OURS National Scholarships

Rhodes Scholarship

Next Campus Deadline: Summer 2024

UCB recipients!

The Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most competitive and prestigious awards, funds two to three years of post-bachelor study at Oxford University in Great Britain. The award covers educational and living expenses. Initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, the scholarships bring outstanding students from nineteen countries and five continents to Oxford University. Thirty-two American Rhodes Scholars are selected each year. Rhodes Scholars may pursue either a second bachelor’s degree or a higher degree.

Prospective applicants must make an individual advising appointment with Alicia Hayes, the Rhodes Scholarship campus representative.

Eligibility Requirements for U.S. Applicants

U.S. Applicants must:

  • be U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident (for five years prior to applying) of the United States on April 15 on the year of application. DACA applicants will be requested to provide appropriate documentation regarding their status (an approved I-797 letter confirming DACA status and a U.S. Employment Authorization Card displaying valid dates)
  • be graduating seniors, graduate students, or recent graduates/alumni
  • have minimum 3.7 GPA
  • earn a bachelor’s degree before entry to Oxford
  • upon entry to Oxford, be under 24 years of age or up to a maximum age of 28 years old if you have completed your undergraduate degree within the last two years. Previous applicants who are still eligible may only re-apply once.

Eligibility Requirements for Non-U.S. Applicants

Please refer to the following link to determine the application requirements and deadlines for your country: https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/applications/.

As of 2018, two new Global Scholarships are available to candidates from any country that is not an existing Rhodes jurisdiction identified above. Please go to the Global Rhodes information page for more details on the UC Berkeley application process.

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • academic excellence
  • energy to use talents to the full (as demonstrated by mastery in areas such as sports, music, debate, dance, theatre, and artistic pursuits, including 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 fellow human beings

Application Requirements

  • Online campus application form
  • Personal statement (750 words)
  • Academic statement of study (350 words)
  • List of principal college activities and honors
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities and colleges attended
  • Five to eight letters of recommendation (at least four from individuals with whom the applicant has done college-level academic work)

 

For more information about the Rhodes scholarship and Oxford University, please visit the
Rhodes Scholarship website and the University of Oxford website.