In UK first, Oxford college launches scholarships for Jewish and Israeli students
St. Anne's College partners with education charity to offer funding for up to four undergraduates on understanding they give back to their communities
A University of Oxford college is launching a unique funding scheme to support Jewish or Israeli students, with the aim of fostering greater understanding between people of different faiths and cultures.
Starting this coming academic year, the £5k Tikvah (hope) Scholarships will be awarded to up to four participants by St Anne’s College in partnership with the Leg-Up Charity for Kids, an organisation which advances the education of young people in the UK.
This is the first time it has collaborated with an institution to support Jewish or Israeli students.
Open to Jewish undergraduates, or Israeli undergraduates of any or no faith, the funding is supported by donations from St Anne’s alumnae. Candidates must to demonstrate a clear plan to give back to Jewish or Israeli communities and priority will be given to those for whom the scholarship will make the most difference.
Recipients will also be asked to report back on the difference the Scholarship has made to them and Jewish or Israeli communities at the end of the year.
Principal Helen King said: “From our founding as the Society of Oxford Home-Students in 1879, St Anne’s has always sought to include and welcome students who had previously been unable to access an Oxford education.
“This heritage is expressed in our ambition to be a diverse and inclusive community, which is the destination of choice for the brightest and most ambitious students from all backgrounds.”
She added that their agreement with the Leg-Up Charity for Kids supports that ambition and “sends a clear message to applicants from these groups that, at St Anne’s, they will join a diverse, collaborative, and supportive community.”
Former Principal of St Anne’s College, Baroness Ruth Deech, said: “I welcome financial assistance for St Anne’s students especially when it extends eligibility to a new group, one that has suffered disruption to their studies and hardship in recent times”
St. Anne’s was the first institution that allowed women to study at Oxford, long before it gained college status
The application deadline for admissions for 2026 entry 15 October 2025. Further details will be published in the coming weeks.
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