The Skoll Scholarship – Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship offers Funded Scholarship Program for MBA in Social Entrepreneurship, at Said Business School, Oxford University UK 2021/2022.
Application Deadline: 4th January 2023 (at the latest)
Offered annually? Yes
Eligible Countries: International
To be taken at (country): Said Business School, University of Oxford, UK
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Subject Areas: MBA, Management Studies in Social Entrepreneurship
About Scholarship: The Skoll Scholarship is a competitive scholarship for incoming MBA students who pursue entrepreneurial solutions for urgent social and environmental challenges. The Scholarship provides funding and exclusive opportunities to meet with world-renowned entrepreneurs, thought-leaders and investors. Once selected, these students are known as Skoll Skollars.
The Skoll Scholarship provides tuition for entrepreneurs who have set up or have been working in entrepreneurial ventures with a social purpose, and who wish to improve their knowledge of market-oriented practices so they can be more effective in their subsequent social change pursuits.
The Scholarship is given in recognition that the MBA may represent a significant financial burden, particularly for those who have chosen to work in social ventures rather than the commercial or public sectors.
Selection Criteria
- All the candidates are required to take the GMAT test for entry to Oxford’s MBA programme.
- Candidates whose first language is not English or who have not studied at an English speaking University are required to take either the TOEFL or IELTS tests.
- Demonstrate evidence of need for financial support.
Who is qualified to apply?: To be considered, you need to meet the following criteria:
- By the time the candidates apply for the MBA, they must have spent preferably at least 3 years either:
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- starting and growing a social venture;
- OR leading a major expansion of an existing social venture or programme within an organisation;
- OR pursuing positive change as an impact career professional, i.e. someone who has used entrepreneurial approaches to address the same social/environmental issue, with a clear core thread that unites his/her work.
In each of these 3 cases, candidates should be able to describe the outcomes/impact that has been created as a result of their work.
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- Candidates will have used entrepreneurial approaches to identify opportunities, taken action to positively shift the status quo, and produced proven impact that contributes to rectifying unjust systems and practices in their chosen area of work.
- Candidates must demonstrate evidence of personal qualities strongly resonating with entrepreneurial leadership, and illustrate how these have influenced their career path thus far. These qualities include:
- Single-mindedness and persistence in pursuit of a social/environmental benefit goal, including a willingness to face failure and start again;
- A bias towards action rather than reflection on an issue and a willingness to apprentice with a problem* if they are tackling a challenge they didn’t personally live;
- A tendency to explore the environment for opportunities and resources;
- A willingness to take personal, and sometimes financial, risks;
- A propensity to develop networks and draw upon their members to pursue mutual goals.
- Candidates must demonstrate how a business education can contribute to the wider development of their work. They will need to illustrate why a business degree at this stage of their career trajectory can help them amplify their impact.
- Candidates must demonstrate some evidence of their need for the Scholarship. This may be exhibited, for example, in previous work experiences or personal backgrounds which make self-funding the MBA a significant financial burden.
Number of Scholarships: No more than five scholarships will be awarded in any year.
What are the benefits?
- The Skoll Scholarship covers the full costs of tuition and college fees for the MBA programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. The Scholarship also covers partial living expenses.
- In addition to financial support, the Scholarship provides access to the Skoll Scholar community, a group of leaders who are positively impacting the world through innovation and systems change, as well as exclusive opportunities to meet with world-renowned entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and investors.
Duration: Scholarship will last for the duration of the program
How to Apply: In order to apply for the Skoll Scholarship you first need to apply and be accepted onto the Saïd Business School’s MBA program. To be formally considered for a Skoll Scholarship, you need to state your interest in the “Scholarships” section of the MBA application form. Do this by checking the box next to “Skoll”.
When your MBA application is submitted, the MBA admissions team will first assess your application to ensure that you meet the academic requirements sought by the school. If you are accepted onto the programme, you will be sent an essay question that needs to be completed.
The Skoll Centre will then consider your candidacy for the scholarship. A final decision will be made after a phone interview.
Visit Scholarship Webpage for Details
Sponsors: Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
