How to Win the Rhodes Scholarship: Ultimate Guide

The Rhodes Scholarship is a program that gives talented individuals from all over the planet the opportunity to complete a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford.

Rhodes Scholarships cover all educational fees, a personal stipend, and one economy class airfare to Oxford at the start of the program and another back to the student’s home at the end of the program.

The program is a 2-year scholarship, although those who wish to pursue a DPhil (PhD) may get another full year.

Here are the degree options for the 2-year tenure at the University of Oxford:

• BA with senior status (also referred to as 2nd BA)
• 2-year MSc by research
• 2-year taught Master’s course
• 1-year taught Master’s course followed by another 1-year Master’s course

How much Rhodes Scholars receive all in all can vary, but it is estimated to be around $70,000 per year.

Some of those who choose to pursue a DPhil afterward may receive up to $250,000 in total.

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest international scholarship program. It’s one of the most selective, too — the global acceptance rate for the program is 0.7%.

Last year, out of 840 applicants in the US who have been endorsed or nominated by their respective colleges and universities, 32 became Rhodes Scholars, which means that the acceptance rate for the program in the nation is almost 4%.

But keep in mind that it’s based solely on the given year — usually, the acceptance rate in the US is around 1%.

Who is the Right Type for the Program

Diversity is the strength of the Rhodes Scholarship.

Rhodes Scholars at the University of Oxford is a diverse group.

For instance, this year’s class consists of 104 Rhodes Scholars from more than 30 countries, studying over 70 different courses at the prestigious UK institution.

The Rhodes Scholarship may have been around for 100-plus years, but some things about it have not changed a bit.

For instance, the criteria used in determining the first batch of Rhodes Scholars back in 1902 are the very same criteria the program selection committee these days uses as a guide.

Here are the said selection criteria:

• Academic excellence (literary and scholastic achievements)

• Energy to use talent to the fullest, as demonstrated by mastery in various areas, from artistic pursuits, sports to debate, in particular the kinds that involve teamwork

• Truth, courage, unselfishness, fellowship, devotion to duty and sympathy for and protection of the weak

• Moral force of character and a predisposition to lead as well as take an interest in fellowmen

The above is the set of general criteria that allows for a diverse group of Rhodes Scholars.

Other than the ones mentioned above, however, there are also specific eligibility requirements that all of those who are interested in winning a Rhodes Scholarship must also meet to be selected.

Rhodes Scholarship Constituency

A Rhodes Scholarship constituency is a group of countries, territories, regions, and/or states to administer Rhodes Scholarships.

As of this writing, there are more than 20 constituencies, including the US, and each one can administer a different number of Rhodes Scholarships.

The US constituency covers all 50 states of the country as well as the District of Columbia and various US territories, from American Samoa, Puerto Rico to the US Virgin Islands.

A total of 32 scholarships are given away in the US annually.

Available Rhodes Scholarships in the US constituency are administered by 16 districts, each of them awarding 2 scholarships annually.

As far as constituencies go, all individuals who are eligible to vie for the Rhodes Scholarships apply to a particular constituency — a total of 4 different constituencies exist, each having a different eligibility requirement.

It’s possible for someone who is planning on applying for a Rhodes Scholarship to meet the eligibility requirements of more than a single constituency.

Let’s take a look at those four different categories.

Jurisdictional

You are a jurisdictional candidate if there’s a single Rhodes Scholarship constituency whose eligibility criteria you meet — every single one of them.

Needless to say, that’s the constituency to which you should apply.

Multi-Jurisdictional

Meeting the eligibility criteria of multiple Rhodes Scholarship constituencies makes you a candidate for multi-jurisdictional consideration.

Still, you should apply to a single constituency only.

To decide which constituency to opt for, pick the one with which you have the greatest connection.

Inter-Jurisdictional

Having a connection with multiple constituencies but being unable to meet all of the eligibility criteria of each means that you are an inter-jurisdictional candidate.

Such can happen if you move to a different region or state and are unable to reside in a single constituency long enough like more traditional Rhodes Scholarship candidates.

As such, you may apply to the constituency that you have the greatest connection with.

Global

Unable to meet the eligibility criteria of any existing Rhodes Scholarship constituency as well as unqualified to be an inter-jurisdictional candidate?

Then you can apply for the Global Rhodes Scholarship, although your eligibility must be confirmed by a member of the selection committee.

Each year, there are only 2 Rhodes Scholarships available for the Global category.

Rhodes Eligibility Requirements

The eligibility requirements for the Rhodes Scholarship can vary from one constituency to the next.

In the US, applicants must be US citizens.

They must be between 18 and 23 years of age by October 1 of the application year.

Applicants must also earn their bachelor’s degrees by October 1 of the year following the application.

Let’s take a closer look at the eligibility requirements to become a Rhodes Scholar candidate from the US:

Nationality

It goes without saying that you should be an American citizen if your constituency is the US.

You are also eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship if you have been admitted to the US as a lawful permanent resident as well as have maintained and are expected to maintain your legal status.

Age

You should be at least 18 years of age but not yet 24 years old by October 1 of the year of your Rhodes Scholarship application.

Individuals who are up to 28 years of age are eligible to apply as Rhodes Scholars, too, if they have completed their bachelor’s degree program later than usual, but within the last 2 years.

Education

Make sure that you will have earned your bachelor’s degree by October 1 of the year following your application by having an academic standing that’s sufficient enough to make it happen.

Also, see to it that your GPA meets or even exceeds the specific entry requirements of the course at the University of Oxford of your choosing.

Speaking of which, the Rhodes Scholarship itself says that your chances of getting into Oxford can be higher if you meet the following academic achievements:

• A GPA of at least 3.7 (out of 4.0) without rounding
• A first-class honors degree or an equivalent

Applying for the Rhodes Scholarship

Although the Rhodes Scholarship gives you the opportunity to attend the University of Oxford with the tuition and other costs taken care of, it’s not necessarily going to get you into the renowned British institution.

Here are the steps for completing the application:

1. Check your graduate study options at the University of Oxford
2. Meet with your college to talk about your Rhodes Scholarship endorsement
3. Reach out to the individuals who will write your letters of recommendation
4. Gather your resume and other required documents
5. Write your academic statement of study
6. Write your personal statement
7. Submit the completed Rhodes Scholarship application form
8. Wait for the interview schedule — and attend it

Institutional Endorsement

Rhodes Scholarship applicants must have institutional endorsement.

It means that students vying to become Rhodes Scholars are submitting their applications with the official approval of their colleges.

An institutional endorsement is provided by the school’s president or dean or designated officer.

A student who does not have the endorsement or nomination of the college he or she is attending is not eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship — an aspirant, therefore, must have the full support of his or her institution.

The requirements for getting an institutional endorsement can vary from college to college.

When deciding whether or not to endorse or nominate a student, the internal committee of a school assesses the relative merits of the applicant with respect to the criteria used by the Rhodes Scholarship’s selection committee.

The school may also choose to assist the student it wishes to endorse in preparing for the application process.

Applicants who are in their first year of graduate study should obtain an institutional endorsement from their undergraduate schools.

On the other hand, those who are already in their second or later year graduate study are advised to obtain the nomination of their graduate institutions.

Recommendation Letters

Students in the US who are applying for the Rhodes Scholarships are required to submit 5 to 8 recommendation letters — most applicants submit 8.

The Rhodes Scholarship has its own set of rules in terms of which recommenders you should pick.

At least 4 of the recommendation letters should come from academics who can talk about your scholarly achievements and can vouch for your ability to succeed at the University of Oxford.

The remaining recommendation/s should be some kind of character or leadership reference, and the recommenders may or may not be academics.

Some of those who may attest to your personal character include teachers, coaches, college staff, work supervisors and community leaders.

Ideally, each of your recommendations should talk about a different aspect of your application.

Academic Statement of Study

An academic statement of study is a way for a Rhodes Scholarship applicant to let the selection committee see that he or she is ready to succeed in the competitive graduate environment that is the University of Oxford.

Your academic statement of study should be no longer than 350 words.

It’s a must to submit it when applying for the Rhodes Scholarship because it gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your interest in attending the University of Oxford and that you are prepared to take on the challenges of being a student there.

Make sure that your academic statement of study indicates the course of study of your choosing and how it aligns with the academic trajectory you have mapped out.

It should also explain why you are qualified to attend Oxford as well as eligible for the specific course you like — demonstrate, too, how you are prepared for it academically and otherwise.

Thinking about undertaking a DPhil instead?

Then indicate in your academic statement of study an outline of your proposed research area as well as the department in which you want to conduct it as well as with whom.

Also explain how your research will contribute to your career goal.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is one of the most important components of a student’s application for the Rhodes Scholarship as it allows the individual to tell the program’s selection committee to know who he or she is.

A Rhodes Scholarship personal statement is not that longer than the Common App or Coalition App essay.

According to the Rhodes Scholarship, there is no single right personal statement model — every statement is individual, and, for more than 100 years, it’s been diverse and dynamic.

Your personal statement should be no longer than 750 words.

So, in other words, it’s just 100 words longer than your Common App or Coalition App essay.

The difference, however, is that you should pick a single prompt when composing your college application essay, while your personal essay for the Rhodes Scholarship should tackle 3 different prompts at once.

The following are the 3 prompts that you should incorporate into your personal statement:

1. Which Rhodes Scholar quality do you display most strongly and how are different contexts and people helping you to develop the other qualities?

• What would you like to learn from and contribute to the Rhodes community in Oxford?

• From your place in the world, how will you use your energy and talents to address humanity’s pressing challenges?

Interview

After preparing all the requirements and submitting them, too, it’s time to gear up for an interview, which all Rhodes Scholarship candidates in your constituency must attend as it’s a part of the selection process.

The Rhodes Scholarship interview is a 2-part process — the part where the interview panel of 6 to 9 people is often preceded by a cocktail, lunch or dinner.

Many of the questions will come from what you have written in your personal statement — read it!

According to the experience of someone who actually went through the Rhodes Scholarship interview process, the committee members each took turns asking her 1 to 2 questions during the 45-minute individual interview round.

She added that she was challenged about her knowledge, values, beliefs, leadership skills, etc.

Receptions and interviews are held annually on the second weekend of November, and Rhodes Scholarship candidates are informed about the event usually no later than 2 weeks prior to the interview process.

Rhodes Scholarship District

Students who wish to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship must apply in a particular district — there are 16 districts to choose from.

They can choose to apply in a district where they are attending or have attended college.

They can also choose to apply in a district in which they are a legal resident during the time of application.

Below are the 16 districts in the US and the states in each:

• District 1: Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont
• District 2: Connecticut, New Hampshire and New Jersey
• District 3: New York (South)
• District 4: New York (North) and Pennsylvania
• District 5: Delaware and Maryland (including Washington DC)
• District 6: Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina
• District 7: Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands
• District 8: Oklahoma and Texas
• District 9: Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia
• District 10: Illinois and Ohio
• District 11: Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and West Virginia
• District 12: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee
• District 13: Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming
• District 14: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington
• District 15: Arizona, California (North), Hawaii and Nevada
• District 16: American Samoa, California (South), Guam, Northern Mariana Island

When it comes to choosing as to which district you should apply to, there are 3 ways to go about it:

• Apply in a district of the state where you will have at least 2 years of college experience or a bachelor’s degree before October 1 in the year following your selection.

• Apply in a district in which you were legally resident on 15 April in the year of your application — the selection committee of the Rhodes Scholarship will ask for proof to verify your legal residence.

• Apply in the district of the state where you feel the closest connection to if you do not meet any of the above criteria — you may consider a state where you resided the longest or one where close relatives reside.

Here’s something that every Rhode Scholarship hopeful must keep in mind: applicants who apply to more than a single district simultaneously will be automatically disqualified.

Colleges That Produced the Most Rhodes Scholars

Most of the top producers of Rhodes Scholars in the US are prestigious institutions. It’s no surprise that Harvard University has the most number of Rhodes Scholarship winners, amounting to 369.

All Ivy League schools have a lot of Rhodes Scholars, with the University of Pennsylvania producing the fewest, amounting to 23.

To date, more than 300 colleges and universities in the US have produced their own Rhodes Scholars. Some have only 1 or 2, while others have close to 100.

Then there are also a few with more than a couple of hundred scholars.

Most institutions with the most number of Rhodes Scholarship winners are prestigious and competitive.

But then there are also those that are not as highly ranked, some of which even have more winners than some of the most selective schools in the land.

Again, the importance of the fact that you can attend any accredited college and still have a shot at becoming a Rhodes Scholar cannot be stated enough.

The following is a list of colleges and universities with the most number of Rhodes Scholars:

Harvard University	369
Yale University	252
Princeton University	215
Stanford University	102
US Military Academy	94
Dartmouth College	63
Brown University	57
University of Virginia	54
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	52
University of Chicago	51
Duke University	47
US Naval Academy	48
University of North Carolina	44
US Air Force Academy	41
University of Washington	37
Williams College	35
Reed College	32
University of Wisconsin	32
Cornell University	31
University of Oklahoma	30

Note: the numbers of Rhodes Scholars above are based on data from 1904 to 2020.

The more than 8,000 Rhodes Scholars from over 50 countries all over the planet have gone on to be of prominence in various sectors, ranging from government, education, research, journalism and others.

You will be more than happy to learn that Rhodes Scholars end up thriving in many different sectors.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most famous Rhodes Scholars the US has produced:

Rhodes Scholar	Undergraduate School	Award Year	Notability
Edwin Hubble	University of Chicago	1910	Astronomer
J. William Fulbright	University of Arkansas	1925	Initiated the Fulbright Program
Dean Rusk	Davidson College	1931	Former US Secretary of State
Kris Kristofferson	Pomona College	1958	Country singer/songwriter and actor
Bill Bradley	Princeton University	1965	Politician and former NBA player
Terrence Malik	Harvard University	1966	Filmmaker
Bill Clinton	Georgetown University	1968	42nd president of the US
Strobe Talbott	Yale University	1968	Diplomat and journalist
Heather Wilson	US Air Force Academy	1982	24th Secretary of the US Air Force
George Stephanopoulos	Columbia University	1984	TV host and former Democratic advisor
Naomi Wolf	Yale University	1985	Feminist author and journalist
Susan Rice	Stanford University	1986	Diplomat and public official
Bobby Jindal	Brown University	1992	55th governor of Louisiana
Cory Booker	Stanford University	1992	Former mayor of Newark, New Jersey
Randal Pinkett	Rutgers University	1994	Business consultant
Pete Buttigieg	Harvard University	2005	19th US Secretary of Transportation
Myron Rolle	Florida State University	2009	Neurosurgeon
Ronan Farrow	Bard College	2012	Journalist

Some Rhodes Program Misconceptions

Some people assume that all Rhodes Scholars come from Ivy League schools and equivalent institutions as well as at the top of their class.

Similarly, it’s not uncommon for others to believe that one has to have started his or her own NGO to become a Rhodes Scholar.

Some also assume that all Rhodes Scholars become politicians.

There’s no denying that the Rhodes Scholarship is a highly selective program where only the most deserving to attend the University of Oxford to work on a graduate degree win.

Many of the fallacies about the Rhodes Scholarship make the program seem exclusive, thus leaving some hopefuls feeling defeated even before they give it a shot.

Here are some of the false impressions of the Rhodes Scholarship, each one sorted out by the program itself:

You Have to be Sporty

Perhaps what perpetrated this myth is that one of the criteria used in the selection process is energy to use one’s talents to the full.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be an adrenaline junkie who participates in extreme sports and other activities — you can demonstrate this through an array of extracurriculars and leadership pursuits.

This is an Elitist Program

On the contrary, the Rhodes Scholarship encourages people from all backgrounds to apply.

The program believes that the learning among its scholars is much greater if there’s diversity.

According to the program itself, more than 50% of its scholars are people of color, and they contribute to Oxford in a variety of ways.

You Have to be at the Top of Your Class

When applying to the Rhodes Scholarship program, always remember one thing: you will be sent to one of the most competitive schools on the face of the planet: the University of Oxford.

Surely, having academic excellence is important to succeed as a Rhodes Scholar in the said prestigious UK institution, but being at the top of your class is not a requirement.

Scholars Wind Up as Political Leaders

It’s true that many Rhode Scholars became political leaders, including prime ministers such as Malcolm Turnbull and Norman Manley as well as presidents such as Wasim Sajjad and Bill Clinton.

However, numerous Rhodes Scholars also went on to become other things like doctors, scientists, researchers, educators, social workers, activists and entrepreneurs.

You Need to Have Done Years of Volunteer Work

Improved the lives of others — it’s one of the things that the selection committee of the Rhodes Scholarship looks for in candidates.

Refrain from assuming, however, that you must have engaged in community service for years or have your own NGO to be a Rhodes Scholar.

It will suffice for as long as you can demonstrate that you have touched lives.