The Rhodes Scholarship

Canadian Rhodies gather with Scholars from Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the United States and Australia in Exeter College gardens before carrying on to the annual Rhodes Ball.

A Rhodes Scholarship includes tuition, college fees, and a stipend covering living expenses for two and possibly three years of study at the University of Oxford.

Successful candidates have come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds and pursue many different courses of study while on scholarship. The Rhodes might best be viewed as an investment in an individual of remarkable promise rather than support for a particular program of postgraduate study.

While the vast majority of Rhodes Scholars now follow a Master's or Doctoral course, they may also choose to complete a second BA. The British system's early focus on academic specialization and the individualized instruction provided through Oxford's tutorial system ensure a rigorous academic experience.

A number of Rhodes Scholars now pursue a two-year Master's degree by coursework and examination or by research and examination. Some choose to combine two one-year MSc programs during their tenure. Many choose to work toward the DPhil, a doctoral degree requiring at least three and often four years of study. Only Scholars working toward a doctoral degree are eligible to apply for a third year of funding from the Rhodes Trust. Please read the Memorandum for further details about possible paths of study that would be supported on the scholarship.

Applicants for the scholarship should study the Oxford academic system carefully before determining the degree and subject they intend to apply for. The graduate and undergraduate prospectuses refer to all courses offered and can be accessed online through the University of Oxford website. Faculty and departmental websites can also be accessed through this portal, and they contain greater detail about possible academic programs. Successful applicants must also decide which college to apply for before their portfolio enters the University of Oxford's admissions stream. In terms of preparing an application for a Rhodes Scholarship, the essential decision is to determine the academic program you intend to pursue at Oxford and why.

Election to a Rhodes Scholarship does not guarantee admission to any particular course at Oxford. After a candidate has been chosen for the scholarship in Canada, he or she is referred to as the ‘Rhodes Scholar-Elect' for that region. The application portfolio then enters the University of Oxford's admissions process, and administration of the scholarship shifts from the regional selection committees to Rhodes House in Oxford. The Warden of Rhodes House formally confirms the Scholarship only once a Scholar-Elect has been accepted by both an academic department and residential college of the University.