The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting exceptional all-round students at the University of Oxford.
Established in the will of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international graduate scholarship program in the world. A class of 82 Scholars is selected each year from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica and Commonwealth Caribbean, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Southern Africa (including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, and Swaziland), United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Intellectual excellence is required of Rhodes Scholars, but it is not enough to earn this outstanding educational opportunity. Rhodes’ vision in founding the Scholarship was to develop outstanding leaders who would be motivated to “esteem the performance of public duties as their highest aim.”
His will outlines four criteria to be used in the election of Scholars:
- literary and scholastic attainments
- energy to use one’s talents to the full
- truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship
- moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.
At Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Rhodes Scholars join just over 20,000 students from more than 140 countries currently studying at the University, and are enriched by the stimulating and rigorous education and the vibrant cultural and community life. Over 7,000 Rhodes Scholars have gone on to serve at the forefront of government, the professions, commerce, the arts, education, research and other domains. They are well known advocates for expanded social justice, and have advanced the frontiers of science and medicine.
The Rhodes Scholarships reflect one of the most visionary acts of educational philanthropy in history, making the Rhodes legacy one that is felt the world over.
Applying for the Rhodes Scholarships
82 Rhodes Scholars are selected annually from 14 countries or groupings of countries around the world. Selection in each Rhodes constituency is by committees comprised of Rhodes alumni and distinguished non-Scholar members of the community. Though the selection criteria are uniform across all countries, there are some eligibility requirements that vary.
General eligibility requirements and application information, along with the courses available for study on a Rhodes Scholarship, are available below. For information on specific eligibility requirements for each country, click here. Also available on the country pages are contact details for the National Secretaries, who can provide additional information for prospective applicants in each country.
Rhodes selection criteria
The selection criteria, as found in the Will of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, govern selection across all Rhodes constituencies. They are:
- literary and scholastic attainments
- energy to use one’s talents to the full
- truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship
- moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.
In general, committees will select applicants of outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service.
The Rhodes Trust warmly welcomes applications from talented young women and men of diverse backgrounds. Selection of Rhodes Scholars is made without regard to gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, colour, religion, social background, caste, or disability.
Eligibility criteria for the Rhodes Scholarship
The following eligibility criteria apply to all applicants for the Rhodes Scholarships:
- Citizenship & residency: Each applicant must fulfil the citizenship and residency requirements of the Rhodes constituency for which they are applying. Please check the detailed information carefully via the country links.
- Age: Age limits vary between constituencies and range from a minimum age limit of 18 to a maximum of 28 by 1 October of the year following election. In most constituencies, the age limit is 24 or 25. Please check carefully the specific age requirements for your constituency before applying.
- Education: All applicants must have achieved academic standing sufficiently advanced to assure completion of a bachelor’s degree by the October following election. Academic standing must be sufficiently high to ensure admission to the University of Oxford, which has very competitive entry requirements, and to give confidence that Rhodes Scholars will perform to a high academic standard in Oxford. Individual constituencies may specify a 1st or equivalent. Please check the detailed requirements via the country links. Some constituencies require an undergraduate degree to have been taken within the constituency of application.
What to submit
For detailed application requirements for each constituency, please visit the country pages via the country links. In broad terms, all constituencies will require the following materials in differing forms:
- Evidence of academic record / transcript (complete or in progress) of undergraduate degree and any postgraduate study
- Curriculum vitae/resumé or list of principal activities
- Personal statement or essay (including, crucially, a clear statement of what the applicant wishes to study at Oxford and why)
- Evidence of age / birth certificate / passport
- English Language proficiency (where English is not the first language)
- Photograph
- List of referees (usually several are required) who can attest to the character and intellect of the applicant, including academic, personal, extra-curricular and leadership achievements
Available courses of study and conditions of tenure at the University of Oxford
Rhodes Scholars may read for any full-time postgraduate degree (including the BA with senior status over two years) at the University of Oxford. The basic tenure of the Scholarship is two years, subject always, and at all times, to satisfactory academic performance and personal conduct. For the full listing of degrees offered by the University of Oxford, visit www.ox.ac.uk.
At the discretion of the Trustees, the Scholarship may be extended for a third year for those who take a recognized route to the DPhil. The Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and the Masters of Financial Economics (MFE) are only tenable in the second year of the Scholarship.
For the detailed conditions of tenure, including exceptions and qualifications to the above, please click here.
Practical steps to making an application for the Rhodes Scholarships
The online application form is available here and opens from mid-May each year. In the meanwhile, please check the detailed guidance for constituency-specific information.
The online application is not available for applicants to New Zealand and Pakistan. Please contact the Rhodes Secretary in those constituencies for a paper application form.
For further details go to:
http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/page/about
