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INDIA

A guide for graduate applicants from India

Oxford has a vibrant international community. We have over 300 graduate students,
over 50 undergraduate students and over 120 members of academic staff from India.

CONNECT WITH
GRADUATE STUDY AT
OXFORD

Oxford and India

Oxford University is a thriving and leading centre for the study of India. There are a
number of India-focused courses offered by the University, both at undergraduate and
graduate level. Find out more about how Oxford and Singapore are working together in

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
REQUIREMENTS

theInternational Oxford (//www.ox.ac.uk/about/international-oxford/oxfords-global-links/asia-south-and-

Please see the English

central/india) webpages.

language requirements (//ww

Essential requirements for graduate study

w.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/apply
ing-to-oxford/application-guide#cont

The normal minimum qualification to be eligible for graduate study at Oxford is the

ent-tab--3) section

completion of a Bachelors degree with a first or upper second class honours, usually

Application Guide for details

of our

between 3.5-3.8 GPA (US). If you hold non-UK qualifications and wish to check how your
qualifications match these requirements, you can contact theNational Recognition
Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) (http://ecctis.co.uk/naric/) . Students
applying for a doctoral course usually need to complete a masters degree first. The full
requirements for each course are listed on eachcourse page
(//www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses) .

Scholarships
Over 1000 fully-funded scholarships are available for new masters and doctoral
students from the University, our colleges and supporters, for entry in 2016-17.
For most university scholarship funding you will need to apply to Oxford by the relevant
January deadline. For over 70% of Oxford scholarships, nothing more than the standard
course application is usually required. If you fulfil the eligibility criteria, you will be
automatically considered. The majority of Oxford scholarships are awarded on the basis
of academic excellence. Use ouronline search tool (//www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/fees-andfunding/fees-funding-and-scholarship-search) to

get a comprehensive list of all of the University

scholarships for which you are eligible.

SEE ALSO
Oxfords links with India
(//www.ox.ac.uk/about/internationa
l-oxford/oxfords-global-links/asia-so
uth-and-central/india)

Language Centre (//www.ox.a

c.uk/students/academic/guidance/ski
lls/language)

Visa & immigration (//www.o

x.ac.uk/students/visa)

Many of Oxfords scholarships are available to graduate students from across the world,
including the Clarendon Fund and Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the
Humanities. There are also scholarships specifically of interest to students from India,
which include:
Chevening Scholarships (http://www.chevening.org/)
Rhodes Scholarships (http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/)

RELATED WEBSITE
Oxford India Society (http://w
ww.oxfordindiasociety.org.uk/)

Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme

(http://www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/weidenfeld)

Visas and Immigration

Students with an Indian passport will generally need to apply for aTier 4 visa. For the
latest information, please see thevisa and (//www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa) immigration

WHAT SHOULD I DO
NEXT?

(//www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa) web

Our individual course pages

pages.

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Settling in

provide details about each

At the beginning of the autumn term, the University holds an Orientation Day for

course, including:

students who are new to the UK, offering practical information sessions to help you
settle into life in Oxford.

Application deadlines
How to apply

Meet our Indian students

FIND A COURSE
Aswin Abraham, DPhil in Radiobiology (Wadham
College), previously studied at Yenepoya Medical College,
Mangalore and University College London

(//WWW.OX.AC.UK/A
DMISSIONS/GRADUA
TE/COURSES)

Why Oxford
Ive been working in
oncology since 2009 and
Ive had a lot of personal
reasons for as well as
experience of working with
cancer patients, which is
what made me want to
continue in the subject.
Since I wanted to do
research, Oxford seemed
like the right place and the
Department of Oncology
here is one of the best,
which is why I decided to
apply to the DPhil.
There are excellent facilities in the department and my
supervisor Dr. Eric ONeill has been an extraordinary help. He
has given me the opportunity to develop my own thinking and
experiments and hes also given a lot of input into our future
collaborations and is keen to take that forward.
College life
I would say go for Wadham, because Im at Wadham! It has a
very friendly atmosphere, and a relatively small graduate
community, but you can make friends if you want to. It can be
hard to meet people doing a full time research degree, but you
can meet people in the MCR (Middle Common Room), during
college dinners. I also have a great graduate tutor in college. I
wouldnt really say that any one college is better than any of the
others, though. Some have specific funds that you can use to
travel or go to conferences with, and others dont, but they make
up for it in other ways with different kinds of support.
After Oxford
I already have quite a few people Im planning to have
collaborations with and weve set down plans. Since I have a
clinical background and a research background, thats the thing
Im quite keen to take forward and back to India. Ive seen that
very few clinicians in India decide to go down the path I have,
and Ive had some people tell me that to take time out of clinical
medicine is career suicide. But I dont regret my time in Oxford
at all, I love science and being able to do research, and I hope to
keep up clinical and research work.
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Advice for applicants

Coming from a research programme, Id tell students to go
through the department pages, courses and supervisors, before
making a decision about which particular programme you will
choose. You should also consider the various scholarships
availabledo that in good time, the admissions cycle starts
much earlier than anywhere else, in the September of the
previous year. Also, dont be scared or intimidated about
applying by the name, Oxford. There were a lot of things going
against me when I wanted to apply, but if I can do it, then
anyone can. It doesnt matter if youve been to a big name
university or where youre from, its about what you can do and
the difference you can make.

Neha Khanna, MBA (Hertford College), previously studied

at the University of Delhi, India
First impressions
I was in awe of this surreal
town; my first view was that
of the Radcliffe Camera
while stopping by my
college, Hertford.Even now,
ten months later, I cant
help but stop and take a
picture every time I pass by
the Rad Cam in my attempt
to capture its beauty.One
wouldn't notice theyre in
Oxford given the diverse
international student body,
unless they look at the
architecture or enter a classroom here.
Academic life
The Sad Business School is fairly new in this 800 year old
University. The school has done a wonderful job to take
advantage of this fact. The Dean constantly strives to inculcate
the awareness of our school being embedded in a world-class
university. We are encouraged to integrate and mix more with
the wider University I find it commendable and believe that it
is a reason for people to pick this course in Oxford. During this
year, weve heard excellent speakers the founder of Blackstone,
the CEO of Burberry, the founder of Twitter. You have access to
all of this and youre simply spoiled for choice.
Life in the UK
My personal agenda before coming here was to explore the UK
beyond Oxford too. While it is easy to go to London for the
weekend to get away from the University and back to city life, we
also explored the beautiful coastlines including Brighton and
Cornwall. A weekend in the small villages in the Cotswolds was
also very relaxing. While in Oxford, we also enjoyed the classic
British tradition of afternoon tea to take time off from classes!
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Life after Oxford

I come from a family business in financial advisory and
investment banking and always intended to go back, thus, I knew
exactly what I wanted out of this course. In that way, Im quite
unusual in the department; most peers are searching for a
change in geography, function or industry. I, alongwith others,
was able to gain technical skills, general management skills, and
overall development and people skills. The key value though,
remains the soft skills and network that we gain while engaging
with such a diverse class and university.

Shriman Narayan Sai Raman, Indira-Gandhi Scholar,

MPhil in Geography and the Environment (Somerville
College) previously studied at Nalsar University of Law,
India, the University of Essex and St Stephens College at
Delhi University, India
Why Oxford
There was nowhere else in
the world that offered such
interdisciplinary approach
for my course. Secondly, it
is quite an experience to
meet people who are some
of the brightest in the world
trying to solve some of the
hardest problems. I didnt
know much about what
Oxford would be like
socially when I applied, but
now I am very happy to
have made the right
decision!
Academic life
Oxford is very friendly, approachable and intellectually
stimulating. I particularly enjoy being taught by world leaders in
my field, including the visiting faculty from the other leading
institutions around the world. The concept of a personal
advisor/tutor is also unique to studying in Oxford, which allows
you to explore different areas and push the periphery of your
own knowledge. The School of Geography and the Environment,
in particular, has been ranked the best in the world for the fourth
year running in the QS rankings. There are also staff members
who advise various governments and institutions, and directly
contribute to work of international agencies such as the United
Nations, World Bank etc.
Extracurricular activities
Oxford is also not just for academic study. Beyond talks and
conferences, it also offers the opportunity for personal
development with so many clubs and societies. I was appointed
as the International Officer for the Oxford Union, I am the
secretary for the Oxford India Society, I play football for my
college and I am a member of the International Water
Association. Its brilliantthese activities have made me so
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much more aware of the world, and I have been able to form
great friendships that has lasted the test of the English weather!
After Oxford
I hope to go back to India and work in helping people gain access
to safe water. One way of doing that is by engaging oneself in a
role of influencing certain policy decisions in the water sector.
My work here has made me more focused, giving me the tools to
play a leadership role and has provided me with the opportunity
to exhibit such skills. Ive gained confidence about taking up
serious roles.
College life
Collegiate system, in a number of ways, is really very useful,
where great friendships are formed, mutual interests are
explored and everybody is encouraged to participate and
contribute to a greater extent towards both Oxford and the
society at large. Whilst for the undergraduates, the classes are
held in the colleges, for postgraduates, classes take place in a
central academic department, so it doesnt really matter which
college you get. Its quite similar to what Im used to in Delhi,
because they have adopted the collegiate system from Oxbridge.
Oxford-Indira Gandhi Graduate Scholarship
The Oxford-Indira Gandhi scholarship encourages
interdisciplinary approaches to solving issues relating to
sustainable development, and through that process we get to
learn so much from different perspectives. It also encourages
collaborative research on different topicsat the moment Im
working on the socio-economic implications of domestic water
supply and wastewater produced on the local environmentand
it means several different fields are coming together. The
objective of the scholarship is to train future leaders, who
understand a given issue from more than one perspective,
because every decision you make as a leader has such a wide
impact.

Abhilasha Joshi, Felix Scholar, DPhil Neuroscience

(Brasenose College), previously studied at the Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali
Why Oxford?
During my undergraduate
degree, I specialised in
evolutionary biology, which
allowed me to ask
fundamental behavioural
questions, but at a
population level. Towards
the end of my degree, I
became interested in
cellular basis of behaviour
and aspired to understand
how the brain works the
way it does?.
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This led me to my current lab which has pioneered neuroscience

research in the past, my professor being a leading scientist in
cellular neurobiology and electrophysiology. Oxford could offer
me a rare specialisation which attracted me.
Expectations versus reality
To be honest, I ventured into the field of neuroscience out of
pure fascination and interest. I hadnt done specialised courses
in neuroscience, I hadnt formally studied it, and I was quite
unsure of what I would do. In this context, I think the past year
has been a great learning experience. The intellectual and social
environment of Oxford, superbly helpful labmates, members of
the MRC anatomical neuropharmacology unit and a very
encouraging supervisor gave me an opportunity to develop new
skills and ask critical questions. Personally, I found really nice
friends from all nationalities this is really unique to Oxford,
being such an international community.
The most surprising thing of course was the unexpected
unpredictable but certain rains!
College life
Its a very nice idea because the University in general is very big,
and in my department, I meet only scientists. Colleges are a
place to relax, have fun and meet people of from diverse
disciplines. Its a great support system as you can attach yourself
to a smaller unit, make friends, find accommodation and
prevents you from getting lost in a university so huge!
Extracurricular activities
Since I have been here, I have been bird-watching, which I did in
India as well. I also have continued with my classical dance
training and I am involved in conservation work.
Felix Scholarship
The Felix scholarship is given to an average of 6-8 students each
year for graduate studies in Oxford. Although most students are
from India, the criterion is that you need to be from certain
developing countries. As far as I can tell, theres no trend in
subject areas. We have a small community of Felix scholars and
often meet up.

Vrinda Bhandari, Rhodes Scholar, Bachelor of Civil Law

and Master of Public Policy (Magdalen College),
previously studied at National Law School of India
University, Bangalore
Why Oxford?
I decided to apply as I knew Oxford would provide me with the
intellectual depth required to pursue my research interests and
would be highly relevant to my aim of policy formulation in the
long run. The tutorial system would allow me to gain critical
insights into different models of constitutional governance and
enableme to contribute to the law and society scholarship in
India.
Having been selected as a
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Rhodes Scholar-elect 2012,

I knew the opportunity of
studying at Oxford would
allow me to realise my
ambitions, by building on
my existing foundations
and moulding me into a
researcher trained in the
highest traditions of
academic scholarship.
First impression
My first impression of
Oxford was that despite its
rich history and
unbelievably beautiful buildings, it was very alive. There was
certain vibrancy to the city and its people and it was captivating
and intimidating all at once.
Describe Oxford
I would describe it as an institution steeped in tradition and
history, while still remaining at the pinnacle of academic
excellence. The collegiate system enables you to have the most
interesting discussions and debates with political scientists,
computer engineers, quantum physicists, lawyers and
philosophers and contributes to self-learning.
Extracurricular life
I was heavily involved in the Oxford Womens Blues team and
captained the team in 2013-14. It was one of my most
memorable experiences during the two years and allowed me to
meet and form strong bonds with a wide range of undergraduate,
graduate and post-doctoral students.
Life after Oxford
I am a lawyer by training and have always been interested in
issues of access to justice and human rights. A dual master in law
and public policy (the BCL and the MPP) thus seems to be the
perfect fit for my interests in going back to India and working on
using law as a tool for social change. I plan to go back to India
and combine human rights teaching and practice. I want to work
in human rights litigation and policy my legal training during the
BCL and policy training at the Blavatnik School has equipped me
with the necessary skill set to combine research and advocacy
with an understanding of politics.

Nikita Kaushal, Rhodes Scholar, DPhil in Earth Sciences

(Exeter College), previously studied at Pune University,
Fergusson College, and Wadia College, Pune
First impressions
The University of Oxford does not disappoint! I was blown away
by the architecture, the large international group of graduate
students, the facilities available at my department, the libraries
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and reading resources, the

support offered by college
and the incredible chance to
learn a diverse variety of
sports.
That being said, there was
also an initial steep learning
curve with my research. And
I had to get used to
managing time very well in
order to take advantage of
the various activities that
take place around the
University.
Student life
The work is hard but extremely satisfying. You meet people from
all over the world and studying a variety of subjects. There are a
number of talks taking place in the University every day on every
imaginable subject. During my time here I have been a part of
the graduate executive committee, I help organize events for
groups such as Geology for Global Development, Oxford India
Society as well as some Rhodes groups. I attend a number of
conferences and forums that take place around the University
such as Good Governance, Global Food Security, Climate Change
and International Development, to name but a few.
Life after Oxford
My DPhil work is on the Indian monsoon system. I hope to go
back to India and continue work on the same subject in a
University or Research Laboratory. The Earth Sciences
Department here at Oxford is one of the leading groups on this
subject, I hope that the knowledge and experience I have gained,
especially of some laboratory techniques, will match well with
the expertise we have in India on the monsoon system.
Advice for applicants
To have a satisfying graduate life, it is extremely important that
you are happy with the core research subject that you will be
undertaking. You should be able to get adequate supervision and
access to facilities. Secondly, it is important to have the funding
well planned.

Shreya Atrey, Rhodes Scholar, Bachelor of Civil Law and

DPhil in Law (Magdalen College), previously studied at
Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad
Why Oxford?
Since the Rhodes scholarship applications are made far in
advance of the Oxford application deadline, I was motivated first
by the scholarship - its legacy and its ethos. At the same time,
the opportunity to pursue the Bachelor of Civil Law - reading
comparative law and experiencing the tutorial system - seemed
truly exciting.
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During the BCL, I was

fascinated by what I was
exposed to in comparative
human rights and equality
law and whilst the taught
courses whet my appetite, I
was keen to pursue my
interest in greater depth
through research.
I had a research proposal
which was large enough to
last a DPhil and a supervisor
who encouraged me to take
on DPhil straightaway. So it
was my interest in working on the research question
(intersectionality in discrimination law) with an excellent
supervisor that I chose a doctorate in law at Oxford.
Describe Oxford
The University of Oxford operates through its colleges and
faculties. As a graduate student one is attached to a college and
to a faculty. Both of them matter, in their own way. Whilst the
bulk of teaching and course work may be handled at the faculty
or department, college provides for the social life essentially.
The Law Faculty at Oxford is one of the most prestigious in the
world. The tutors whom we learn from are world class and their
scholarship and teaching is inspiringthey are the great
resource.
Extracurricular life
I am currently the Chair of Oxford Pro Bono Publico (OPBP)
which is an organisation based at the Oxford Faculty of Law.
OPBP specialises in comparative law research to judges,
litigators and lawyers around the world on a pro bono basis and
in public interest. Volunteering at OPBP has been immensely
rewarding. I also tutor undergraduate students for mooting.
A typical day
A typical term may give a more accurate and comprehensive
picturebecause thats the thing about Oxford, ordinary days
look so dissimilar to one another in a week and across the three
terms! Besides course work at the college or the department,
time spent at MCRs, halls, guest lectures and special events
occupies a large part of the eight-week term. The glorious array
of choice in all of these makes any day atypical. It is no mean
feat to choose between Worcester, Christ Church and Magdalen
summer plays, or coffee from Missing Bean and Zappis!
Advice to applicants
Course and the department matter whollytry to get as much
information about these so that you achieve a right mix between
what youre looking for in a graduate degree and what is on offer.

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Oxford India Society (OIS)

The OIS (http://www.oxfordindiasociety.org.uk/) was established in 2003 to celebrate the diverse
culture of India. OIS has since developed into a large and active student-run
organisation. OIS organise a number of events each year, including talks, cricket
matches, festival celebrations and other cultural events.
After Oxford
There are currently more than 275,000 alumni around the world and more than 200
regional alumni groups in around 90 countries.
There are almost 2,000 alumni based in the Indian subcontinent, over half of which are
concentrated in India. The country has four alumni groups serving various regions.
Oxfords distinguished Indian alumni include:
Dr Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India from 2004 - 2014
Indira Gandhi
India's first woman Prime Minister
Cornelia Sorabji
India's first woman lawyer
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi
Former captain of the Indian cricket team
Soha Ali Khan
Actress
Amitav Ghosh
Award-winning novelist
Montek Singh Ahluwalia
Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission
Deepak Nayyar
Member of the National Knowledge Commission
Sagarika Ghose
Journalist
Mukund Rajan
Managing Partner of the Tata Capital Private Equity Fund
Girish Karnad
Playwright and film director

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