Academic Excellence: Scholarships and Exhibitions

Balliol undergraduates who have excelled academically may be nominated first to Exhibitions and afterwards, with continuing excellent performance, to Scholarships. Awards are held for one year at a time, but holders may be re-elected annually.

A list of current Scholars and Exhibitioners may be found on the Scholarship and Exhibition Holders page. They are also listed each year in the Annual Record.

Type of award
Academic or academic-related
Eligibility or selection criteria

Nomination to an Exhibition usually follows a Distinction in the First Public Examination. Nomination to a Scholarship requires continuing excellent performance, usually evidenced by results in College collections and/or public examinations.

Amount awarded

The standard amounts paid are £200 for a Scholarship and £150 for an Exhibition.

How and when to apply

There is no need to apply.  

Further information
  • Scholars are invited to a College meal and celebratory ceremony in recognition of their achievement.
  • Scholars and Exhibitioners may wear the Scholar’s gown rather than the commoner’s gown on occasions when gowns are to be worn.
  • Scholarships and Exhibitions are tenable only during residence in Oxford. However, those on a year abroad who qualify will continue to receive their awards.

If you have any queries about Scholarships or Exhibitions, please contact the Senior Tutor.

Funding source(s)

Undergraduate Scholarships and Exhibitions are supported by a number of trust funds established by benefactors to the College, the names of which may be reflected in the name of the award. For example, Brackenbury Scholarships are funded by a bequest of the philanthropist Hannah Brackenbury, who donated money to Balliol in the late 19th century to support scholarships in Law, History and natural sciences, and towards new buildings. Lubbock Scholarships are named for the father of Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury (Balliol 1945 and Honorary Fellow 2004-2016), who established the Maurice Lubbock Memorial Fund to support the subjects of Engineering and Management in Balliol.