Scholarship Fund Established at Oxford University Will Honor Margaret Thatcher

Oxford University has established a £100 million scholarship trust for students who have succeeded “against the odds” and have the potential to be future leaders. The scholarship fund will be named to honor former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Baroness Thatcher studied chemistry at Oxford, beginning in 1943.

The Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust was established with funds supplied by patrons including Tony Blair, Nancy Reagan, Michail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger, Alan Greenspan, Condoleezza Rice, and George H.W. Bush. Each year 10 Thatcher Scholars will be selected from applicants around the world. The selection will be merit based but students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be preferred.

The first Thatcher Scholars are expected to enroll at Oxford for the 2015-16 academic year.