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A new scholarship will open up the opportunity for more scholars from displaced backgrounds to undertake research at the Refugee Studies Centre.

Bicycle shop in Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan, from the film Shelter Without Shelter by Mark E Breeze and Tom Scott-Smith.

Exeter College has announced the establishment of a new scholarship aimed at displaced or refugee scholars undertaking research on issues related to forced migration. The Oxford–Exeter–Sandys Graduate Scholarship is offered following a generous gift from the Sandys Charitable Trust and match funding through the University of Oxford’s Graduate Endowment Matched Scholarship (GEMS) scheme. 

The scholarship forms part of the University’s Academic Futures programme. It will cover full tuition and college fees and includes a maintenance grant for the full duration of the student’s course. Preference will be given to applicants who wish to undertake the DPhil in International Development or the DPhil in Migration Studies at the Refugee Studies Centre, with a research focus which is ‘of use and relevance to refugees and displaced persons’. 

Professor Tom Scott-Smith, Director of the Refugee Studies Centre, writes:

“This scholarship represents an important commitment both to widening access to postgraduate research and to advancing rigorous scholarship on forced displacement. By combining full financial support with a clear academic focus, it will enable outstanding doctoral researchers from a wide range of backgrounds to undertake research that deepens our understanding of the issues surrounding refugees and forced migration. We are profoundly grateful to the Sandys Charitable Trust for making this possible.” 

More information about the Sandys Trust and the new scholarship can be found on the Exeter College website.


Applications for DPhil courses for the next academic year are now closed. Information about applying for the Oxford–Exeter–Sandys Graduate Scholarship for entry in October 2027 will be available in due course.