Commonwealth Commission/Chevening Scholarships for African human rights advocates to undertake postgraduate study in international human rights law at the University of Oxford

Free scholarship i Nigeria:The University of Oxford is pleased to announce five scholarships for candidates from African
Commonwealth countries to study for the part-time Masters in International Human Rights Law, starting
September 2012.
The Course
The Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law is offered jointly by the Department for
Continuing Education and the Faculty of Law. It is taught over 22 months and consists of two periods of
distance learning and two residential sessions in Oxford. The degree programme is designed in
particular for lawyers and other human rights advocates who wish to pursue advanced studies in
international human rights law but may need to do so alongside work or family responsibilities.
The aim of the degree programme is to train and support future leaders in the field of international human
rights law. A central objective of the course is to ensure that participants not only know but can also use
human rights law. The curriculum places roughly equal emphasis on the substance of human rights law,
its implementation, and the development of human rights advocacy skills.
For further information about the course please visit our website at
http://humanrightslaw.conted.ox.ac.uk/MStIHRL/index.php

Free Nigeria Scholarships
The scholarships are jointly funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office’s Chevening Fund. They are intended for human rights advocates from African
Commonwealth countries who would be unable, without assistance, to take up their place on this course.
The scholarships provide course and college fees at the University of Oxford over two years, a stipend to
cover living costs and return air travel from the scholar’s home country for each residential session.
Free scholarship in Nigeria:Eligibility criteria
Applicants must:
(i) display intellectual ability and leadership potential;
(ii) have an adequate standard of English, as defined and required by the University for studies at
which the awards are given See: http://humanrightslaw.conted.ox.ac.uk/MStIHRL/admissions/index.php
(iii) be citizens of a developing African Commonwealth country (see list below) and resident/working in a
developing African Commonwealth country at the time of their application and during the tenure of
their award (this does not have to be their home country).
and will normally:
(i) already hold a law degree to a high standard. The degree must be at a level at least equivalent to a
Bachelor’s degree in Law awarded in the UK. Applications from those with extensive human-rights
related experience, but without a law degree, will also be considered.
(ii) have work experience in a related field/s;
(iii) not already have received or be currently receiving financial benefit from a previous British
Government funded scholarship or a previous Commonwealth Commission funded scholarship.
A preference will be given to applicants who have not previously studied outside of their home country.
Employees, employee's relatives (or former employees who have left employment less than 2 years
before) of FCO (including FCO Posts), the British Council or the Commonwealth Commission will not be
eligible to apply for these awards.
Application process
Admissions for the course and scholarships will open in September 2011 for the course starting in
September 2012. Detailed guidance notes about the application procedure and selection process will be
made available shortly in the Fees and Funding section of our website at
http://humanrightslaw.conted.ox.ac.uk/MStIHRL/fees/index.php If you would like to be notified when this
information is posted to our website, please send an email to iphumrts@conted.ox.ac.uk entering ‘African
scholarships’ in the subject line.

The List of African Commonwealth countries
• Botswana
• Cameroon
• The Gambia
• Ghana
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Swaziland
• Tanganyika
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe*
* Applications from candidates living and working in Zimbabwe cannot be accepted although
Zimbabwean citizens who are living/working in another Commonwealth Southern African country and
who have refugee status may apply.