Rhodes, << rohdz, >> Scholarship is an award that enables students from many countries to study at the University of Oxford in England. The scholarship pays the student’s tuition and fees directly to the university. It also provides an allowance to cover living expenses. Scholarships are awarded for two years, but may be extended for a third year.
The scholarships were established in the will of Cecil J. Rhodes, a British colonial statesman who died in 1902. Rhodes’s aim was to strengthen ties among the English-speaking peoples. He also wanted to provide potential leaders of many nations with an opportunity to study at Oxford. The scholarship program began full operation in 1904. At first, Rhodes scholars came to Oxford from the United States, Germany, and several nations of the British Empire. Since then, the program has expanded to include several additional nations.
About 100 Rhodes Scholarships are awarded yearly. The United States receives 32 scholarships each year. Canada receives 11. Rhodes Scholarships are also given to students in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the British Caribbean, which includes Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands.
The committees who select Rhodes scholars seek people with superior scholastic records. Candidates also must display qualities of character, leadership, and personal vigor.
Applicants from the United States must be U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old and not older than 24. They also must have completed enough college to ensure that they will receive a bachelor’s degree before they arrive in Oxford.
Candidates from the United States apply to state committees. The committee in each state nominates up to three candidates to the district competition. The nation is divided into eight districts for this competition. Each district committee selects four Rhodes scholars from the state nominees who appear before it.
See also Oxford, University of ; Rhodes, Cecil J. .
