Rhodes Scholarships
Fellowship Information
Description:
The award was started in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes to improve the world through the diffusion of leaders motivated to serve their contemporaries. The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting exceptional students from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. The Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international scholarship program in the world, which aims to nurture public-spirited leaders for the world’s future. They are based at Rhodes House, Oxford.
Apply for the campus nomination as a senior (or recent alum if you meet the age requirements of the U.S. application pool or of one of the other 19 application pools). Must complete your undergraduate degree before starting at Oxford. Selection criteria include notable accomplishments and manifest potential, leadership and high aspirations. Your application materials should include a strong rationale for study at the University of Oxford. Athletics are no longer a central focus but applicants should still evince fitness and rigor. Several (at least five and up to eight) strong, detailed references are important. Academic excellence is expected (recommended unweighted GPA of 3.9+). Scholars are chosen after a district interview.
Two or three years, with the possibility for a additional funding (especially for DPhil candidates).
32 awards annually in the United States; nearly 100 total. Scholarship covers all fees at Oxford plus living expenses and travel expenses to and from Oxford.
Applicant Information
Documents, Deadlines, and Submission Instructions
August 1, 2017 by 5PM ET (for U.S. applicants and applicants for other countries with final deadlines after September 2017)
Applicants: If you are considering applying for this award, you should email FAO staff and share your interest. You should also meet with FAO staff at least once early in the campus, or endorsement, application process. A strong endorsement application typically requires multiple drafts over a period of several weeks or months, and it should be treated as your final application. We therefore recommend that you meet with us as early as possible so that we can get to know you and give you feedback on your campus application.
In order to submit an endorsement application, you must submit your materials by the campus application deadline posted with our online submission form (click for the link). Please be sure to look at the online submission form before you are ready to submit to make sure everything is formatted correctly. Letters of recommendation are also due by that deadline, but should be submitted by the recommendation writer as noted below.
Download application instructions for the campus deadline here as a PDF file. Make special note of the Rhodes Scholarships’ attestation clause for personal statements and contact us as soon as possible with questions. We prefer that you contact us before you begin writing.
Letters of Recommendation: It is a good idea to share with your recommenders a draft of your application. Please be sure to read, and then share with each recommender, the guidance from FAO that provides instructions for what to include in the letter. This letter is posted below.
You should not have access to your letters of recommendation. Your recommenders will need to submit their letters of recommendation with a different online submission form (click for the link). If they need to submit with a different method or have any difficulty, they should contact FAO staff.
Download letter of recommendation guidance here as a PDF file.
Rhodes Scholarships NC State endorsement interview date (interview required for endorsement):
To be confirmed. Please hold the following date and time on your calendar: August 18, 2017, 8AM-5PM ET. If you will be out of town and cannot reschedule, contact us immediately and no later than the campus deadline.