Graduate Scholarships
Being in the field has reignited my passion for science as a force for tangible change. I’ve found that being closer to patients and vulnerable populations brings into focus the real-world impact and responsibility of scientific research. It reaffirms why I want to be at the forefront of scientific knowledge, and what that truly means for people’s daily lives in the wider world. ...Having gone through the first year of my DPhil, I am clear that clinical science is exactly what I want to pursue, and that my DPhil will pave the way for an exciting career. I am incredibly thankful for the support from Merton which enables me to pursue work that feels both meaningful and right.
Miranda Bate (DPhil Molecular Cell Biology in Health and Disease, 2024)
A graduate degree is essential for academic careers and highly desirable for a wide range of other professions. The makeup of Merton’s student body has evolved to reflect this dynamic, and we now have approximately equal numbers of undergraduate and graduate students.
However, the biggest financial barrier to entering Oxford is at graduate level. Students now face significantly higher tuition fees and living costs, as well as increased competition for external sources of funding. We are concerned that many exceptionally talented graduates will not be able to take up their place at Merton due to lack of financial support or more substantial funding offers from other institutions, such as Ivy League universities in the US.
Increasing the number of graduate scholarships we can offer will be vital in addressing this problem and attracting the best and brightest graduates to Merton, from all backgrounds. Graduate students provide many benefits to the College, supporting our Fellows’ research programmes, mentoring our undergraduates, and bringing an even wider range of specialisms within our walls through their own original research. After Merton, many will go on to make a significant impact in academia and society at large.
Below, we hear from recent graduate scholars about their research and their life in the Merton community.
