Rhodes Scholarships provide for two years of post-baccalaureate study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of a third year for students continuing for a doctorate. There are few restrictions as to field of study, but the proposed course must be available at Oxford and applicants must be academically prepared to undertake the course.
Each Rhodes Scholarship provides direct payment to a scholar’s college of all tuition fees, plus a maintenance stipend paid directly to the scholar. The Rhodes Trust also assists scholars in their travel expenses to and from Oxford. It also provides access to specialized lectures at Rhodes House at Oxford.
Eligibility
Rhodes Scholarships are available for citizens of all countries, who maintain a 3.7 GPA or higher (no rounding). Please consult the Rhodes website for application guidelines for your specific country.
Applicants to the U.S. Rhodes competition or Canadian Rhodes competition should apply through this portal by clicking "Start Your Application".
For U.S. candidates, you must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents (conditional or temporary residents are not eligible), or DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status and able to provide proof of status. The applicant must be eligible to apply through one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or one of the U.S. territories: either in the state or territory where they were legally resident on April 15 in the year of application, or where they will have received at least two years of college training and a bachelor’s degree before October 1 in the year following election.
Additionally, regarding age, upon 1 October in the year in which you are applying, you must meet either of the below criteria:
- You must be at least 18 and have not reached your 24th birthday; OR
- For older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual, you must have not reached your 27th birthday AND you have met or will meet the requirements for completion of your first degree on or after 1 October of the prior calendar year.
REGARDING REAPPLICATION
Maximum number of times a candidate may apply: If unsuccessful in their first application to the Rhodes Scholarships, candidates may subsequently re-apply only once more (and this must be in the same country as their initial application), subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.
Selection Criteria
The Rhodes seeks students who demonstrate:
- 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; and
- moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one's fellow beings.
University Nomination
Columbia University must nominate candidates for consideration in the U.S., Canadian, and Global competitions each year. American, Canadian, and Global students may not apply independently for the Rhodes without first having been endorsed. Rising seniors, graduating seniors, and recent graduates of Columbia College, Columbia Engineering and the School of General Studies are eligible, provided they meet scholarship and eligibility criteria for their country.
To apply for nomination to the American or Canadian constituencies, click "Start Your Application" and complete all application materials before the internal deadline. Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to ugrad-urf@columbia.edu by the internal deadline.
Please note: Candidates who do not hold American or Canadian citizenship are eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship, but will apply through a different portal. Please consult the Rhodes Scholarship website or reach out to URF (ugrad-urf@columbia.edu) for further information and application guidelines for your country, as not all countries require nomination.