About the Rhodes Scholarships

The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting outstanding all-round students at the University of Oxford.

The Scholarships provide transformative opportunities for exceptional individuals, encouraging them to "fight the world's fight" throughout their lives, and aiming to contribute to international understanding.

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 83 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's 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.

In short, Rhodes Scholarship selection committees will be seeking young women and men of outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service.  The Rhodes Scholarships support students who demonstrate strong propensity to emerge as “leaders for the world’s future”.

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. Today, Rhodes Scholars around the world also reflect their gratitude and commitment to the Scholarship by contributing, financially and in other ways, to securing and improving this life-changing opportunity for future generations.

A Rhodes Scholarship covers all University and College fees, a personal stipend and one economy class airfare to Oxford at the start of the scholarship, as well as an economy flight back to the student's home country at the conclusion of the scholarship.  For information on applying for the Rhodes Scholarships, please visit the Applying for the Rhodes Scholarships pages.

To read about the Rhodes Scholars-elect chosen for 2011, please click here.

To view video interviews with Rhodes alumni, please visit Rhodes alumni video interviews.

For speeches of welcome by the Warden of Rhodes House, Dr Donald Markwell, to recent Rhodes Scholar classes, click here for 2010, and here for 2009.