The Rhodes scholarship for international students from selected countries including Africans, to study at University of Oxford (See the list of eligible countries below).
Rhodes Scholarship Value:
The Scholarships are fully funded postgraduate awards to study at the University of Oxford.
Eligible African Countries:
The Rhodes Postgraduate Scholarship is available for applicants in the following countries
- East Africa: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi
- West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Principe and Togo.
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland), West African countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe. See Countries specific criteria
Other Countries: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Jamaica & the Commonwealth Caribbean, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, SJLP (including Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine), United Arab Emirates, United States.
To be Taken at: University of Oxford.
Accepted Subject Areas: Courses offered at University of Oxford
Type: Postgraduate (Masters and Doctorate)
The four criteria governing the selection of Rhodes Scholars are:
- literary and scholastic attainments (academic excellence)
- energy to use one’s talents to the full (as demonstrated by mastery in areas such as sports, music, debate, dance, theatre, and artistic pursuits, particularly where teamwork is involved)
- 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.
Who Can Apply? The following eligibility criteria apply to all applicants for the Rhodes Scholarships:
- Citizenship & residency: Applicants must be from one of the countries mentioned above.
- Age: You must have reached your 18th birthday and not have passed your 24th birthday on 1 October in the year of application. There is some variation on the upper age limit across constituencies depending on the local environment. Please check carefully the specific age requirements for your constituency before applying. Successful candidates will arrive in Oxford the October following the selection process. The Scholarship may not be deferred.
- Education: Rhodes Scholars must have completed a Bachelor’s degree before coming up to Oxford, to a sufficiently high standard to meet both the Rhodes and the Oxford criteria. Please consult the detailed information provided by the constituency to which you are applying on our How to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship page and the prospectus pages of the University of Oxford. NB: Some constituencies require completion of your undergraduate degree in the year of application for the Scholarship.
Number of scholarships: Up to 95
Rhodes Postgraduate Scholarship Duration: Rhodes Scholars may study for any full-time postgraduate degree (including the BA with senior status over two years) at the University of Oxford.
At the discretion of the Trustees, the Scholarship may be extended for a third year for those who take a recognized route 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.
The basic tenure of the Scholarship is two years, subject to satisfactory academic performance and personal conduct.
How to Apply: To apply, applicants are to visit the Rhodes Postgraduate Scholarship Application link. Applicants from Nigeria should select “West Africa” among the list of countries to proceed with application. For detailed application requirements for each constituency, please visit the country pages via the country links. In broad terms, all constituencies will require the following materials in differing forms:
- Evidence of academic record / transcript (complete or in progress) of undergraduate degree and any postgraduate study
- Curriculum vitae/resumé or list of principal activities
- Personal statement or essay (including, crucially, a clear statement of what the applicant wishes to study at Oxford and why)
- Evidence of age / birth certificate / passport
- English Language proficiency (where English is not the first language)
- Photograph
- List of referees (usually several are required) who can attest in confidential references to the character and intellect of the applicant, including academic, personal, extra-curricular and leadership achievements (and who should never include people to whom you are related)
Rhodes Postgraduate Scholarship Application Deadlines:
- East Africa: 31st August, 2018
- Southern Africa: 15th August, 2018
- West Africa (including Nigeria): 30th September 2018
- Zambia: 15th November, 2018
- Zimbabwe: 31st August, 2018
For more information on the Rhodes postgraduate Scholarship, visit the official Scholarship Webpage for details
The Rhodes Postgraduate Scholarship is sponsored by the Rhodes Foundation.
