The Department of Education is committed to attracting and retaining the very best candidates irrespective of background or ability to pay. Therefore, the Department seeks to award up to 2 scholarships to support qualified candidates to undertake the department’s MSc in Medical Education.

The Denis O’Leary scholarship is in memory of the late Dr Denis O’Leary, a highly respected Oxford educator and clinician. Dr O’Leary was a clinical psychologist, passionate about medical education – it was through his vision that the MSc in Medical Education has been developed.

What does the scholarship offer?

The maximum value of this award is up to £2,500 per annum for the agreed course as a contribution towards your course fees. The award is made for the full duration of the period of fee liability for the agreed course, subject to satisfactory academic progress being made.

What are the eligibility criteria?

1. In order to be considered for these scholarships, you must submit your application to the University for the MSc in Medical Education by 1 March. Only those whose applications for the course are successful will be invited to apply.

2. Have a home fee status and/or currently reside and work in the United Kingdom and plan to remain so for the duration of the course.

3. Preference will be given to those who meet one of the following criteria:

• Have claimed Universal Credit (or prior to 2018 Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseekers’ Allowance, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit or Income Support);
• Currently reside in or come originally from an area deemed to be one with financial, social, or economic deprivation (as defined by a government authority, for example, the English Indices of Deprivation or the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation);
• Have previously attended a secondary school with low numbers of students moving on to higher education;
• Have a household income that is at or below the Minimum Income Standard as determined by the Minimum Income Calculator (https://www.minimumincome.org.uk/);
• Previously participated in an outreach or access programme prior to beginning your undergraduate university course;
• Have lived in local authority care.

Meeting the eligibility criteria does not equate to entitlement to a scholarship.

Selection will be based on these criteria as well as academic merit, future potential and aptitude and motivation.

How do I apply?

Once application decisions have been made, those with an offer of a place on the MSc Medical Education will be invited to apply for the scholarship, which will involve the completion of a scholarship application form.

Decisions will be based on the scholarship application form as well as the application to the University.

Closing date

In order to be considered for these scholarships, you must submit your application to the University for your course by 1 March.

Those who submit applications to the University after this date will not be considered. The awarding panel’s decision will be final.

Terms and Conditions

1. Satisfying the University’s conditions

This scholarship offer is conditional upon the student entering into an agreement with the University by signing the University student contract, which will be provided once the student has met all Department and College conditions.

2. Transferring between courses

The scholarship is tenable only for students on the MSc in Medical Education. If the student transfers to another course, they may not be permitted to retain this award.

3. Deferral of entry

Deferral of the scholarship is not possible.

4. Additional offers of funding

The student must inform the Department of any other sources of funding, and the Department reserves the right to adjust the value of the scholarship to account for this circumstance.

5. Satisfactory academic progress

The student is expected to make satisfactory academic progress for the duration of their studies. If the student is not, in the Department of Education’s opinion, making satisfactory academic progress, the Department will coordinate a review to decide whether the scholarship should be continued. The scholarship may be withdrawn in these circumstances.

6. Suspension of study

You are only eligible for funding from this scholarship for academic terms where you are enrolled on your course of study. Unless an exemption is specifically agreed in writing with the Department of Education, your scholarship will not be paid for terms in which you have suspended your studies or withdrawn from your course of study. In exceptional circumstances, if you suspend retrospectively (i.e. after a term has finished) the Department of Education may agree to amend the payment schedule of your grant for living expenses, enabling you to retain funding already received in lieu of funding due later in your course of study.

7. Reporting and notification requirements

You may be asked to complete an annual scholarship report at the end of each academic year of your scholarship. The information in these reports will be shared (either in full or in summary form) with the donors/partners who are funding your scholarship. Reports to donors/partners may also include information on your academic progress from other University records. Any personal information you supply to the University in relation to the scholarship will be used in accordance with the University’s privacy notices available at https://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/councilsec/compliance/gdpr/privacynotices/.

From time to time (including after your studies), the Department of Education may also contact you to ask for information about your studies and scholarship at Oxford and your career post-Oxford, to include in student recruitment and fundraising material for scholarship support, thereby strengthening Oxford’s crucial work in raising additional funding for scholarships and recruiting the very best candidates. This information will only be used with your explicit consent.

8. Changes to circumstances

If your circumstances change, or are likely to change in the future, you are asked to inform academic.programmes@education.ox.ac.uk. The scholarship will be withdrawn if you cease to be a student member of the University.