August 2027
The 2026–27 policy report placement window ends.