Oxford University to support students and academics from Gaza and the West Bank

The Palestine Crisis Scholarship Scheme will provide access to higher education to students displaced by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank through the provision of full graduate scholarships to study at Oxford in 2025-26. It is the latest scholarship scheme to be introduced by the University to support students from displacement backgrounds from around the world and builds on Oxford’s long-standing commitment to refugee scholars.

In 2023, the University was awarded University of Sanctuary status for its sustained efforts to aid sanctuary seekers and commitment to providing an inclusive and welcoming community for displaced peoples.

These scholarships will enable talented students affected by conflict and crisis in Gaza and the West Bank to study in Oxford. As a University of Sanctuary, we have greatly expanded the range of scholarships available to refugees and displaced people from around the world. 

It’s important that, alongside this, the University is able to respond to the needs that arise from crisis situations that undermine people’s access to higher education within their own countries and regions. The scheme represents an important part of our wider efforts to contribute to the rebuilding of higher education in Gaza.

Professor Alex Betts, Local and Global Engagement Officer at the University of Oxford

Each scholarship will cover course fees and provide a grant for living costs, as well as additional support towards arrival costs. They are open to applicants to all one-year full-time or two-year part-time taught master's courses, across all subject areas.

The University has also renewed its longstanding commitment to CARA Fellowships for academics at risk and has increased its CARA subscription to support their operations, including further funding for fellowships this year. Oxford is also a member of CARA’s UK Universities and Research Network which aims to bring together UK higher education and research institutions 'in support of persecuted and at-risk academics, and in the defence of academic and university freedoms worldwide'. 

As part of the University’s wider efforts to provide access to education to those from the region, the Bodleian Libraries has made online services and resources available to students and scholars in, or displaced from, Palestinian universities.

The portal has been designed in Arabic and English and enables users to access various Bodleian services. These include SOLO (Search Oxford’s Libraries Online), allowing users to search the resources of most of the University’s Libraries, as well research papers and theses; the Library’s electronic document delivery service, Scan and Deliver; and Digital Bodleian, which provides access to over a million images of rare books, manuscripts and other treasures from the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford college libraries.

Richard Ovenden, Librarian of the Bodleian and Head of Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Oxford, said: 'As a world-leading library that is committed to supporting scholars worldwide, we are delighted to be able to extend access to our online services and collections to students and scholars in, or displaced, from Palestinian universities.

'With this initiative we wanted to provide support that utilised the libraries strengths and resources, to make a significant difference to those facing challenges in higher education. Over the last few weeks we have been running a trial release, testing demand for the portal and how it will best work in practice, to ensure it is as accessible as possible to those who need it. We are pleased to be rolling out the service to scholars and students in need.'

To support education more broadly, all journals published by Oxford University Press (OUP), as well as most books and online material, are available via Reseach4Life – a cross-publisher initiative to provide access to research content in lower income countries. Earlier this year free emergency access to Research4Life content was provided to those in Gaza and the West Bank to provide access to critical resources for institutions, researchers and healthcare professionals on the ground.

Find out more about how to apply on the Palestine Crisis Scholarship Scheme webpages.