Rhodes Scholarship

NEW APPLICATION PACKAGE SUBMISSION DEADLINE:   June 17, 2024! 

INFORMATION SESSION FOR CANADA: 

Find out more about applying through the Canadian constituency for htis prestigious opportunity for fully funded postgraduate study at Oxford University. Hear from recent Canadian Scholars about their application journey and Oxford experience.

 

The Rhodes Scholarships, widely considered the world’s most prestigious international scholarship program, support outstanding students from around the world in postgraduate study at the University of Oxford. Established in the will of Cecil Rhodes, the program aims to nurture public-spirited leaders for the world's future, and to promote international understanding and peace. Rhodes Scholars are selected on the basis of outstanding intellect and character, capacity and instincts for high leadership, demonstrated rigor and commitment to service and extracurricular activity, with a focus on effecting positive change in the world.

A class of 100 Scholars is selected each year from over 60 countries around the world. 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. Successful candidates in the upcoming competition will undertake their programs of choice at Oxford the following academic year. 

International and domestic candidates seeking the endorsement of Western University's President must submit a competitive application by the SGPS deadline and undergo a successful interview by members of Western’s Rhodes Scholarships Selection Committee. 

Spotlight on Western Rhodes Scholars

Value and Duration

The Scholarship is normally tenable for two years and consists of:

  • Direct payment to Oxford University and the Scholar’s College to cover costs such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other ancillary fees
  • Direct payment to the Scholar of a personal stipend and one economy class airfare to and from Oxford at the beginning and end of the Scholarship

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates for the Rhodes Scholarships, who are current undergraduate or graduate students, must seek endorsement from their undergraduate university. The Rhodes Trust now accepts applications from all citizens in all countries around the world. The majority of applicants will be eligible to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship through one constituency only, such as Canada. A small number will meet the eligibility criteria for more than one constituency and, as they can only apply to one Rhodes Scholarship in a year, they will need to choose. Candidates who do not meet the eligibility criteria for any constituency may be able to apply for inter-jurisdictional consideration or for one of the new Global Rhodes Scholarships. Read more detail here.

The following eligibility criteria apply to all applicants for the Rhodes Scholarships:

  • Citizenship and residency: Each applicant must fulfil the citizenship and residency requirements of the Rhodes constituency for which they are applying.  
  • Age: Age limits vary between constituencies and range from a minimum age limit of 18 to a maximum of 28 by October 1st of the year following selection. In most constituencies, the age limit is 24 or 25. Please check carefully the specific age requirements for your constituency before applying.  Successful candidates will arrive at Oxford the October following the selection process.  The Scholarship may not normally be deferred.
  • Education: All applicants must have achieved the completion of an honours bachelor's degree by the October following selection. As well, academic standing must be sufficiently high to ensure admission to the University of Oxford, which has very competitive entry requirements. In Canada, a GPA of minimum 3.70/4.0, or equivalent, is expected.

Rhodes-Eligible Postgraduate Degrees at Oxford

Rhodes Scholars may undertake any full-time postgraduate degree 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 continue 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 review them here.

Important Notes: Since the residential colleges and academic departments at Oxford determine their own admissions, there is no guarantee of a place and the offer of the Scholarship is not confirmed by the Rhodes Trustees until the Scholar-elect has been accepted by both the University and a College.

SGPS accepts application packages from Western candidates who are applying to any of the Rhodes Constituencies for the Scholarship. Please be aware that final deadlines vary among the constituencies.

Timeline at Western and Deadlines

  • April: Annual Information Session presented by the Chair of Western's Rhodes Selection Committee, Dr Carolyn Ford. 
  • Tuesday, April 9, 2024: Rhodes Scholarships Information Session: 1:00-2:00 pm EDT in the International and Graduate Affairs Building (IGAB) main floor Room 1N05. No registration required.
  • June 15: SGPS Deadline to receive Rhodes application packages. This is a hard deadline. If the deadline falls on a weekend, the application packages are due to next business day by 4pm EDT. 
    • Application packages match the requirements of the official online application.
  • June 15-30: Candidate interviews with members of the university committee.
  • July 1-15: Committee selects the candidates for endorsement.
    • Notifications are made to all candidates who submitted application packages to SGPS.
    • Selected candidates are invited to complete the online application.
  • August-September:
    • Selected applicants complete the official online application. 
    • Endorsement letters are prepared and signed by the University President.
  • September 26, 2024: Rhodes Online Application Submission Global Deadline
  • October/early November:
    • Regional Rhodes Committee Secretaries send interview invitations to successful candidates
    • Mock Interviews at Western to prepare invited candidate(s)
    • Regional Rhodes Candidates’ Receptions followed by Interviews and Selection
  • By early December: Announcement of Rhodes Scholars-Elect

How to Prepare Your Candidacy at Western

Application Package

The application package a candidate submits to SGPS must include in this order: 

  • Cover Page, with name and contact details
  • Personal Statement (750 words max. Times New Roman 12-point font)\
    • In the personal statement, the Rhodes Trust asks the candidate to address each of the following prompts by weaving them into their statement (the word allocation across the three is up to them), as quoted from the Rhodes Trust:
      • Tell us how you overcame a challenge in your life. Which Rhodes Scholar character qualities did you draw from? What did you learn from the experience?
      • What would you like to learn from and contribute to the Rhodes community in Oxford?
      • From your place in the world, how will you use your energy and talents to address humanity’s pressing challenges?
      • In your personal statement we are asking you to reflect on your experiences, influences, and intentions through the lens of the Rhodes Scholar qualities outlined in the three criteria:
        • “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 human beings”.
        • (Note that the fourth selection criterion of “Literary and scholastic attainments (academic excellence)” are evidenced in your transcript, academic statement of study and academic reference letters.)
    • Every statement is individual; there is no single, “right” model. For over 120 years personal statements have been diverse and ever-changing. Selectors are looking for an original portrait of the individual as a candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship.
    • See ‘Information for Candidates – Canada’ (PDF) for more detail.
  • Academic Statement (350 words max. Times New Roman 12-point font)
    • The academic statement of study should, in a factual and concise manner, as quoted from the Rhodes Trust.
      • Tell us your reasons for wishing to study at the University of Oxford, what your chosen course(s) of study is (are), and how this fits in your academic trajectory. Further, you may wish to explain how you hope to be stretched academically at the University of Oxford, and any academic support you imagine might be helpful.
      • 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.
    • See "Information for Candidates - Canada" for more detail. It is updated every June.
  • Up-to-date Official Transcript(s)
  • CV (2 pages max. Times New Roman 12-point font)
    • A full Curriculum Vitae (CV) which should include specific details about academic qualifications, prizes, scholarships, positions of leadership, employment positions, involvement in student, voluntary, community or political activities and any cultural, musical, or sporting accomplishments.
  • Reference Letters (6 in total)
    • Academic Referees: At least three (3) of the referees should be academics who have formally taught and graded the candidate in their undergraduate or postgraduate studies and who can comment in detail on their academic ability and how well they think the candidate would perform at Oxford.
    • Character Referees: At least two (2) of the referees mts be character referees who should write about the candidate’s character and involvement in extra-curricular service or leadership activities. They must be able to comment critically on whether the candidate fulfills the extra-curricular, non-academic requirements of the Scholarship and who can speak in detail to the candidate’s character.
    • See ‘Guidance for Referees’ page for more detail.

Please note:

  • A candidate should apply for the Rhodes Scholarship before applying to their proposed course at Oxford. Candidates selected for the Rhodes are then required to apply for their chosen course via the University’s application platform with support from the team at Rhodes House.
  • If unsuccessful in the first attempt, a candidate may re-apply but only once more, and it must be in the same constituency, subject to meeting all of the eligibility criteria.

 

Selection Criteria

Selection of successful candidates will be based on the criteria set out by the Rhodes Trust. 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.

If You Are Selected for an Interview in Your Constituency

  • You will receive a message from the regional committee secretary inviting you to the final phase of competition by way of an invitation to a reception and interview.
  • Notify SGPS as soon as possible if you receive an invitation.
  • SGPS will convene the university Mock Interview Panel to help you prepare.

Resources

All information last updated February 2024