Trudeau Foundation Scholarships, University of Oxford

Independent and non-partisan, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was established in 2001 by the family, friends, and colleagues of the former Prime Minister as a living memorial. In 2002, the Government of Canada endowed the Foundation with a donation of $125 million to honour the great humanitarian spirit of the former Prime Minister.

The Pierre Ellliott Trudeau Foundation offers scholarship funding to students from Canada who wish to undertake doctoral study (or are part-way through a doctoral course) at any Canadian or overseas institution. Up to fifteen Trudeau Scholarships are awarded in total each year.  Universities are not guaranteed awards, but in past years, at least one Oxford student has been funded through the Foundation.

Candidates must be applying into the first year of a DPhil, or must be registered in the first or second year of such a programme. Candidates must apply to subjects in the Social Sciences and Humanities. The programmes of the Foundation focus on four themes that shaped the life and career of the former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and give voice to a wide variety of perspectives in domestic and international contexts: human rights and dignity; responsible citizenship; Canada in the world; and people and their natural environment.

The scholarship is open to Canadian citizens or landed immigrants pursuing full-time doctoral studies in Canada or at foreign institutions. Candidates will be considered by the Foundation only if they have been nominated by a university. A candidate must be enrolled in or must have completed a degree programme at the nominating institution, or must be enrolled in or applying to a doctoral programme there. IMPORTANT: If you are not currently an Oxford student at Master’s or DPhil level, Oxford will not be able to nominate you, therefore, please apply for the scholarship through your current or previous institution.

Please ensure you meet the requirements for entry to your course, including English language requirements. See the Course Guide for more information. Deferred entry students are not eligible to apply for this scholarship.

The value of the scholarship is $40,000 (Canadian dollars) per year, plus up to $20,000 (CAD) annually to support research-related travel.  Trudeau scholars are each paired with a Trudeau mentor, who will be an outstanding professional pursuing policy analysis and implementation in their daily work.

Awards are made for the full duration of, or the remainder of, a student's fee liability for the agreed course.

Oxford holds an internal competition to select up to six nominees (the maximum number of nominations permitted) for the scholarship, prior to the external competition held by the Trudeau Foundation.  In order for your application to be considered by the panel at Oxford, please note the following instructions:

• Complete the Trudeau application form and send it by email or post to the Trudeau Scholarship Manager at Oxford (contact details below), together with all required supporting materials, including references and transcripts. Your application materials must reach us before the Oxford panel's deadline, which is 12pm (noon) on Monday 26 November 2012.
• Original copies of transcripts are required (photocopies are not acceptable).  References should also be original hard copies, which should be signed and presented on letterhead paper. 
• The application form and references must be submitted in English.
• You do not need to submit a nomination letter, as this will be added to your application if you are successful in being nominated by the Oxford panel.
• Failure to submit all the application materials as instructed above, and in more detail on the Trudeau application webpage, by the deadline, will mean that you cannot be considered for nomination by the Oxford panel.

Send your application materials either by email to the Trudeau Scholarship Manager or by post to: Trudeau Scholarship Manager, Graduate Admissions & Funding, University of Oxford, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

The following internal guidance may be of use when completing your application:

• Candidates need to explain how their research fulfils one or more of the Trudeau criteria (see above). Ticking the boxes on the form to indicate which criteria are being met is not sufficient. Candidates ought to be explicit about the connection between the criteria and their proposed research.
• Candidates need to read the eligibility provisions with care to ensure that their application will be eligible for consideration
• Referees should make some attempt to show how the candidate meets the Foundation’s criteria. References designed primarily to support applications for PhD programmes may not do this adequately.
• Research proposals should be clearly written, stating the goal of the research, methodology, and possible outcomes and how that will all meet the Trudeau objectives.

Applicants will be notified by email to confirm whether or not they have been nominated by the Oxford panel.  Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide feedback on applications.

Please note that in the event that you are selected to attend an interview in Canada, the University will not be able to cover travel expenses.

If you have any questions about this scholarship which are not answered above, please email us through the Ask a Question facility.

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