Scholarships, Grants & Prizes (Undergraduates)

Further information can be found on the choral awards and organ scholarships pages.

The Taylor Bursaries (of up to £5,000 per annum) were established by the gift of Mr Bernard Taylor, restorer of Rycote Park and Chapel, the original home of Lord Williams. They are available to support students of Lord Williams's Thame or any publicly funded state secondary schools in the historic area of South Oxfordshire to attend the Universities of either Oxford or Cambridge. The bursaries are designed to help women and girls* who study STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).

Application forms can be obtained from admissions@new.ox.ac.uk

Eligible schools: Lord Williams's, Thame; Didcot Sixth Form; Henley College; Wheatley Park School

*all those who identify as a woman, or whose identify includes woman

The Hampden Bursaries* (of up to £5,000 per annum) were established by the gift of an alumnus of Lord Williams's School, Thame. The donor's intent is to help students from Lord Williams's, Thame or other publicly funded secondary schools in the historic area of South Oxfordshire to attend New College, or other colleges at the University of Oxford.

Application forms can be obtained from admissions@new.ox.ac.uk

Eligible schools: Lord Williams's, Thame; Henley College; Wheatley Park School, Wheatley

Launched in 2021, the Robert Allen Perkins Scholarship is open to successful applicants to New College for entry in 2025 who meet the threshold to qualify for a University Crankstart Scholarship. For 2026 entry, this was a household income of £32,500 or less per year. The successful student will receive a non-repayable bursary of roughly £5,250 each academic year from New College. This will significantly lower the financial burden of attending University. The scholarship will next be available for the 2028-29 cycle, which applies to students beginning their studies  in 2029.

How to apply

Once candidates have received an offer letter from their College they must supply a statement of between 500 and 1,000 words explaining why the scholarship would be beneficial to their studies at Oxford, how it would help them to achieve their academic goals, and how their education would be of future benefit to their community and/or society. This should be emailed to admissions@new.ox.ac.uk

The selection process for the first year of the scholarship will be undertaken in the summer and applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by September.

Please note that the Robert Allen Perkins Scholarship will next be available for the 2028-29 cycle, which applies to students beginning their studies  in 2029.

Scholar reporting

Scholars would be required to submit an annual report to the College, outlining how the scholarship has benefited their studies during the academic year and sharing brief details about how their course is progressing. This information would be shared with the donor funding the scholarship each year to enable them to follow their journey at Oxford and gain an insight into the opportunities the scholarship brings.

Further information

Applicants will be required to have applied to the Student Finance agency in their home region (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) for an assessment of their household income and to have agreed for household income to be shared with the University of Oxford. If an applicant is successful in their scholarship application it is their responsibility to cancel their Student Finance loan support.

Priority will be given to successful applicants to New College and to applicants whose household income is assessed as £32,500 or less.

Scholars will be expected to write a report at the end of their first term as well as an annual report about their academic and social activities, and achievements at the University.

Receipt of the award in subsequent years is subject to satisfactory academic progress which will be monitored through termly tutorial reports.

Scholars will also be assessed to receive an Oxford Bursary or Crankstart Scholarship in addition to the New College Scholarship.

Any other external sources of funding may be taken into account in determining the value of the Scholarship.

The scholarship will be available for those applicants entering University in October 2029.

If you have any questions about the scholarship, or about admissions at New College generally, please email admissions@new.ox.ac.uk

The Boyer prize is awarded annually at the end of Trinity Term to the New College student with the best performance in second year (Part A) University examinations in Mathematics (including Joint Schools). The prize value is £130. There is no separate application for this prize; candidates are selected by the Warden & Tutors' Committee on the recommendation from subject tutors. 

The Colgate Literary Prize is awarded annually at the end of Trinity Term to undergraduate students in receipt of Oxford Opportunity Bursary who achieve excellence in literature in English, Classics or Modern Languages. The total value of the award is £500, and it is funded by a generous benefaction from an Old Member of the College. The award is sometimes split between two students. There is no separate application for this prize; candidates are selected by the Warden & Tutors' Committee on the recommendation from subject tutors. 

In 1971 following a bequest from an old member, William Henry Horner Demuth (1920), the College established an annual prize for an essay on a designated scientific topic. This year’s topic is ‘Identify the greatest scientific development in your lifetime and explain its significance’.

The competition is open to all current undergraduate and postgraduate members of the college. The essay should not be more than 3000 words, excluding references and footnotes. If illustrations prove necessary, only original line drawings should be submitted. The essay should be sent in hard copy and electronic form to the Tuition Office by the closing date.

The prize consists of £250 and the winning essay will be published in the New College Record (subject to editorial emendation). The prize will not be awarded if none of the submitted essays is deemed of sufficient quality. The prize will be awarded by the Governing Body on the recommendation of a suitably qualified assessor who will be looking for a striking and original approach to the topic which captures the imagination of the non-specialist while retaining scientific accuracy. The decision of the Governing Body will be final.

The College proposes to elect FIRST YEAR UNDERGRADUATES to Instrumental Awards should candidates of sufficient merit present themselves. The award is worth £300 p.a. renewable annually at the College’s discretion for a candidate’s undergraduate years. Holders of the award are expected to play a leading role in the College’s musical life. Those holding a New College Organ Scholarship or a New College Academical Clerkship are not eligible for this award.

Undergraduates wishing to enter the competition should inform the Academic Registrar of their intention no later than 1 October in any year; the auditions are usually held on Friday of 1st week.

Candidates will be expected to play a piece of instrumental solo music of between five and eight minutes’ duration. The provision of an accompanist will be the candidate’s responsibility. The minimum level of attainment should be the equivalent of Grade 8 (Associate Board). 

Please visit the Instrumental Awards page for further information.

The Karen Thornton Memorial Prize is awarded for the best performance in Honour Moderations examination in Mathematics and Joint Schools. The prize value is £100. There is no separate application for this prize; candidates are selected by the Warden & Tutors' Committee on the recommendation from subject tutors. 

The Nick Roth Travel Award (worth £500) is in memory of former undergraduate, Nick Roth, who died in an accident whilst travelling in South America. The Morris Long Vacation Travel Grant (worth £1000) is generously funded by an Old Member of the College. Both awards are advertised at the beginning of Trinity Term each year, and the submission date is Monday of Week 5 of that term. 

To apply, current undergraduates are invited to submit details of a travel project which should include: destination, what the purpose of the project is, and what the academic merits of the project are. Please also include the details of your course and year of study with the application. Applications will be considered for both awards unless applicants make it clear they are applying only for one. The holders of the awards will be expected to write a report of their experiences after the trip.

The China Travel Awards (worth up to £1000) support New College students who are planning to travel to mainland China during their vacations. To apply, current students are invited to submit details of a travel project which should include: destination, what the purpose of the project is, and what the academic merits of the project are. Please also include the details of your course and year of study with the application. The holders of the awards will be expected to write a report of their experiences after the trip.

A grant of £50 in each year of study is available for each undergraduate studying Fine Art. This award will be made automatically during Hilary Term. An additional award of £300 is made to Fine Art students in their final year of study.

Fast Track is a year-long, fee-paying programme of courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish offering a Certificate of Achievement on successful completion. The programme is designed for those who are looking for a small, stable class (average 12) of highly motivated and well-organised language learners, willing and able to put in substantial time and effor to making rapid progress in the target langues. New College has agreed to reimburse half of the Fast Track fees for undergraduate students on successful completetion of the course. If you wish to seek reimbursement, please email academic.office@new.ox.ac.uk.