Rhodes Scholarship

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Program Purpose: 

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest (first awarded in 1902) and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship programs, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to undertake full-time postgraduate study at the University of Oxford, and is often ranked first internationally in the Times Higher Education rankings.

One of the founding aims of the Scholarship was to identify young leaders from around the world who, through the pursuit of education together at Oxford, would forge bonds of mutual understanding and fellowship for the betterment of humankind. This remains one of the program's founding aims: to select outstanding young people, with the potential to lead, who will make an impact for good in the world in later life.

The scholarships provide transformative opportunities for outstanding students and exceptional individuals, encouraging them to "fight the world's fight" throughout their lives.

Program Description: 

A Rhodes Scholarship makes possible two or three years of study in any field 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.

The Scholar Programme at Oxford aims to build on Rhodes Scholar qualities of leadership and commitment to public service with the first and second-year retreats, workshops and conferences, in addition to social and discussion events, hosted at Rhodes House.

The Rhodes Service and Leadership programme is for Rhodes Scholars at Oxford. Its objective is to encourage Scholars to develop a lifelong commitment to lead and serve others, whatever their chosen field. In addition, it seeks to equip Scholars with the practical skills and tools to craft a life of risk-taking, impact and passion. The programme includes: (A) Welcome Week; (B) First Year Retreat: Service & Leadership; (C) Second Year Retreat: Building the Good Life: Purpose, Meaning and Balance; (D) Skills workshop sessions; (E) Speaker series; (F) Weekly discussions on global challenges; (G) Internships.

Scholars may study for any degree taught at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholarships are normally held for two years, the duration of most masters' degrees and second bachelors' degrees. Scholars may also study for two one-year "taught" master's degrees. For those pursuing a doctorate, the scholarship may be renewed for a third year. In the fourth and last year of a doctorate, university fees only may be available.

Each year, 32 U. S. citizens are among more than 80 Rhodes Scholars worldwide who take up degree courses at Oxford University.

The balance of Rhodes Scholarship are awarded to citizens of the countries listed below under "Rhodes Constituencies.”

International Students: Rhodes Scholarships are available to applicants from the countries listed below under "Rhodes Constituencies” in varying numbers. Candidates from these countries apply through the Rhodes offices in their homelands and generally do not require endorsement. Age restrictions and deadlines vary for these countries. Consult the Rhodes website for information about applying.

Applicants not otherwise eligible to apply through a Rhodes country may eligible to apply for a Rhodes Global Scholarship; the Global Scholarships are the most competitive of the Rhodes Scholarships as only two are offered.

Program Benefits: 

The value of a Rhodes Scholarship consists of a direct payment to the Scholar's college of all tuition fees (such as matriculation, tuition, and certain other set charges), plus a maintenance stipend (except for doctoral candidates who, in the fourth year, receive fees only) paid directly to the Scholar in installments during the term of the Scholarship. This sum should be sufficient to enable a Scholar to meet necessary expenses for term time and vacations, but those who can afford to supplement it to a modest extent from their own resources are advised to do so.

In addition to tuition fees, the Rhodes Scholarship provides an annual stipend, from which Scholars pay all living expenses, including accommodation.

Following selection for the Scholarship, the Rhodes Trust will cover the fee required to apply to study at the University of Oxford. The Trust will cover the fee for a Tier 4 study visa and the associated International Health Surcharge (IHS), which enables international students to access the UK's National Health Service.

The Rhodes Trust will cover two economy class flights - to and from the UK - for the beginning and end of studies in Oxford.

For those receiving fourth-year fees for doctorates, Oxford living expenses are often available through University teaching positions.

Married applicants may apply. It would be very difficult, however, for a married couple to live on the Rhodes Scholarship stipend alone. Supplemental private funds are virtually essential. Spouses may obtain permits to work legally in Britain.

Application Process: 

Applicants must apply for endorsement by their college or university. Please note that endorsement is not guaranteed.

Applicants apply as a representative of one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories – either in the state they have received at least 2 years of college training and a bachelor’s degree before October 1 of the application year, or in the state or territory in which they were legally a resident on April 15 of the application year.

In selecting a district in which to apply, students may apply from either their home state, or the state in which they are conducting their undergraduate or master's level studies. States are grouped into sixteen districts for the purpose of making these appointments. Each District Committee selects not more than two candidates who will represent the state or states within each District as Rhodes Scholars at Oxford.

US APPLICANTS: See the page, Information for US Applicants for the Rhodes Scholarship.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Rhodes Scholarships are available to applicants from the countries listed here under " Rhodes Constituencies" in varying numbers. Candidates from these countries apply through the Rhodes offices in their homelands and generally do not require endorsement. DEADLINES vary or these countries. AGE RESTRICTIONS also vary between constituencies and range from a minimum age limit of 18 to a maximum of 28 by 1 October of the year following selection. In most constituencies, the age limit is 24 or 25. Each applicant must fulfill the CITIZENSHIP AND RESIDENCY requirements of the Rhodes constituency for which they are applying. Before applying, please check carefully the specific deadlines, as well as age, citizenship and residency requirements for your constituency.

All applicants will be notified about whether or not they will be offered a finalist interview.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a welcome reception and a final interview. Applicants must be available to attend both in person. Interviews are held simultaneously at the 16 U.S. District Meeting city locations on the Friday and Saturday of the second weekend in November. No candidate will be selected without an interview.

Please Note: Applicants must pay their own expenses to the finalist interview, which takes place in the district in which they have applied.

Finalist Interviews: Selection committees who interview finalists are made up of Rhodes Scholars and community leaders from diverse backgrounds. The interview is of core importance as it is provides an opportunity to weigh a candidate's depth of engagement, accomplishments, and aspirations. In posing their questions, committee members initiate discussion that will help them ascertain who best represents the potential the Rhodes Trust is looking for. The interview is wide-ranging in nature, designed to test candidates' intellectual skills and reasoning ability, but also to reveal their character, core commitments, and potential to make a positive contribution to society.

The Rhodes Scholarship is not conferred until the applicant's admission to Oxford is confirmed.

Rhodes recommends that undergraduate applicants should begin preparing their essays and other aspects of their applications by Spring of the junior year.

The Rhodes Trust seeks to ensure that the applicant's personal statement is entirely their own, and requires the applicant to attest to this. As part of the application, the endorsing college or university attests that it has not offered editorial assistance in relation to the applicant's personal statement.

Applicant Profile: 

Rhodes Scholars are people who have a vision of how the world could be better and the energy to make a difference – whatever their sphere of interest. Rhodes alumni have distinguished themselves in every field. To review profiles of prior recipients of the Rhodes, see the link to "Scholar Stories" below under, “Additional Information.”

Proven intellectual and academic achievement of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but applicants will also be required to show integrity of character, interest in and respect for their fellow beings, the ability to lead, and the energy to use their talents to the full.

A minimum 3.7 GPA is required.

Eligibility: 

On 1 October in the year in which you are applying, you must meet either of the below criteria:

Applicant must have at least a bachelor's degree, and must be at that time at least 18 but not yet 24 years of age.

Note: A university's policy determines the date of completion of academic requirement for a degree and this may be different from when a degree is considered awarded by the university or the date of a graduation ceremony. In ambiguous cases, the decision of the National Secretary is final.

For older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual -- applicant must have at least a bachelor's degree and not have yet reached their 27th birthday. The applicant's undergraduate GPA must be at least 3.7.

Applicant to the Rhodes for U.S. students must be eligible to apply through one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or one of the US territories: either in the state or territory where the applicant was legally resident on April 15 in the year of application, or where the applicant will have received at least two years of college training and a bachelor’s degree before October 1 in the year of application.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Rhodes Scholarships are available to applicants from the countries listed below under " Rhodes Constituencies" in varying numbers. Candidates from these countries apply through the Rhodes offices in their homelands and generally do not require endorsement. DEADLINES vary or these countries. AGE RESTRICTIONS also vary between constituencies and range from a minimum age limit of 18 to a maximum of 28 by 1 October of the year following selection. In most constituencies, the age limit is 24 or 25. Each applicant must fulfill the CITIZENSHIP AND RESIDENCY requirements of the Rhodes constituency for which they are applying. Before applying, please check carefully the specific deadlines, as well as age, citizenship and residency requirements for your constituency.

Selection Criteria: 

Academic excellence: the University of Oxford is one of the most competitive graduate environments in the world and applicants must meet or exceed the entry requirements of their chosen course. Candidates will have a greater chance of successful admission if they have a First Class Honours or a GPA of 3.70/4.00 or higher, or equivalent.

Selection Committees select on the basis not only of intellect, but also of character, leadership and commitment to service.

The Rhodes Will contains four criteria by which prospective Rhodes Scholars are to be selected: (1) literary and scholastic attainments; (2) energy to use one's talents to the full; (3) truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship; (4) moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one's fellow beings.

Intellectual distinction is the most important criterion, but it cannot be measured by grades or college academic honors alone. Letter of reference and, for those who become finalists, candidate interviews are extremely important as well.

There is no minimum GPA to be considered for a Rhodes, although 3.7 is the usual minimum, and some Oxford departments establish GPA requirements for certain degrees (usually 3.8).

Another useful measure might be admission to U. S. graduate schools: if it is unlikely that an applicant would be admitted to one of the very most selective US graduate programs in their primary field, it is unlikely that they will win a Rhodes Scholarship.

Citizenship: 

US applicants must be a citizen of the US or a lawful permanent resident of the US. DACA students may be eligible, however. See the section titled “DACA Students” below.

Program Deadline: 

The national deadline, circa early October, does not directly apply to students, who must apply for nomination through the University by the campus deadline.

University Deadline: 

Completed applications must be emailed to the Fellowships Office by Noon on August 22 annually.

Rhodes Constituencies

A constituency is a country, a group of countries, and/or territories, and/or states for the purposes of administering scholarships. The list of Rhodes constituencies and the countries they cover (where relevant) can be found here and below. 

International Students: Rhodes Scholarships are available to applicants from the countries listed below in varying numbers. Candidates from these countries apply through the Rhodes offices in their homelands and generally do not require endorsement. Age restrictions and deadlines vary for these countries. Consult the Rhodes website for information about applying. International students should determine if they are eligible for Inter-jurisdictional consideration. Further details can be found here: Applying for Inter-Jurisdictional Consideration.

• AUSTRALIA (9 Scholarships)
• BERMUDA (1 Scholarship)
• CANADA (11 Scholarships)
• CHINA (4 Scholarships)
• EAST AFRICA (1 Scholarship)
  Covering Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Burundi
• GERMANY (2 Scholarships)
• GLOBAL (2 Scholarships)
• HONG KONG SAR (1 Scholarship)
• INDIA (5 Scholarships)
• ISRAEL (2 Scholarships)
• JAMAICA (1 Scholarship)
• KENYA (2 Scholarships)
• MALAYSIA (1 Scholarship)
• NEW ZEALAND (3 Scholarships)
• PAKISTAN (1 Scholarship)
• SAUDI ARABIA (2 Scholarships)
• SINGAPORE (1 Scholarship)
• SOUTHERN AFRICA (10 Scholarships)

Covering South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and eSwatini

• SYRIA, JORDAN, LEBANON AND PALESTINE SJLP (2 Scholarships)
• UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (2 Scholarships)
• UNITED STATES (32 Scholarships)

Covering the 50 states of the US, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See also “DACA APPLICANTS” section below.

• WEST AFRICA (2 Scholarships). Covering Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Principe and Togo.
• ZAMBIA (2 Scholarships)
• ZIMBABWE (2 Scholarships)

U.S. Rhodes Districts

U.S. applicants should consult the Rhodes Information for Candidates--USA Memorandum to determine the Rhodes district they will apply through.

My country isn’t listed as a constituency, can I still apply?

If your country is not included in the Rhodes list of constituencies, you may still be able to apply for the Global Rhodes Scholarship. See above.  Queries about the Global Scholarships can be sent to Ms. Muloongo Muchelemba, global.secretary@rhodestrust.com

What courses are covered by the Rhodes Scholarship?

• You can see the range of courses offered by Oxford University here and most are covered by the Rhodes Scholarship.
• However, there are some exceptions and so you should also refer to the Rhodes Conditions of Tenure documents to ensure that your chosen course would be covered by the Scholarship (e.g. it must be a full-time degree).

These links will also be helpful in choosing the right course for you at Oxford University

• Courses Covered by the Scholarship
• Choice of Oxford Course
• Conditions of Tenure

​English Language Proficiency

Applicants to Oxford who are not native speakers of English must provide evidence of language proficiency sufficient for their Oxford course of study. See: Oxford English Language Requirements.

DACA Students

If you have been granted deferred action under the government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) USA program AND your status is currently active, then you are eligible to apply if you meet all other criteria below. It should be noted that the Rhodes Trust makes no representations and does not offer any support regarding (a) the DACA applicant's ability to travel to the U.K., and (b) the DACA applicant's ability to return to the U.S. or to travel to another country upon conclusion of the scholarship; DACA applicants must assume this responsibility themselves. DACA applicants, like all others, must apply for the U.S. Scholarship or the new Global Scholarship, but not to both. Apart from DACA applicants, an applicant who is eligible to apply in an existing Rhodes jurisdiction should apply in that jurisdiction, and not to the Global Scholarship. Where there are risks of legal uncertainty, the applicant must make a determination.

Other U.K. Scholarships

• For information about other funding for US citizens, consult the British Council page on Scholarships and Financial Support.
• See also this list of UK Scholarships, Grants, and Fellowships for International Students.

Application Materials:

Rhodes Essays

IMPORTANT: The Rhodes Program requires that the applicant's work be entirely their own. Thus while the Fellowships Office may provide advising on the application process, no advising on content of the essays or editorial assistance will be provided. The University will provide practice interviews for applicants selected as Rhodes finalists.

Personal Statement

Rhodes asks  you to consider your candidacy for and the opportunity of the Scholarship within three interrelated spheres,  in your own voice: SELF, OTHERS, and WORLD. SELF:  Which Rhodes Scholar quality do you display most strongly, and how are different contexts and people helping you to develop the other qualities? OTHERS: What would you like to learn from and contribute to the Rhodes community in Oxford? WORLD: From your place in the world, how will you use your energies and talents to address humanity’s pressing challenges?

Guidance on the personal statement can be found on the Rhodes ‘Application Overview’ page.

Your personal statement should be wholly accurate, and written in your own words from your own perspective. Material misrepresentation will result in disqualification of an application or, where appropriate, the rescinding of a scholarship. It should be entirely your own work, with no assistance received, including from your faculty, family, advisors, or the Fellowships Office. Through the online application form you will be asked to confirm that the entered / uploaded personal statement is accurate, is your own work and that no external help was given in its creation or editing.

Academic Statement of Study

Entry to the University of Oxford is becoming ever more competitive and, should you be selected for a Rhodes Scholarship, you will have to submit your application to Oxford within a very short timeframe. Researching and writing this statement will help you prepare for that. Rhodes selectors will use the statement to assess whether you will thrive academically in one of the most competitive graduate environments in the world.

The academic statement of study should, in a factual and concise manner: (1) indicate your reasons for wishing to study at the University of Oxford; (2) what your chosen course(s) of study is or are, (3)  and how this fits in your academic trajectory.

You may explain how you hope to be stretched academically at the University of Oxford, and any academic support you imagine might be helpful.

You should demonstrate that you are able to, at a minimum meet or exceed the specific entry and other academic requirements of the course(s) you have chosen. Tell us how you are prepared for the course(s) academically and otherwise.

It is very important that you have a firm idea of which courses are viable for you to study at the University of Oxford (if you are listing a one-year course, please give an indication of your intentions for the second year).

If you wish to undertake a DPhil, provide a brief outline of your proposed research area, how it contributes to your future career plans, and list both the Department in which you propose to undertake your research and one or more researchers with whom you would like to work in Oxford.

It is a good idea to discuss your proposed course of study and your academic statement with your academic mentors and/or professors or lecturers in the subject area, and, if possible, with someone who has knowledge of UK universities.

Additional sources of information are available online at www.ox.ac.uk/admissions, as well as on individual faculty/departmental websites. If you are selected for the Scholarship, you will have the opportunity to revisit your course choice.

DPhil or MSc by research candidates: a number of Oxford departments recommend that applicants make contact with potential research supervisor(s) before submitting an application to Oxford. Advice on contacting potential supervisors in advance of your application is course-specific and you should

follow the guidance found on the individual prospectus pages, most often on the How to Apply tab.

Master’s candidates: please note that Oxford faculty members are not able to correspond with applicants, unless explicitly stated on the course page.

Recommendations

Five recommendations are required, but not more than eight are allowed. At least four recommendations must be persons from whom the applicant has received undergraduate or graduate instruction, and at least one letter (the fifth) must speak to the applicant's character. The character referee should write about the applicant’s character and involvement in extra-curricular, service or leadership activities.

Additional Resources:

To assess whether you are a good match for the Rhodes, review profiles of recent Rhodes Scholars.

To confirm your eligibility and all regulations relevant to your application, refer to The Rhodes Scholarship Brochure for U.S. Applicants. For a more condensed version of the brochure, refer to the Rhodes Scholarship Information for U.S. Applicants PDF.

Sign up for a webinar information session relevant to your profile: https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/events-to-learn-more/

If you have additional questions for the Rhodes Trust about your application, please email: scholarship.queries@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk.

How To Apply: 

This program requires institutional nomination. Students may not apply directly to the foundation or program. Instead, applicants must apply through the University by the campus deadline of August 22. Please note that University nomination is not guaranteed.

To learn more about the Rhodes Scholarship Program, contact Dr. Joy Viveros, Rhodes Representative, and Director of the Fellowships Office, for an appointment well in advance of the August 22 campus deadline.

PLEASE NOTE: Rhodes recommends that undergraduate applicants should begin preparing their essays and other aspects of their applications by Spring of the junior year.

Eligible graduate students should also give themselves many months to prepare their application materials for this highly competitive and prestigious program.