Rhodes Scholarship - US

The Rhodes Scholarship Trust was established through an endowment bequeathed by Cecil J. Rhodes in 1903 in order to bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars are normally appointed for two years of degree study at the University of Oxford, depending on the course of study proposed (Scholars may choose to pursue a shorter, one-year degree or two, or alternatively to pursue a doctorate). All educational costs, including tuition, relevant fees, and travel are covered by the Rhodes Trust. Thirty-two Rhodes Scholarships are awarded annually to US citizens.*

Permanent residents of the US and DACA students are eligible to apply for the US Rhodes: see their website for details; Yale applicants may refer any questions to the Fellowships office.

Application Information: All US applicants must apply for endorsement, in most cases from their undergraduate institution; for graduate and professional students in their second or later year of study endorsement by the graduate institution is preferred. Yale endorsement is given by the Yale committee for the Rhodes Scholarship and coordinated by Fellowship Programs at CIPE.

For those who have started applications and requested three letters of recommendation (personally and via the "Marshall, Mitchell & Rhodes - Common Application for Endorsement" in the Yale Student Grants Database) by the preliminary deadline, which is 1pm on July 31, this year's campus application deadline is 1pm on August 14.

For details of how to apply for Yale's endorsement, see the Yale application timeline and forms, as well as the Yale Student Grants Database entry for the Common Application for endorsement for Marshall, Mitchell, & Rhodes (application for endorsement is not made through this "Rhodes" entry in Database, but may only be made through the "Common Application"). Applicants must also look carefully at the official Rhodes website and information. Following the campus application process, endorsed candidates apply via the official online application system to Rhodes District Committees (please read the official Rhodes memorandum and FAQs carefully when considering choice of district). Each of the district committees will invite selected finalists for personal interviews in November and each district will name two Rhodes Scholars immediately after the district interviews.Interested applicants, after doing some research of their own, are urged particularly to contact: Fellowship Programs at the Yale Center for International and Professional Experience Meetings by appointment

Note the important change as of 2014 to requirements for the personal statement for the US Rhodes (and similar changes made in other Rhodes and the Mitchell competitions). While Marshall rules have not changed, this means that:

• Applicants may not seek (or receive) from anyone any comments or feedback on essays for the Rhodes or Mitchell. (However, you may—and indeed are strongly encouraged to—talk over your graduate school plans, career goals, and personal aspirations with advisers and mentors before you begin a draft. Also, should your recommender request a draft of your essay to assist in writing in support of your application, you may properly share a draft; but you should at the same time ensure that your recommender understands that they may not in any way share any comments or feedback on your essays.)
• Applicants for Yale's endorsement for the Rhodes or Mitchell will be asked to upload final versions of their essays to the official application systems before campus endorsement interviews (normally the 2nd week in September), and not to alter essays thereafter.
• Failure to abide by the official rules will render an application ineligible.
• If in doubt, please seek advice from the Fellowships office. In general, applicants may wish to refer to Fellowship Programs' long-standing policy on honesty in fellowship applications and essays.

Graduating seniors and recent graduates with strong records of academic achievement and demonstrated leadership are encouraged to apply. Upon entry to Oxford, the candidate must either be under 25 years of age, OR up to a maximum age of 28 years if they have completed their first undergraduate degree within the last two years. US citizens, permanent residents of the US, and DACA students are also eligible to apply for the US Rhodes: see their website for details; Yale applicants may refer any questions to the Fellowships office.

To apply for Yale's nomination for the Rhodes, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.7 (without rounding up) is required. Otherwise, the Yale committee will be guided by the criteria as stated by the Rhodes Scholarship Memorandum of Regulation for the US:

"Proven intellectual and academic achievement of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but applicants will also be required to show integrity of character, interest in and respect for their fellow beings, the ability to lead, and the energy to use their talents to the full.

"Mr. Rhodes believed that the last of these qualities was best tested through participation and success in sports. Participation in organized sports is not essential if applicants are able to demonstrate in other ways the physical vigor which will enable Rhodes Scholars to make an effective contribution to the world around them. Mr. Rhodes clearly expected such a contribution when he expressed the hope that Rhodes Scholars would come to “esteem the performance of public duties as [their] highest aim.” From this statement one may infer that he expected his Scholars to play an influential part in the betterment of society, wherever their careers might take them. It does not necessarily presuppose a career in the public sector. Mr. Rhodes desired that his Scholars be intellectually, morally, and physically capable of leadership in any field.

"...Mr. Rhodes sought Scholars who were more than “mere bookworms;” he wanted their intellectual talents to be combined with concern for others. Thus, the Committees of Selection assign the highest importance to this blend of character with intellect."