Information for Applicants

• Eligibility

  Applicants must be:

  • Seniors who will have completed their undergraduate degree before the beginning of the scholarship, or individuals who have recently obtained their bachelor's degree, with a minimum 3.70 GPA
  • No older than 23 years of age at the time of application (exceptions can be made for nontraditional students who began their undergraduate degree later in life)
  • If applying for a US Rhodes Scholarship, the applicant must be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident

   

  International students are not eligible to apply as a US Rhodes Scholar but may qualify to apply as a Rhodes Scholar through their home country. To see the list of countries with Rhodes Scholarships and locate information about each one, visit https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/apply/ and select a country/region. If your country or region is not listed, you can still apply to the Global Rhodes Scholarship. Keep in mind that the country/region you apply through will determine the selection process you go through and your interview location if selected. 

  For more information about eligibility requirements, visit www.rhodesscholar.org. 

• Additional Requirements

  An institutional endorsement is required to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship. The institutional endorsement is given after the candidate is evaluated by the Rhodes Scholarship Campus Interview Committee during the individual interview.  

  Seek advising early in the application process. Schedule an advising appointment with the Rhodes Scholarship University Representative, TBD to discuss intent to apply. 

  Interview requirements:
  Campus interview: Yes
  National interview: Yes

• Award Benefits
  • Coverage of all college and university fees for 2-3 years of graduate study
  • Stipend for living expenses
  • Stipend for airfare to and from England

   

  The award cannot be deferred, but it can be renewed.

• Candidate Profile
  • Proven intellectual and scholastic achievement of a high standard
  • Integrity of character
  • Potential to play an influential part in the betterment of society
  • Using your talents to their full potential by pursuing extra-curricular enrichment 
  • Personal qualities should include a dedication to truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy and protection for the weak, kindliness, altruism, and fellowship
  • Moral force of character and instincts to lead
  • Interest in your fellow humans and peers
• Application Procedure
  1. Familiarize yourself with the UK's educational system and Oxford University's programs of study, rules, and regulations.
  2. Find a faculty member willing to serve as your mentor throughout the application process.
  3. Notify the Rhodes Scholarship University Representative, TBD the semester before you plan to apply.
  4. Schedule an advising appointment with the Rodes Scholarship University Representative to discuss details of internal and external application processes and timelines.
  5. Research programs of study at Oxford supported by the scholarship and establish an appropriate program of study based on your academic and professional plans.
  6. Register at www.rhodesscholar.org and start completing the application.
  7. The Rhodes Scholarship requires 5-8 letters of recommendation, at least 4 of which should come from instructors who can speak to your intellectual and scholastic achievements. Instructors should be from your upper division courses in your discipline and should be familiar with your academic experience, your integrity of character, your interest and respect for your fellow human beings, your ability to lead, and your desire to use your talents to the full, as well as your post-Rhodes plans. At least one referee should speak specifically to your character, your extra-curricular activities, and your leadership activities. Be sure to communicate with your recommenders so that all references are submitted by the deadline. 
  8. Start developing your personal statement and your academic statement of study. Visit https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/office-of-the-american-secretary/application-overview/us-guidance-for-applicants/ to view the requirements for these statements. Your personal statement must be wholly truthful and written by you - any misrepresentation will result in disqualification.
  9. Submit a copy of your complete application in PDF form to TBD, including all letters of recommendation and academic transcript, by the campus deadline. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
  10. Prepare for the individual campus interview, which will take place 1-2 weeks after the campus deadline. At the end of the interview, the Rhodes Scholarship Campus Interview Committee will evaluate your overall merits as a candidate and the application materials submitted, and will make a decision of endorsement or non-endorsement. The committee's decision is definitive. If you are endorsed, then an institutional endorsement will be formally submitted by the Rhodes Scholarship University Representative to the Rhodes Trust as part of the application.
  11. The Rhodes Scholarship District Committee will conduct a preliminary elimination and invite selected candidates to a reception and personal interview in Seattle the weekend before Thanksgiving. If you are chosen to receive the award you will be notified shortly after the reception and interview. Note that travel and other costs to attend the interview in Seattle are NOT paid. 
  12. Plan to apply to Oxford University immediately if selected as a recipient of the award.

   

  About 3% of applicants receive an award.

• Advising

  Rhodes Scholarship University Representative:

  TBD

  In the meantime, contact Ray Ball at rball11@alaska.edu.

  Information sessions:
  To learn more about applying, visit www.rhodesscholar.org or www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk.