Rhodes Scholarship

Website: http://www.rhodesscholar.org

Campus deadline: September 6, 2007
Foundation deadline: October 1, 2007

**Candidates must be nominated by UW–Madison and may not apply directly. Students interested in applying should contact the Undergraduate Academic Awards Office for more information about the application process. Contact person: Julie Stubbs, 265-2428, awards@provost.wisc.edu

Purpose: The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and perhaps most distinguished of international fellowships. Initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, the scholarships bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. Mr. Rhodes intended the scholarships to “improve the world through the diffusion of leaders motivated to serve their contemporaries trained in the contemplative life of the mind, and broadened by their acquaintance with one another and by their exposure to cultures different from their own.”

Award: The Scholarship covers tuition and fees, airfare, living expenses, and related expenses such as books, for two years of graduate or undergraduate study leading to a degree at Oxford University. At the discretion of the Rhodes Trustees, a scholarship may be renewed for a third year. Up to 32 scholarships are awarded each year to American students.

Eligibility

  • U.S. citizen
  • At least 18 but not yet 24 years old on October 1st of the year of application
  • Attain bachelor’s degree before scholarship begins
  • GPA ≥ 3.8 recommended

Selection Criteria (as Cecil Rhodes set forth in his will)

  • Literary and scholastic attainments
  • Energy to use one’s talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports*
  • 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
  • Also needed: Strong detailed letters of recommendation; good essay with rationale for study in the U.K.

* Involvement in athletics is not required. Applicants may demonstrate the required “energy” in other ways.

Application Process: Applicants should plan to attend an informational meeting in September or April of their junior year, and begin work on the application the summer before the application deadline. (Application available at http://www.rhodesscholar.org. Please see application check list below.) In September, the campus committee reviews applications, interviews strong applicants and endorses top candidates. Applications of endorsed candidates are sent to the district level of competition in October. The district committees interview finalists and select scholars in mid-November.

Submit applications to: Rhodes and Marshall Selection Committee, c/o Undergraduate Academic Awards Office, 271 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.

Resources: Available for download.