Rhodes Scholarships

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Campus Deadline Information for Applicants Application Materials
Sept. 9, 2015 1. Should I Apply (pdf) Rhodes Official Site
Campus Interviews: Sept. 16, 20, 21, 22 2. Guide for Stanford Applicants (pdf) Stanford Intent to Apply Form
National Deadline: Early Oct. 2015 3. The Process of Applying (pdf) Stanford Cover Sheet
  4. The Interviews (pdf) Notes for Recommenders
     
Rhodes Info Sessions April 2 from 4-5pm (See full listing for details)
Rhodes Application Workshops April 23, May 1, May 11, June 2, from 4-5pm and May 4 from 7-8pm
Bechtel International Center
Please RSVP
 
Conversation with Rhodes Scholar Panel - Event Wed. May 6 from 4-5pm,
Bechtel International Center
Please RSVP
 


Overview

The Rhodes Scholarships, established in 1903, bring outstanding students from around the world to pursue their studies at the University of Oxford. Each year, the Rhodes selection committees seek “excellence in qualities of the mind and in qualities of person which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead.”

The Award

Rhodes Scholarships are awarded for two years of study, with the possibility of renewal for a third. All educational costs are paid on the Scholar's behalf by the Rhodes Trust. Thirty-two Scholarships are offered to American students every year. The Rhodes Scholarships are intended for young women and men who are going to become leaders and “fight the world's fight.”

Who is an ideal candidate?
“In making appointments, the Committees of Selection will have regard to the qualities laid down by Cecil Rhodes... literary and scholastic attainments; truthfulness, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness, and fellowship; exhibition of moral force of character and of instincts to lead and to take an interest in one's contemporaries; physical vigor, as shown by fondness for and success in sports.”

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply if you meet the following criteria:

  • Citizen of the U.S.* or U.S. Permanent Residents who have had a permanent resident status continuously for five years prior to applying for the Rhodes scholarship.
  • Age: By October 1 of the year they apply, applicant must have passed the 18th and not passed the 24th birthday.
  • Completion of Bachelor's Degree before October of the year they apply.

*Special Note: In addition to the 32 awards offered each year to U.S. student citizens, additional scholarships are available for certain countries. They are for students with citizenship from the following countries: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica and the Commonwealth Caribbean, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Southern Africa (Including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, and Swaziland), Zambia and Zimbabwe.

New 2014 policy: Attendance at an overseas university will not bar application in one's home country for any Rhodes jurisdiction. Over the next two years, these countries that offer Rhodes scholarships will allow students outside of their home country to apply.

Stanford students have won these overseas Rhodes awards in the past, including winners from Bermuda, Jamaica, Canada, India and South Africa.

Personal Statement

The Rhodes Scholarship application asks candidates to provide a short Personal Statement (1,000 word limit) describing their academic and other interests. This statement should describe the specific area of proposed study and reasons for wishing to study at Oxford, and it must conclude with the following statement, followed by their personal signature:

“I attest that this essay is my own work and is wholly truthful.  Neither it nor any earlier draft has been edited by anyone other than me, nor has anyone else reviewed it to provide me with suggestions to improve it. I understand that any such editing or review would disqualify my application.”

No application will be considered if the applicant does not make such a certification. And, as now, this attestation will not count in the essay word limit.

 

Additional Resources:

Stanford Rhodes Info Sessions and Application Workshops

Video of Rhodes Scholars Speak about the essay and application

For Rhodes General Information

Brief Bios about new Rhodes Scholars

 

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