Oxford and Cambridge Society of India Scholarships

The non-profit organisation of Oxford and Cambridge Society of India is based in New Delhi, India. This scholarship offers equal opportunity to all applicants as it is not based on race, colour, religion, disability, age, or gender. If you wish to study in the top schools of UK, consider this scholarship.

About:

The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India Scholarships are part-cost awards for undergraduate, second undergraduate, graduate study and research in any subject available at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, UK.

The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India (OCSI) is a not-for-profit alumni organisation based in New Delhi, India. The scholarships offered by OCSI are Equal Opportunity, i.e. the decisions made in awarding these scholarships are not based on race, colour, religion, disability, age (except for maximum age criterion), sex or ancestry. Relatives of the Executive Committee of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of India are not eligible for consideration for these scholarships.

Eligibility:

• Must be a citizen of India
• Must be ordinarily resident in India
• Must be not more than 30 years of age on 1 September of the year of application for the award
• For a post-graduate course or a second undergraduate course, must be a graduate of an Indian university (applicants who are expected to graduate in the year of the award are also eligible to apply for the awards). For a first undergraduate course, must be a graduate from an Indian school/high school/junior college.
• Must have applied for and secured admission to study a full-time course at the University of Cambridge or the University of Oxford. Candidates are required to present proof of admission before grant of the scholarship, and proof of having taking up residence at Cambridge or Oxford before the scholarships funds would be released.
• Must intend to pursue a course of study that is one of the following:
  • Research leading to the PhD degree
  • One-year post-graduate courses (e.g. MPhil, LLM, Diploma, CASM or Part III Maths, MBA, PGCE etc.)
  • Taught and research based Masters programmes of various durations (including M. Sc., engineering, medicine)
  • Second Bachelors degree as an Affiliated Student/Senior Status
  • Bachelors degree programme
  • Must be admitted to the University of Cambridge or the University of Oxford through the University’s normal academic procedures. OCSI cannot admit students or assist in this process.

Criteria:

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of the candidate’s academic excellence, a good fit between the Scholar and the University, evidence of leadership potential and a commitment to improving the lives of others, particularly in India.

It is important that a convincing argument can be made for reading for a particular degree at Cambridge or Oxford. Those invited to interview for the OCSI scholarships will be expected to be academically first rate, having been ranked by departments in Cambridge or Oxford as the most academically outstanding applicants in a given year.

The OCSI scholarship programme is designed to catalyse support for worthwhile Indian candidates who otherwise would be unlikely to attend the two universities (Oxford/Cambridge). The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India seeks to encourage students through its scholarships, who have ideally not been exposed to the Oxbridge experience. As a result, those students who are already enrolled at Oxford/Cambridge, or those currently in study programmes abroad, would be at a disadvantage, other things being equal. While it is an eligibility requirement for the candidate to have graduated from a university/school in India, there is an added preference that the final years of schooling should also have been completed from India. Therefore, students who have already studied abroad would be at a significant disadvantage for the OCSI scholarship programme.

Candidates who have already received commitments for full outside support should not apply; those who receive such support after being selected are required to inform the Oxford and Cambridge Society of India, so that the scholarship award(s) may then be offered to the next-ranked candidate.

Candidates must also be aware of the responsibilities that being awarded a prestigious, part-cost scholarship at one of the world’s leading universities (Cambridge or Oxford) brings. There is an expectation that OCSI Scholars will use the education they gain at Cambridge or Oxford to become leaders in their field and give back to society in ways that they are best placed to do so. There is an expectation that OCSI Scholars will return to India in a reasonable time frame after completing their course of study at Cambridge or Oxford.

How to apply:

Application forms for OCSI scholarships will be available on the website of the Society by March every year.