Fees and Funding
Course Fees
The estimated total course fees for a student starting the course in 2013-14, and based on taking two consecutive years to complete the degree, are £19,055 for Home/EU students and £19,967 for overseas students (for information on the classification of students for fees purposes see the fee status section of the Fees and Funding website). This fee includes tuition plus accommodation and meals at New College for the nine weeks of residential sessions. Approximately £3250 of this fee covers your room and board at New College. Students who do not stay in the accommodation provided at New College receive a refund once fees have been paid.
In addition, a college fee will be payable. This fee will be approximately £2600 over two academic years.
Applicants (especially those from overseas) should note that, in addition to the course and college fees, you will need to budget for your own travel costs, insurance and reading materials (most required readings are provided electronically and free of charge but students will need to purchase any materials they want in hard copy, including any textbooks unavailable online).
Applicants who are offered a place on the course will be asked to pay a non-refundable deposit of £1000 to confirm acceptance of their place (please note that this fee is part of the overall programme fee and not an additional charge). Payment of the remaining course fees for 2013-14 will then be due in August 2013 and fees for 2014-15 will be due in August 2014.
Funding
All applicants should visit the Fees and Funding section of the Graduate Studies Prospectus which has links to Oxford's Fees and Funding website and Funding Search (when you use the funding search, use the following parameters - course level: graduate; course keywords: human rights; subject area: law; division: any).
The fees and funding team provide information and advice to prospective and current students and also manage a number of Oxford and national scholarships. They also provide advice on fee status, fee liability, hardship applications and US loan applications. Although the information on their web pages is aimed primarily at full-time students they are very happy to provide individual advice for applicants to part-time programmes too.
Please note: Departmental scholarships / studentships offered by the Law Faculty are unfortunately not open to students applying for the MSt in International Human Rights Law.
Home/EU and International Students
Clarendon Fund
The Clarendon Fund offers 100 full scholarships every year to graduate students at the University of Oxford. Graduate applicants of any nationality applying for 2013/14 entry will be eligible for this prestigious scholarship funding. Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence and potential across all degree-bearing subjects at graduate level. They cover tuition and college fees as well as a generous grant for living expenses. For futher information, visit the Clarendon Fund website.
Las Casas Service Learning and Social Justice scholarships
All applicants should investigate the 'Las Casas Service Learning and Social Justice' scholarships offered by Blackfriars Las Casas Institute which may not appear in the funding search. If you are eligible for these scholarships, and would like to apply, you will need to list Blackfriars as your choice of college on the application form.
International Human Rights Law Scholarship Fund
In addition to the University-wide scholarships, the Department for Continuing Education has a small scholarship fund which varies from year to year to support students applying for the MSt in International Human Rights Law. These funds are used by the Admissions Committee to assist one or more outstanding human rights advocates to attend the course based on the applicant's academic record and evidence of commitment to the furtherance of human rights. The awards are likely to be partial scholarships (i.e. they will not cover full fees). There is no special application for this award; all candidates accepted by the Department who meet the criteria for the award are considered. Decisions will be made after the final admissions round and successful applicants will be informed of the outcome by 3 May 2013. If you have not heard from us by this date, then your application for an award from this fund has been unsuccessful. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to contact unsuccessful applicants individually or provide feedback on applications.
International Students
Oxford Scholarships
Student Funding Services administers a number of national and Oxford scholarships for international students on behalf of the University. Only a small number of the schemes are open to part-time students but we recommend that you check your eligibility for the following scholarship if you are from the Middle East.:
Saïd Foundation Oxford Scholarships: The Said Foundation Oxford Scholarships offer two scholarships every year to graduate students from the Middle East. The scholarships are open to Jordanians, Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians resident in the Saïd Foundation's target countries (please refer to the above website). Applicants must be able to demonstrate their commitment to the future development of the region. The scholarships cover tuition and college fees, as well as a grant for living expenses.
You should also use the funding search tool to check your eligibility for any other scholarships. If you are eligible for any of the scholarships and wish to apply, you need to indicate this in the Scholarships section of the application form when you apply (more details about how to do this are included in Application Guide). Please note that you may only apply to these scholarships if you submit a complete application in time for assessment by Application Deadline 2 (18 January 2013) and you must indicate your interest in these scholarships at the time of application (i.e. it is not possible to apply for them after you have submitted your application for the course).
Commonwealth/Vice-Chancellor Oxford Scholarships for African Human Rights Advocates
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University are jointly funding five scholarships for candidates from developing African Commonwealth countries to study on the MSt in International Human Rights Law, starting September 2013.
The awards are intended for human rights advocates from developing African Commonwealth countries who would be unable, without assistance, to take up their place on the course. They provide course and college fees at the University of Oxford over two years, a stipend to cover living costs and return air travel from the scholar’s home country for each residential session.
In order to apply for this scheme applicants must submit their application to the University of Pretoria by 15 April 2013 where an initial assessment of applications will take place. Shortlisted applications will then be forwarded to the University of Oxford for further assessment.
For a short publicity advert about the scheme please click here and for detailed guidance notes on how to apply please click here.
We hope that these scholarships will continue in future years but they are always subject to available funding. We are unlikely to have confirmation before January 2014 for the couse starting in September 2014. If you would like to be kept informed about these scholarships for the course starting in September 2014, please email iphumrts@conted.ox.ac.uk inserting 'IHRL MST Commonwealth' in the subject line and we will add you to our mailing list.
Brunsfield Oxford ASEAN Human Rights Scholarship
The Brunsfield Foundation in Kuala Lumpur have generously agreed to fund one full scholarship for a candidate from an ASEAN country to study on the MSt in International Human Rights Law, starting September 2014. Full details, including eligibility criteria, will be made available here shortly. If you would like to be kept informed about this scholarship, please email iphumrts@conted.ox.ac.uk inserting ‘IHRL MST Brunsfield’ in the subject line and we will add you to the mailing list.
Student Loans
International students are also encouraged to contact the Ministry of Education or Education Department in their own country for information on national aid schemes. In some countries, students are able to apply for a student loan from the Department of Education.
Please note
If you are admitted to study on the degree course, the Department for Continuing Education and your college will ask you to supply evidence of your ability to cover the costs of the course. Student Funding Services can provide you with advice on obtaining financial aid but ultimately it is the responsibility of the student to find funding for the course fees and other expenses and to provide documentary evidence of this.