FAQs

The scholarship covers:

• Tuition fees for the duration of the undergraduate or graduate course;

• A generous academic scholarship stipend to cover living costs in Oxford;
• The equivalent of paid internships for work on innovation projects;
• Travel and conference costs;
• Personal technology set up;
• Arrival in Oxford costs – including flights, visa charges and access to healthcare.

The scholarships are funded by the generosity of Larry Ellison, Chief Technology Officer of Oracle and Founder of the Ellison Institute of Technology.

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The University of Oxford is made up of colleges where students live, socialise and have tutorials. Candidates, if invited by the Education & Scholarships team to apply to the University of Oxford, can apply to any college which offers their chosen course. The Education & Scholarships team is on hand to assist applicants at this stage of the selection process.

In addition to completing a degree at the University of Oxford, undergraduate Ellison Scholars will have year-round involvement in an EIT project. There will be a particular focus on the project during the long summer vacations in the form of an internship.  
The Ellison Scholars programme also offers cutting-edge programming designed to upskill Scholars and to enable them to chart a bespoke self-development course.  

There will be various opportunities for Scholars to get involved in college and university life through the many and varied clubs and societies.

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EIT supports exceptional graduate talent through two fully funded full-time PhD (DPhil) routes. These are:

• The Graduate Scholarships route which is for candidates who would like to go directly into a PhD (DPhil) working on one of the published lists of EIT projects.  

• The Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) route. A CDT is a doctoral degree programme in which candidates can explore a broader field and hone specific skillsets before deciding on a PhD project. EIT currently funds the Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence CDT as progress in AI is central to the mission of EIT. More information can be found here.

The Scholarships cover:

• Tuition fees for the duration of the graduate course;
• A generous academic scholarship stipend to cover living costs in Oxford;
• Travel and conference costs;
• Personal technology set up;
• Arrival in Oxford costs – including flights, visa charges and access to healthcare.

The Scholarships are funded by the generosity of Larry Ellison, Chief Technology Officer of Oracle and Founder of the Ellison Institute of Technology.

For CDT Funding information, please visit the EIT CDT website.

The University of Oxford is made up of colleges where students live, socialise and have tutorials. Candidates, if invited by the Education & Scholarships team to apply to the University of Oxford, can apply to any college which offers their chosen course. The Education & Scholarships team is on hand to assist applicants at this stage of the selection process.

Applicants should direct all queries to scholars@eit.org in the first instance. We will review the message and, if needed, liaise with the relevant project teams to ensure applicants receive the most accurate and timely response. This helps us keep communication clear, avoid duplicate requests, and make sure the query reaches the right people.

In addition, we’ll be holding project Q&A sessions from mid-September, where applicants will hear directly from the project teams about their work and have the chance to put their own questions to the teams. The registration for Q&A sessions will open on 1 September 2025.

The EIT Graduate Scholarships only fund research degrees (DPhil/PhD) at the University of Oxford.

Yes, if applicant’s chosen Oxford course has an early deadline that falls before the EIT Graduate Scholarships decisions are released, we recommend applying by this date. This ensures the applicant remains eligible for additional University funding opportunities that may not be available after the early deadline. Applicant would not, however, be able to apply with conditional scholarships from EIT as that decision would be outstanding.

Prospective applicants for the undergraduate Ellison Scholars programme must confirm they meet both the eligibility and selection criteria before applying. They should start by using the eligibility checker on our website and, if eligible, proceed to the online application form. Applications must be submitted online by the specified deadline, as late submissions will not be considered.

The Education & Scholarships programmes currently fund study at the University of Oxford only

The Education & Scholarships programmes cover both undergraduate and graduate (doctoral) studies at the University of Oxford. There is a separate application and selection process for the undergraduate and graduate scholarships.

Interested candidates should read through the eligibility and selection criteria carefully before applying.

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Applications for graduate Ellison Scholars and EIT Research Students will open in early September. Prospective applicants must ensure they meet the eligibility and selection criteria before applying. Applications must be submitted online by the specified deadline, as late submissions will not be considered.

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Undergraduate Ellison Scholars applicants can apply to any full-time undergraduate courses at the University of Oxford. This includes three-year bachelor’s degrees (e.g. BA), four-year integrated master’s degrees (e.g. MChem or MMath), the four-year graduate entry medicine degree and the full six-year undergraduate medicine degree.

Applicants should note that they will need to provide a strong rationale for how their chosen course will enable them to meaningfully contribute to EIT’s Humane Endeavours.
For more information on courses offered by the University of Oxford, please check the University’s website.

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The Education & Scholarships programmes are looking for exceptional candidates from around the world each year, undergraduate and graduate. Please find more about the inaugural cohort here. The number of funded places is expected to grow each year.

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Given the selective nature of the Education & Scholarships programmes, we recommend applicants explore other options alongside their application to the programmes.

Applicants for the EIT Graduate Scholarships must apply to the full-time DPhil course linked to their chosen EIT project. Each project has a list of eligible University of Oxford courses. In practice, the DPhil course applied to is linked to the department affiliation of their main supervisor. We can clarify this further from the point of selection as a finalist. In their application, candidates should clearly show how their chosen course, research proposal and expertise align with their selected project.

For more information on the University of Oxford courses, please visit the University of Oxford’s website.

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Yes, we envision that many applicants will apply with predicted, rather than final or achieved, qualifications and grades. Please review the eligibility and selection criteria carefully before applying. Applicants are required to upload transcripts showing their grades to date.

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Yes — we envision that many applicants will apply with predicted, rather than final or achieved, qualifications and grades. Please review the eligibility and selection criteria carefully before applying.

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Undergraduate applicants who are shortlisted as semi-finalists for the Ellison Scholars programme will be invited to apply to the University of Oxford by the deadline of 15 October 2025. Please refer to the University’s website to learn more about their undergraduate admissions process.
Please note that admission to the University of Oxford is a separate and independent process. Applicants who are not selected as undergraduate semi-finalists are welcome to apply to the University of Oxford but will not be considered for the Ellison Scholars programme.

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Applications for the EIT Graduate Scholarships open on 1 September 2025. There are three deadlines: 1 October 2025, 1 December 2025, and 1 February 2026 with decisions made after each deadline. Applicants who best meet the eligibility and selection criteria receive a conditional offer of funding from EIT and are invited to apply to the University of Oxford through its usual and independent admissions process. Please refer to the University of Oxford's website to learn more about their graduate admissions process.

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The selection for undergraduate Ellison Scholars programme is a multi-stage process designed to recognise and support exceptional talent. Applicants will go through the following steps:

Step 1: Submit an online application to the Ellison Scholars programme between 1 May and 31 July 2025.

Step 2: Applications are reviewed to identify semi-finalists who best meet the programme’s eligibility and selection criteria.

Step 3: Semi-finalists are invited to apply for their chosen course at the University of Oxford. It is important to note that University of Oxford’s admissions process is a separate and independent process.

Step 4: Finalists, i.e. those with offers from the University of Oxford participate in the final selection process by the EIT Faculty.

We will be sharing updates after each stage of the selection process. The final stage of the undergraduate Ellison Scholars selection process will be in early February2026; scholarship awards will be made in March/April 2026. Those selected as Ellison Scholars will be supported through the process from selection through to arrival in Oxford and beyond – the team is here to help!

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The undergraduate Ellison Scholars Programme includes internships as a central part of the experience. Undergraduate Ellison Scholars will work with EIT teams on existing EIT programs that aim to solve big global problems through science and technology. Those internship projects will span one or more of the following Humane Endeavours, which provide focus areas for what EIT is trying to solve:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Clean Energy Generation & Storage
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
  

Applicants are advised to select the Humane Endeavour(s) that they are most interested in contributing to; the application form will ask applicants to describe the problem that they are passionate about solving within the chosen Humane Endeavour(s) and expand their relevant skills, experiences or interests.

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The Ellison Scholars programme is a multi-year commitment, allowing Scholars to get the most out of their time at EIT and allowing them to contribute more meaningfully to the innovation projects. Starting at the University of Oxford as an Ellison Scholar is the optimal route.

Applicants who have University of Oxford offers to start in October 2026 are eligible to apply. Applicants who have already started their course at the University of Oxford or will start their course in October 2025 are not eligible to apply. Given the selective nature of the scholarship programme, we would not recommend that anyone defers entry to the University in order to apply for this programme.

Yes, applicants who have University of Oxford offers to start in October 2026 are eligible to apply to the programme. Given the selective nature of the scholarship programme, we would not recommend that anyone defers entry to the University in order to apply for this programme.

Yes, EIT Graduate Scholars work full–time on an EIT project that also constitutes their doctoral research. They work with EIT academics on their chosen project, offering a unique opportunity to integrate research and innovation with real–world applications.

Please find the list of EIT PhD projects and the potential supervisors under each individual project here.  

EIT Graduate Scholars are supervised by an academic at EIT, who is responsible for overseeing the research aspects of their project. They also have an academic supervisor at the University of Oxford, who may, in some cases, be the same person. Depending on the project or course requirements, a co-supervisor at Oxford may also be assigned.

Please find the current list of supervisors here and the list of potential supervisors under each individual project here. The list of supervisors is continuously expanding, so be sure to check back.

This depends on the University of Oxford’s entry requirements for the individual doctoral course. Applicants must check the University’s graduate course list for the individual requirements for their courses. Applicants can also find more information about the international qualifications accepted by Oxford here.

The EIT Graduate Scholarships cover full–time doctoral (DPhil/PhD) courses at the University of Oxford. Applicants who want to pursue a part–time doctoral course are welcome to email the team at scholars@eit.org to provide a rationale and to discuss options with the team.

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Institutional nominations are optional; application will be considered in full without a nomination. However, if an applicant’s institution chooses to nominate them, they are welcome to include this in their application, as it can demonstrate additional support and recognition from their university.

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The application and selection process for the EIT CDT in Fundamentals of AI course is managed by the University of Oxford’s admissions team. For more information, please visit the EIT CDT website and refer to the University of Oxford’s website for details on the admissions process.

Please check the eligibility and selection criteria on the EIT CDT website. The Admissions for 2025/26 entry have now closed. Applications for 2026/27 entry will open in September 2026.

Entry to the EIT CDT course is highly competitive, with only 20 funded-places available each year for UK or international students. The EIT CDT Funding covers course fees and other living expenses. For more information, please visit the EIT CDT website

Students of the EIT CDT in Fundamentals of AI will be expected to conduct foundational research in AI and machine learning that has the potential to drive transformative change across EIT's four Humane Endeavours. There will be opportunities to work with project teams at EIT, which can be discussed with the CDT team at the University and with EIT.

Yes, applicants can apply to both the EIT CDT Funding and the EIT Graduate Scholarships.  

Please check the eligibility and selection criteria for the EIT CDT in Fundamentals of AI course on the EIT CDT website and refer to the University of Oxford’s website for details on the admissions process.‍

The application and selection process for the EIT CDT in Fundamentals of AI course is managed by the University of Oxford’s admissions team. This means candidates must apply directly via University of Oxford’s application platform. For more information, please visit the EIT CDT website page and refer to the University of Oxford’s website for details on the admissions process.

Our Outreach team is eager to connect with organisations that can help identify eligible students for the scholarship. We’d recommend registering to attend an information session and reading our webpages to learn more.

Please do also email us at scholars@eit.org and we will connect you to a member of the outreach team.

Absolutely! We have plenty of resources to help spread the word, including social media templates, posters, digital signage and an email/newsletter blurb.

You can download our resources here.

Missing something that would help you spread the word? Let us know!

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We would love your help in sharing these incredible opportunities! Please pass it along to your network and students and encourage strong candidates to sign up for our applicant newsletter to stay updated on the scholarships and future application cycles. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our organisational newsletter. There’s a dedicated version just for organisations, featuring tailored updates on the scholarships and EIT that we think you’d find useful and interesting. If you think you would have sufficient interest within your network, subject to availability, we may be able to offer bespoke information sessions. Email us at scholars@eit.org to enquire.