Oxford University 2023/2024 Skoll Foundation Funded Scholarship

1. Entrepreneurial action

• You have identified opportunities and taken action in order to make positive social impact
• You have spent preferably at least 3 years driving change through entrepreneurial approaches. For example, you could have:
  • Started or grown a social venture
  • OR created and led the expansion of a social impact initiative within an organisation
  • OR been tackling a specific social/environmental issue, through a core thread that unites your work

2. Creating Impact with a focus on systems change

• You can demonstrate the outcomes and impact of your entrepreneurial action
• Your impact addresses unjust systems and practises in your area of work

3. Personal qualities of a social entrepreneur

• You are a force for positive change
• You are single-minded and persistent, with a willingness to fail and start again
• You have bias toward action
• You have a tendency to explore your environment for opportunities and resources
• You have a willingness to take personal, and sometimes financial, risks
• You develop networks and leverage members to pursue mutual goals
• You have apprenticed with the problem* or experienced the problem you are trying to solve

4. The Oxford MBA is critical to your career trajectory

• You can demonstrate why business education is essential in helping to develop your work/impact at this stage

5. Financial need

• You are in a position where the cost of the programme is a significant financial burden
• You can demonstrate the need for the Scholarship (for example, due to previous work experiences or personal circumstances)

*“Apprenticing with a Problem”, a term we borrowed from Jessamyn Shams-Lau at the Peery Foundation, refers to someone developing a deep understanding of a problem they did not live through themselves, e.g. by working in the field, working at a related organisation, conducting research, etc. A simple example of someone apprenticing with a problem is a teacher who has gone on to start an education-focused non-profit.

Diversity and Inclusion: We value and encourage diversity within the Skoll Scholarship Community.  In order to successfully tackle world-scale problems, we must bring together individuals from different cultures, religions, sectors, genders, backgrounds, and ideologies to create collaborative solutions. Belonging to a diverse community enriches our Scholars’ learning experience, teaches them to challenge ideas and be challenged in a respectful manner, and fosters a global perspective necessary in today’s world. Therefore, we encourage all candidates to apply for the Scholarship, especially women, members of historically underrepresented groups, and those from the global south.

Applying for the Skoll Scholarship

To apply for the Skoll Scholarship follow these steps:

1. Connect with us to register your interest in the Scholarship and make sure you’re kept up to date with announcements about upcoming deadlines.
2. Apply for the Oxford MBA programme directly to Saïd Business School. You need to do this during stages 1, 2 or 3 of the MBA admissions process.
3. As part of your MBA application, upload your answers to the Skoll Scholarship essay questions and submit your MBA application! You’ll find the Scholarship essay questions under the “Funding” section of the MBA application. We would advise that you allow yourself about 1-weeks’ time to answer the Skoll Scholarship essay questions.
4. The MBA Admissions Team will then assess your application and determine if you are accepted onto the MBA programme or not.
5. If you received confirmation that you have been accepted onto the MBA programme, your application will automatically go forward to the Skoll Scholarship Selection Committee.
6. Applications for the Scholarship are reviewed after each MBA admissions stage.
7. You will receive an update on the status of your Scholarship application and whether your application is going forward to final shortlisting shortly after MBA admission decisions have been made from each stage.
8. If you receive confirmation that your Scholarship application is going forward to final shortlisting, keep an eye out for an email from the Skoll Centre with a link to the Logistics and Reference Form. See timelines below to know when to expect this email.
9. Once you have received the email, complete the Logistics and Reference Form. This consists of a series of short questions to confirm your contact details (in case you are invited to interview), how you heard about the Scholarship and your referees contact details. Please note, your referees will not be contacted unless you get to the final stages of the selection process.